Matthew 10-12

New King James Version

The Twelve Apostles^(A)

10 And ^(B)when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, ^(C)who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and ^[a]Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ^4 (D)Simon the ^[b]Cananite, and Judas ^(E)Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Sending Out the Twelve^(F)

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ^(G)“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of ^(H)the Samaritans. ^6 (I)But go rather to the ^(J)lost sheep of the house of Israel. ^7 (K)And as you go, preach, saying, ^(L)‘The kingdom of heaven ^[c]is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, ^[d]cleanse the lepers, ^[e]raise the dead, cast out demons. ^(M)Freely you have received, freely give. ^9 (N)Provide neither gold nor silver nor ^(O)copper in your money belts, ¹⁰ nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; ^(P)for a worker is worthy of his food.

^11 (Q)“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. ¹² And when you go into a household, greet it. ^13 (R)If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. ^(S)But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ^14 (T)And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, ^(U)shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, ^(V)it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Persecutions Are Coming^(W)

^16 (X)“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. ^(Y)Therefore be wise as serpents and ^(Z)harmless^[f] as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for ^(AA)they will deliver you up to councils and ^(AB)scourge you in their synagogues. ^18 (AC)You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ^19 (AD)But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For ^(AE)it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ^20 (AF)for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

^21 (AG)“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ^(AH)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. ^(AI)But he who endures to the end will be saved. ^23 (AJ)When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have ^(AK)gone through the cities of Israel ^(AL)before the Son of Man comes.

^24 (AM)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If ^(AN)they have called the master of the house ^[g]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them. ^(AO)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God^(AP)

²⁷ “Whatever I tell you in the dark, ^(AQ)speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. ^28 (AR)And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather ^(AS)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^[h]hell. ²⁹ Are not two ^(AT)sparrows sold for a ^[i]copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ^30 (AU)But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men^(AV)

^32 (AW)“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, ^(AX)him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ^33 (AY)But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Christ Brings Division^(AZ)

^34 (BA)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ^(BB)‘set^[j] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ^(BC)‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ^37 (BD)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ^38 (BE)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^39 (BF)He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

A Cup of Cold Water^(BG)

^40 (BH)“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (BI)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ^42 (BJ)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus^(BK)

11 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to ^(BL)teach and to preach in their cities.

^2 (BM)And when John had heard ^(BN)in prison about the works of Christ, he ^[k]sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You ^(BO)the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ^5 (BP)The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and ^(BQ)the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not ^(BR)offended because of Me.”

^7 (BS)As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? ^(BT)A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, ^(BU)and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written:

¹¹ “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ^12 (BW)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. ^13 (BX)For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to receive it, he is ^(BY)Elijah who is to come. ^15 (BZ)He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

^16 (CA)“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, ¹⁷ and saying:

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a ^[m]winebibber, ^(CB)a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ^(CC)But wisdom is justified by her ^[n]children.”

Woe to the Impenitent Cities^(CD)

^20 (CE)Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago ^(CF)in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I say to you, ^(CG)it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, ^(CH)who^[o] are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴ But I say to you ^(CI)that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Jesus Gives True Rest^(CJ)

^25 (CK)At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that ^(CL)You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent ^(CM)and have revealed them to babes. ²⁶ Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ^27 (CN)All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. ^(CO)Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ²⁸ Come to ^(CP)Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you ^(CQ)and learn from Me, for I am ^[p]gentle and ^(CR)lowly in heart, ^(CS)and you will find rest for your souls. ^30 (CT)For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(CU)

12 At that time ^(CV)Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to ^(CW)pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

³ But He said to them, “Have you not read ^(CX)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate ^(CY)the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, ^(CZ)but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the ^(DA)law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple ^[q]profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? ⁶ Yet I say to you that in this place there is ^(DB)One greater than the temple. ⁷ But if you had known what this means, ^(DC)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord ^[r]even of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath^(DD)

^9 (DE)Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, ^(DF)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

¹¹ Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. ¹⁴ Then ^(DG)the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Behold, My Servant

¹⁵ But when Jesus knew it, ^(DH)He withdrew from there. ^(DI)And great ^[s]multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. ¹⁶ Yet He ^(DJ)warned them not to make Him known, ¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

A House Divided Cannot Stand^(DM)

^22 (DN)Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the ^[t]blind and mute man both spoke and saw. ²³ And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the ^(DO)Son of David?”

^24 (DP)Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by ^[u]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

²⁵ But Jesus ^(DQ)knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. ²⁸ But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, ^(DR)surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ^29 (DS)Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. ³⁰ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

The Unpardonable Sin^(DT)

³¹ “Therefore I say to you, ^(DU)every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, ^(DV)but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³² Anyone who ^(DW)speaks a word against the Son of Man, ^(DX)it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

A Tree Known by Its Fruit^(DY)

³³ “Either make the tree good and ^(DZ)its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. ^34 (EA)Brood^[v] of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? ^(EB)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure ^[w]of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. ³⁶ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign^(EC)

^38 (ED)Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

³⁹ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and ^(EE)adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ^40 (EF)For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ^41 (EG)The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and ^(EH)condemn it, ^(EI)because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. ^42 (EJ)The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit Returns^(EK)

^43 (EL)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, ^(EM)he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. ⁴⁴ Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; ^(EN)and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Send for Him^(EO)

⁴⁶ While He was still talking to the multitudes, ^(EP)behold, His mother and ^(EQ)brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. ⁴⁷ Then one said to Him, “Look, ^(ER)Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”

⁴⁸ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My ^(ES)brothers! ⁵⁰ For ^(ET)whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”