Matthew 3-10

Tree of Life Version

John’s Witness to Israel’s Leaders

3 In those days, John the Immerser came proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea, ² “Turn away from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near!” ^{[a] 3} For he is the one Isaiah the prophet spoke about, saying,

⁴ Now John wore clothing from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts^[c] and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were being immersed by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance; ⁹ and do not think that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’! For I tell you that from these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire!

¹¹ “As for me, I immerse you in water for repentance. But the One coming after me is mightier than I am; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will immerse you in the Ruach ha-Kodesh and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He shall clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but the chaff He shall burn up with inextinguishable fire.”^[d]

The Heavens Open at Yeshua’s Mikveh

¹³ Then Yeshua came from the Galilee to John, to be immersed by him in the Jordan. ¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be immersed by You, and You are coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Yeshua responded, “Let it happen now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” So John yielded to Him.

¹⁶ After being immersed, Yeshua rose up out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Ruach Elohim^[e] descending like a dove and coming upon Him. ¹⁷ And behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!”^[f]

Overcoming Temptation with God’s Word

4 Then Yeshua was led by the Ruach into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. ³ And when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are Ben-Elohim, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ But He replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”^[g]

⁵ Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on the highest point of the Temple. ⁶ “If You are Ben-Elohim,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written,

⁷ Yeshua said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put Adonai your God to the test.’”^[j]

⁸ Again, the devil takes Him to a very high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Yeshua says to him, “Go away, satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship Adonai your God, and Him only shall you serve.’” ^{[k] 11} Then the devil leaves Him. And behold, angels came and began to take care of Him.

Yeshua Withdraws to Seek God

¹² Now when Yeshua heard that John had been handed over, He withdrew to the Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Natzeret, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁷ From then on, Yeshua began to proclaim, “Turn away from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Raising Up Fishers of Men

¹⁸ Now as Yeshua was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, Jacob the son of Zebedee and John his brother. They were in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

²³ Yeshua was going throughout all the Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about Him spread throughout all Syria. And they brought to Him all the sick—those tormented by various diseases and afflictions, those plagued by demons, the epileptics, the paralyzed—and He healed them. ²⁵ And large crowds followed Him from the Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Drash on the Mountain

5 Now when Yeshua saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain. And after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.

¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great! For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”^[m]

Called to Be Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt should lose its flavor, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Filling the Law to the Fullest

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. ¹⁸ Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif^[n] shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. ¹⁹ Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and Torah scholars, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven!

²¹ “You have heard it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,^[o] and whoever commits murder shall be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be subject to the council^[p]; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be subject to fiery Gehenna.

²³ “Therefore if you are presenting your offering upon the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

²⁵ “Make friends quickly with your opponent while you are with him on the way. Otherwise, your opponent may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the assistant, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Amen, I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid back the last penny!^[q]

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ^{[r] 28} But I tell you that everyone who looks upon a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ And if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away! It is better for you that one part of your body should be destroyed, than that your whole body be thrown into Gehenna. ^{[s] 30} And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you that one part of your body should be destroyed, than that your whole body go into Gehenna.

³¹ “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ^{[t] 32} But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall carry out your oaths to Adonai.’ ^{[u] 34} But I tell you, do not swear at all—not by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet;^[v] or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ^{[w] 36} And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your word ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’—anything more than this is from the evil one.”

Overcoming Evil with Good

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ^{[x] 39} But I tell you, do not resist an evildoer. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other. ⁴⁰ And the one wanting to sue you and to take your shirt, let him also have your coat. ⁴¹ Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor^[y] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the pagans do that, don’t they? ⁴⁸ Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Righteous Living

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² So whenever you do tzedakah, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Amen, I tell you, they have their reward in full! ³ But when you do tzedakah, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your tzedakah may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, shall reward you.

⁵ “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Amen, I tell you, they have their reward in full! ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your inner room; and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, shall reward you. ⁷ And when you are praying, do not babble on and on like the pagans; for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

⁹ “Therefore, pray in this way:

¹⁴ “For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

¹⁶ “And whenever you fast, do not become sad-faced like the hypocrites, for they neglect their faces to make their fasting evident to men. Amen, I tell you, they have their reward in full! ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that your fasting won’t be evident to men, but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.^[aa]

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust^[ab] destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick by one and look down on the other. You cannot serve God and money.”^[ac]

Overcoming Worry with Trust

²⁵ “So I say to you, do not worry about your life—what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

²⁶ “Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your Father in heaven feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ^{[ad] 28} And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ^{[ae] 30} Now if in this way God clothes the grass—which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow—will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³² For the pagans eagerly pursue all these things; yet your Father in heaven knows that you need all these. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Measuring Your Measure

7 “Stop judging, so that you may not be judged. ² For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam in your own eye? ⁴ Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the beam is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet, then turn and rip you to shreds.

⁷ “Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it shall be opened.

⁹ “For what man among you, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or when he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ¹² So in all things, do to others what you would want them to do to you—for this is the Torah and the Prophets.

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Judging the Fruit

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets,^[af] who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes aren’t gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree produces good fruit, but the rotten tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”^[ag]

Building on a Firm Foundation

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and yet it did not fall, for its foundation had been built on the rock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

²⁸ Now when Yeshua had finished these words, the crowds were astounded at His teaching, ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one having authority and not as their Torah scholars.

Healing Those who Trust

8 When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. ² And a man with tzara’at came to Him and bowed down before Him, saying, “Master, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

³ Yeshua stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be cleansed.” Immediately his tzara’at was cleansed. ⁴ And Yeshua said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go show yourself to the kohen and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”^[ah]

⁵ Now when Yeshua came into Capernaum, a centurion came begging for help. ⁶ “Master,” he said, “my servant is lying at home paralyzed, horribly tormented.”

⁷ Yeshua said to him, “I’ll come and heal him.”

⁸ But the centurion said, “Master, I’m not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ Now when Yeshua heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Amen, I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith! ¹¹ Moreover, I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and they will recline at table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the sons of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness; in that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

¹³ Then Yeshua said to the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And the servant was healed in that same hour.

¹⁴ And when Yeshua came into Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying down, sick with a fever. ¹⁵ Yeshua touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to take care of Him.

¹⁶ When evening came, the people brought to Him many who were afflicted by demons. He forced out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. ¹⁷ So was fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

Following the Call

¹⁸ Now when Yeshua saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to go to the other side of the sea. ¹⁹ Then a Torah scholar came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

²⁰ Yeshua tells him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

²¹ Then another of the disciples said, “Master, first let me go and bury my father.”

²² But Yeshua tells him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Master of the Storm

²³ As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ Suddenly a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves. But Yeshua kept on sleeping. ²⁵ So they came and woke Him up, saying, “Master, save us! We’re perishing!”

²⁶ He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became totally calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed, saying, “What kind of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Freedom from Demons

²⁸ When He came to the other side, into the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-plagued men coming from the graveyard^[aj] met Him. They were so violent that no one could pass by that way. ²⁹ And they screamed, “What’s between You and us,^[ak] Ben-Elohim? Have You come here to torment us, before the appointed time?”

³⁰ Now a large herd of pigs was feeding some distance away from them. ³¹ The demons kept begging Him, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

³² And He told them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea and drowned. ³³ The herdsmen ran away, went into the town, and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-plagued men. ³⁴ The whole town came out to meet Yeshua. And when they saw him, they begged Him to leave their region.

Authority to Pardon Sins

9 After getting into a boat, Yeshua crossed over and came to His own town. ² Just then, some people brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a cot. And seeing their faith, Yeshua said to the paralyzed man, “Take courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.”

³ Then some of the Torah scholars said among themselves, “This fellow blasphemes!”

⁴ And knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said, “Why are you entertaining evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to pardon sins...” Then He tells the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your cot and go home.” ⁷ And he got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw it, they were afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

A Physician for Sinners

⁹ As Yeshua was passing by from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he got up and followed Him.

¹⁰ Now it happened that when Yeshua was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Yeshua and His disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why does this Teacher of yours eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹² But when He heard this, Yeshua said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick do. ¹³ Now go and learn what this means: ‘Mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.’^[al] For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but the sinful.”

Teaching New Ways

¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”^[am]

¹⁵ And Yeshua said to them, “The guests of the bridegroom cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

¹⁶ “And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment and a worse tear happens. ¹⁷ Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, and the wine spills out and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Compassion in the Shepherd’s Touch

¹⁸ Just as He was saying these things to them, a synagogue leader came and began to bow before Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come lay Your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ And Yeshua got up and began to follow him, with His disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman, losing blood for twelve years,^[an] came from behind and touched the tzitzit of His garment. ²¹ For she kept saying to herself, “If only I touch His garment, I will be healed.”

²² But then Yeshua turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” He said, “your faith has made you well.” That very hour the woman was healed.

²³ When Yeshua came into the synagogue leader’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, ²⁴ He said, “Go away, for the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” And they began jeering at Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd had been cleared out, He went in and took her hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶ And news of this spread all around that region.

²⁷ As Yeshua went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Ben-David, have mercy on us!”

²⁸ When He went into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Master,” they said to Him.

²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith, let it be done for you.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Yeshua warned them sternly, “See that no one knows.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about Him all around that region.

³² As they were going out, a mute man plagued by a demon was brought to Him. ³³ After the demon was driven out, the mute man started speaking. The crowds were astounded, saying, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” ³⁴ But the Pharisees were saying, “By the prince of demons He drives out demons.”

³⁵ Now Yeshua was going around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. ³⁶ When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ^{[ao] 37} Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send out workers into His harvest field.”

Instructions to the Twelve

10 Yeshua summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, so they could drive them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness. ² Now these are the names of the twelve emissaries: first, Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; Jacob the son of Zebedee and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; Jacob, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot,^[ap] and Judah the man from Kriot,^[aq] the one who also betrayed Him.

⁵ Yeshua sent out these twelve and ordered them, “Do not go to the Gentiles, and do not enter into any Samaritan town. ⁶ But go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near!’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with tzara’at, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. ⁹ Do not get gold or silver or copper for your money belts, ¹⁰ or a bag for the journey, or two shirts,^[ar] or sandals, or a walking stick; for the worker is entitled to his food.

¹¹ “Whatever town or village you shall enter, find out who in it is worthy and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you come into the house, greet it. ¹³ If the household is worthy, let your shalom come upon it. But if it’s not worthy, let your shalom return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, as you leave that house or that town, shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Amen, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah^[as] on the Day of Judgment than for that town.

¹⁶ “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog^[at] you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ You will be brought before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you should say, for it shall be given to you in that hour what you should say. ²⁰ For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against their 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 shall be saved. ²³ Whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next. Amen, I tell you, you will never finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁴ “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

²⁶ “So do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in your ear, proclaim from the housetops! ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.^[au]

²⁹ “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[av] Yet not one of them shall fall to the ground apart from your Father’s consent. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³² “Therefore whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

³⁴ “Do not think that I came to bring shalom on the earth; I did not come to bring shalom, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set

³⁷ “He who loves father or mother more than Me isn’t worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me isn’t worthy of Me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me isn’t worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

⁴⁰ “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. ⁴¹ He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a tzaddik in the name of a tzaddik shall receive a tzaddik’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, amen I tell you, he shall never lose his reward.”