Matthew 10
Sending Out the Twelve Apostles
1 And having called to himself his twelve disciples he gave to them authority over unclean spirits so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every disease and every weakness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles1 are these: First Simon the [one] called Peter and Andrew his brother, and James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, 3 Phillip and Bartholemew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot who also betrayed him.5 Jesus sent out these twelve after he exhorted them saying: Do not go in the road of the nations, and do not enter into the city of Samaritans. 6 But be going instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And while going, be proclaiming that the kingdom of the heavens [is] at hand. 8 Be healing the feeble, be raising the dead, be cleansing lepers, be casting out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take2 gold nor silver nor copper coin in your belt 10 nor pouch for the road nor two shirts nor sandals nor staves, for the worker [is] worthy of his sustenance. 11 And in whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there remain until you leave. 12 And when you enter into the house, greet it kindly. 13 And if the house should be worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it should not be worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever does not receive you nor hear your words, when you come of that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, It will be more bearable for [the] land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city.
Persecution of Disciples
16 Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Become therefore shrewd as foxes and as innocent3 as doves. 17 But be giving heed of men, for they will deliver you up to the council, and in their synagogues they will flog you, 18 and before chiefs and kings you will be brought on account of me, as [a] witness to them and to the nations. 19 Now whenever they deliver you up, do not be concerned about how or what you will speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you will say. 20 For you are not the [ones] speaking, but the spirit of your father who speaks in you.21 For brother will deliver up brother to death and [a] father [his] son, and children will rise up against [their] parents and will cause them to die4. 22 And you will be hated by all because of my name, but the [one] having born up to the end, this [one] shall be saved. 23 But whenever they persecute you in this city, be fleeing to another, for truly I say to you, you will not complete the cities of Israel until the son of man comes.
24 [A] disciple is not above his teacher nor [a] slave above his Lord. 25 [It is] sufficient to [a] disciple that he become as his teacher and the slave as his Lord. If they call the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household?
Fear God, Not Man
26 Therefore do not fear them, for nothing is covered that will not be uncovered, and [nothing] secret that will not be known. 27 What I say to you in darkness, you speak in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim in the houses. 28 And do not fear those killing the body but unable to kill the psyche-life5 , but fear rather the [one] able to destroy both body and psyche-life5 in Gehenna6 . 29 Are not two sparrows sold for [a] penny? And one of them will not fall on the ground7 without your father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Therefore do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.32 Therefore everyone who will profess me before men, I also will profess him before my father in the heavens. 33 But whoever will deny8 me before men, I also will deny9 him before my father in the heavens.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on the land. I did not come to bring peace but [a] sword. 35 For I came to set [a] man against his father and [a] daughter against her mother, and [a] wife against her in-laws. 36 And [a] man's enemies will be of his own house.37 The [one] philia-loving father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the [one] philia-loving son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not receive10 his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 The [one] finding his psyche-life5 shall lose11 it, and the [one] losing11 his psyche-life5 because of me will find it.
Rewards
40 Whoever receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 The [one] receiving [a] prophet in the name of [a] prophet will receive [a] prophet's reward, and the [one] receiving [a] just [one] in the name of [a] just [one] will receive [a] just [one]'s reward. 42 And whoever gives only [a] glass of cold water to one of these little [ones] in the name of [a] disciple, truly I say to you, he shall not lose11 his reward.1in Gk: "sent ones"
2or "acquire"
3"untouched," "unharmed"
4"be put to death" ?
5from PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. Animals have PSYCHEs as well as humans. Contrast ZOE (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected.
6"Gehenna" (γεεννα) was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem that was perpetually on fire.
7GE "GAY" (γη) "earth", "land" (remember that they didn't understand about the Earth being a planet floating in space yet), sometimes "ground" or "dirt".
8or "refuse"
9or "refuse"
10or "take"
11APOLLUMI (απoλλυμι) To lose something that one previously possessed. Can also mean `ruin' or `destroy'—see Rev.9:11 where the angel of the Abyss is named `Apollyon' (same root word).