Matthew 10 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

(Mar 3:13–19; Luk 6:12–16 )

Mat 10:1Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil[fn] spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.

Mat 10:2

Mat 10:2Here are the names of the twelve apostles:
first, Simon (also called Peter),
then Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James (son of Zebedee),
John (James’s brother),

Mat 10:3

Mat 10:3Philip,
Bartholomew,
Thomas,
Matthew (the tax collector),
James (son of Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus,[fn]

Mat 10:4

Mat 10:4Simon (the zealot[fn]),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

(Mar 6:7–13; Luk 9:1–6 )

Mat 10:5

Mat 10:5Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans,

Mat 10:6

Mat 10:6but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.

Mat 10:7

Mat 10:7Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[fn]

Mat 10:8

Mat 10:8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Mat 10:9

Mat 10:9“Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins.

Mat 10:10

Mat 10:10Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.

Mat 10:11

Mat 10:11“Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town.

Mat 10:12

Mat 10:12When you enter the home, give it your blessing.

Mat 10:13

Mat 10:13If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing.

Mat 10:14

Mat 10:14If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.

Mat 10:15

Mat 10:15I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.

(Mar 13:9–13; Luk 21:12–17 )

Mat 10:16

Mat 10:16“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.

Mat 10:17

Mat 10:17But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues.

Mat 10:18

Mat 10:18You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.[fn]

Mat 10:19

Mat 10:19When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.

Mat 10:20

Mat 10:20For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Mat 10:21

Mat 10:21“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.

Mat 10:22

Mat 10:22And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.[fn] But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.

Mat 10:23

Mat 10:23When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man[fn] will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.

Mat 10:24

Mat 10:24“Students[fn] are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.

Mat 10:25

Mat 10:25Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons,[fn] the members of my household will be called by even worse names!

Mat 10:26

Mat 10:26“But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.

(Luk 12:3–7 )

Mat 10:27

Mat 10:27What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!

Mat 10:28

Mat 10:28“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[fn]

Mat 10:29

Mat 10:29What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin[fn]? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

Mat 10:30

Mat 10:30And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

Mat 10:31

Mat 10:31So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

(Luk 12:8, 9 )

Mat 10:32

Mat 10:32“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

Mat 10:33

Mat 10:33But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

(Luk 12:51–53; 14:26, 27 )

Mat 10:34

Mat 10:34“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

Mat 10:35

Mat 10:35‘I have come to set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Mat 10:36

Mat 10:36Your enemies will be right in your own household!’[fn]

Mat 10:37

Mat 10:37“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.

Mat 10:38

Mat 10:38If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.

Mat 10:39

Mat 10:39If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

(Mar 9:41 )

Mat 10:40

Mat 10:40“Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me.

Mat 10:41

Mat 10:41If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God,[fn] you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs.

Mat 10:42

Mat 10:42And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”