Open English Translation MAT Chapter 10

10 Then, calling his twelve apprentices, he gave them authority over evil spirits so they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve: Simon (nicknamed Peter) and his brother Andrew, Yacob and his brother Yohan (Zebedee’s sons), 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, Yacob (nicknamed Thaddeus, Alfaeus’s son), 4 Simon (the member of the Canaanites), and Yudas Iscariot (who eventually turned Yeshua in).

5 Yeshua sent out those twelve, instructing them, “Don’t go onto the roads non-Jews use, or into the city of Samaria, 6 but rather go to the lost sheep who are Yisrael’s descendants. 7 As you go, announce to the people that the heavenly kingdom is close. 8 Heal those who need it, bring the dead back to life, get rid of leprosy, and drive evil spirits away. You apprentices received free of charge, so give free of charge. 9 Don’t accept any money for your wallets, 10 and don’t take a backpack, or a change of clothes or footwear, or a staff, because a worker deserves to be fed.[ref]

11 “Whatever city or village you apprentices arrive at, look around to discover who’s godly, and stay with them until you leave. 12 When you enter a home, bless it, 13 and if the house is worthy of it, your peace is to come into it, but if not, your peace is to return to you. 14 If there’s any that don’t accept you or don’t want to hear your messages, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or city, as a sign that you apprentices accept no responsibility for them.[ref] 15 I can assure you that it’ll be more tolerable for the towns of Sodom and Amorah (Gomorrah) on the day of judgement than it will be for those places.[ref]

16 “Look out, because I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves, so you’ll need to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.[ref] 17 But watch out, because there’s people who’ll turn you in to the councils, and then you’ll be flogged in their meeting halls.[ref] 18 You’ll be stood in front of governors and even kings on my account, but it’ll be a testimony to them and to the non-Jews. 19 However, whenever they turn you in, you don’t need to worry about what to say or how to say it, because whatever you apprentices need to say will be given to you at the right time, 20 because you won’t be the ones speaking, but it’ll be your father’s spirit speaking through you.

21 “One sibling will turn another in to be executed, and a father his child, and children will be rebelling against their parents and having them put to death.[ref] 22 You apprentices will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the ones who endure until the end, they’re the ones who’ll be saved.[ref] 23 Whenever they persecute you in one city, escape to the next city, because I can assure you that you won’t get through all the cities in Yisrael before humanity’s child comes.

24 “An apprentice isn’t above their teacher, nor is a slave above their master.[ref] 25 The apprentice is happy to eventually become like their teacher, and the slave to become like their master. If they accuse the home owner of being a devil, then they’ll do that even more to other members of his household.[ref]

26 “Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, because nothing’s covered up that won’t eventually be revealed, and nothing’s hidden that won’t be made known.[ref] 27 Whatever I tell you apprentices in the darkness, speak it out in the light, and what you hear whispered, go and yell it out from up on the top porch. 28 Don’t be afraid of anyone who can kill your body but who can’t touch your soul, but rather work to please the one who can destroy both soul and body in fire. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for almost nothing? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your father being involved. 30 For you apprentices, even the hairs on your head have been counted, 31 so don’t worry about things, because you’re more valuable than any sparrows.

32 “If someone acknowledges me in front of others, then I’ll acknowledge them in front of my father who’s in the heavens, 33 but if anyone disowns me in front of others, then I’ll disown them in front of my father who’s in the heavens.[ref]

34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth. No, I came to bring war, not peace, 35 because I came to divide a son against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,[ref] 36 and people will have enemies in their own households.

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than they love me is not worthy of being mine, and anyone who loves their son or daughter more than they love me is not worthy of being mine. 38 Anyone who doesn’t pick up their own execution post, and carry it as they follow me, is not worthy of being mine.[ref] 39 Anyone who’s found their life will lose it, and anyone who loses their life because of following me will find it.[ref]

40 Anyone who accepts you is accepting me, and anyone who accepts me is accepting the one who sent me down here.[ref] 41 Anyone who accepts a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet, and anyone who accepts a godly person in the name of a godly person will receive the reward of a godly person. 42 Anyone who, as one of my apprentices, gives a cup of cool water to one of these little ones to drink, I’m telling you that that person certainly won’t lose their reward.