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¹ Jesus having called his twelve disciples, he gave them power to cast out unclean spirits, and to heal diseases and disorders of every kind. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; the first is Simon, who is called Peter, then Andrew his brother, ³ James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the publican, James the son of Alpheus, and Labbeus, whose sirname was Thaddeus, Simon the zelot, ⁴ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

⁵ Jesus made these twelve his missionaries, and gave them these instructions, don't go any where among the Gentiles, nor enter into any city of the Samaritans. ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ and wherever ye go, make this proclamation: the kingdom of heaven is nigh. ⁸ heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: what ye have received gratis, give gratis. ⁹ Provide neither gold nor silver, nor brass in your purses: ¹⁰ nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staves: for the workman deserves his maintenance. ¹¹ whatever city or town ye enter into, find out some house of repute, and there lodge till ye leave that place. ¹² As soon as ye enter into any house, salute the family. ¹³ if the family be worthy, your benediction shall have its effect; but if it be not worthy, it shall only redound to your own advantage. ¹⁴ if they should not receive you, nor mind your instructions: when ye depart out of that house, or city, shake off the pagan dust from your feet. ¹⁵ I declare unto you, the people of Sodom and Gomorrha shall find less severity in the day of judgment, than that city.

¹⁶ By your mission you will be expos'd like sheep in the midst of wolves: be then as circumspect as serpents, and as inoffensive as doves: ¹⁷ be upon your guard with such men, for they will deliver you up to their tribunals, and scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ and ye shall be brought before governors and kings upon my account, to bear testimony of me to them and the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁹ but when they take you. into custody, be not sollicitous, how or what ye shall speak, for at the very instant you shall be inspir'd what to say. ²⁰ for it is not properly you that speak, but the spirit of your father that speaketh by you. ²¹ then the brother shall betray his brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against their parents, and be the instruments of their death. ²² and ye shall be hated by all the world for professing my name: but he that perseveres unto the end, shall escape. ²³ Then if they persecute you in one city, fly to another: for I assure you, before you have preach'd thro' all the cities of the Jews, the son of man will come. ²⁴ the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. ²⁵ if the disciple fare as well as his master, and the servant as his lord, is not that sufficient? if they style the master of the house Beelzebub, much more will they call his domestics so. ²⁶ fear them not therefore: for there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed; or secret that shall not be made known. ²⁷ what I tell you in private, declare it in publick: and what is whisper'd in the ear, proclaim from the battlements of the house. ²⁸ fear not those who can only kill the body, but cannot hurt the soul: rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. ²⁹ are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? yet not one of them shall lose its life independently of your father, ³⁰ by whom the very hairs of your head are all numbred: ³¹ lay aside then your fears, ye are of a superior rank to those animals. ³² Whosoever therefore shall own me before men, him will I own likewise before my father who is in heaven. ³³ but whosoever shall renounce me before men, him will I also renounce before my father who is in heaven. ³⁴ don't imagine that I am come to bring peace upon the earth: I came not to bring peace, but war. ³⁵ my coming will occasion discord between the son and his father, between the daughter and her mother, between the daughter in law and her mother in law: ³⁶ even a man's own domestics shall prove his foes. ³⁷ he that loveth father or mother more than me, is unworthy of me: he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is unworthy of me. ³⁸ and he that does not take his cross, and so follow after me, is unworthy of me. ³⁹ he that would preserve his life, shall lose it: and he that exposeth his life for my sake, shall save it. ⁴⁰ He that receives you, receives me; and he that receives me, receives him that sent me. ⁴¹ he that receives a prophet in quality of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a just man, as such, shall receive the reward of the just. ⁴² and whoever shall give only a cup of cold water to the meanest of you, considering him as my disciple, shall most assuredly be far from losing his reward.