Matthew 10 (NMV)
1 And calling His twelve disciples to Himself, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every sickness.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon (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 Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also handed Him over.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, after instructing them, saying: "Do not go to the way of the Gentiles [those who are not part of the Jewish people], and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;
6 But go rather to the sheep who are spiritually perishing of the house of Israel.
7 And as you go, proclaim, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.'
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received; freely give.
9 Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your belts,
10 or a bag of provisions for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.
11 And whatever city or village you enter, examine who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.
12 And as you enter the house, welcome it.
13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace rest upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ["Peace" here refers to a spoken blessing of wholeness and divine favor. If it is rejected, it returns to the speaker as a retained blessing.]
14 And whoever does not receive you, nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet [Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving Gentile (non-Jewish) territory as a symbolic gesture of separating themselves from uncleanness or idolatry].
15 Truly I say to you, it will be less severe for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city.
16 Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to local councils [Sanhedrin courts] and in their synagogues they will strap you to a post and whip you;
18 And you will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given to you at that hour what you are to say.
20 For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father who is speaking through you.
21 And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
22 And you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.
23 But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.
25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebub [a name used for Satan], how much more the members of his household!
26 So do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be made known.
27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna [the place of final judgment and destruction].
29 Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion [a small Roman coin of little value]? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me publicly before others, I will also acknowledge them before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns Me before others, I will also disown them before My Father who is in heaven.
34 Do not think that I came to cast peace upon the earth; I did not come to cast peace, but a sword.
35 For I came to bring division between his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a person's enemies will be the members of his own household.
37 Whoever is more devoted to their father or mother than to Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever is more devoted to their son or daughter than to Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And the one who does not deliberately take hold of his cross, and follow after Me, is not worthy of Me.
39 Whoever tries to hold on to their life will lose it, but whoever lets go of it for My sake will receive true life.
40 Whoever accepts you accepts Me, and whoever accepts Me accepts the One who sent Me.
41 The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and the one who receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person's reward.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, that person shall by no means lose his reward.