Matthew 10:16-25

Expanded Bible

Jesus Warns His Apostles^(A)

¹⁶ “·Listen [^LLook; ^TBehold], I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as ·clever [wise; shrewd; cunning] as ·snakes [serpents] and as ·innocent [harmless] as doves. ¹⁷ ·Be careful of [Beware of; Watch out for] people, because they will ·arrest you and take you to court [hand you over to the courts/councils; ^Clocal councils associated with Jewish synagogues] and ·whip [flog; scourge] you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ ·Because of me [On my account; For my sake] you will be taken to stand before governors and kings, ·and you will tell them and the Gentiles about me [^Las a witness/testimony to them and to the Gentiles]. ¹⁹ When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. [^LFor] At that time you will be given the things to say. ²⁰ It will not really be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father speaking ·through [in] you.

²¹ “Brothers will ·give [betray; hand over] their own brothers to ·be killed [death], and fathers will give their own children to ·be killed [death]. Children will ·fight [rebel; rise up] against their own parents and have them put to death. ²² All people will hate you because ·you follow me [^Lof my name], but those people who ·keep their faith [endure; stand firm; persevere] until the end will be saved. ²³ When you are ·treated badly [persecuted] in one city, ·run [flee] to ·another city [the next]. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes [Dan. 7:13–14].

²⁴ “A ·student [disciple; follower] is not ·better than [superior to; ^Labove] his teacher, and a ·servant [slave] is not ·better than [superior to; ^Labove] his ·master [lord]. ²⁵ ·A student should be satisfied [^LIt is enough for a student/disciple/follower] to become like his teacher; ·a servant should be satisfied to become [^Land a servant/slave] like his master. If the head of the family [^Chere referring to Jesus] is called Beelzebul [^Canother name for Satan], ·then the other members of the family will be called worse names [^Lhow much more the members of his household]!