Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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The Twelve Apostles
(Mark 3.13–19; Luke 6.12–16)
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples
together and gave them
authority to drive out evil spirits and
to heal every disease and every sickness.
2 These are the names of the
twelve apostles: first, Simon (called
Peter) and his brother Andrew;
James and his brother John, the sons
of Zebedee;
3 Philip and Bartholomew;
Thomas and Matthew, the tax
collector; James son of Alphaeus,
and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Patriot,
and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed
Jesus.
The Mission of the Twelve
(Mark 6.7–13; Luke 9.1–6)
5 These twelve men were sent out
by Jesus with the following instructions:
“Do not go to any Gentile territory
or any Samaritan towns.
6 Instead,
you are to go to the lost sheep
of the people of Israel.
7 Go and
preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is
near!’
8 Heal the sick, bring the dead
back to life, heal those who suffer
from dreaded skin diseases, and
drive out demons. You have received
without paying, so give without
being paid.
9 Do not carry any
gold, silver, or copper money in your
pockets;
10 do not carry a beggar's
bag for the trip or an extra shirt or
shoes or a walking stick. A worker
should be given what he needs. note
11 “When you come to a town or
village, go in and look for someone
who is willing to welcome you, and
stay with him until you leave that
place.
12 When you go into a house,
say, ‘Peace be with you.’
13 If the
people in that house welcome you,
let your greeting of peace remain;
but if they do not welcome you, then
take back your greeting.
14 And if
some home or town will not welcome
you or listen to you, then leave
that place and shake the dust off
your feet. note
15 I assure you that on the
Judgment Day God will show more
mercy to the people of Sodom and
Gomorrah than to the people of that
town! note note
Coming Persecutions
(Mark 13.9–13; Luke 21.12–17)
16 “Listen! I am sending you out
just like sheep to a pack of wolves.
You must be as cautious as snakes
and as gentle as doves. note
17 Watch out,
for there will be men who will arrest
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you and take you to court, and they
will whip you in the synagogues.
18 For my sake you will be brought to
trial before rulers and kings, to tell
the Good News to them and to the
Gentiles.
19 When they bring you to
trial, do not worry about what you
are going to say or how you will say
it; when the time comes, you will be
given what you will say.
20 For the
words you will speak will not be
yours; they will come from the Spirit
of your Father speaking through
you. note
21 “Men will hand over their own
brothers to be put to death, and fathers
will do the same to their children;
children will turn against their
parents and have them put to death. note
22 Everyone will hate you because of
me. But whoever holds out to the
end will be saved. note
23 When they persecute
you in one town, run away to
another one. I assure you that you
will not finish your work in all the
towns of Israel before the Son of
Man comes.
24 “No pupil is greater than his
teacher; no slave is greater than his
master. note
25 So a pupil should be satisfied
to become like his teacher, and a
slave like his master. If the head of
the family is called Beelzebul, the
members of the family will be called
even worse names! note
Whom to Fear
(Luke 12.2–7)
26 “So do not be afraid of people.
Whatever is now covered up will be
uncovered, and every secret will be
made known. note
27 What I am telling
you in the dark you must repeat in
broad daylight, and what you have
heard in private you must announce
from the housetops.
28 Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid
of God, who can destroy both body
and soul in hell.
29 For only a penny
you can buy two sparrows, yet not
one sparrow falls to the ground
without your Father's consent.
30 As
for you, even the hairs of your head
have all been counted.
31 So do not
be afraid; you are worth much more
than many sparrows!
Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Luke 12.8–9)
32 “If anyone declares publicly that
he belongs to me, I will do the same
for him before my Father in heaven.
33 But if anyone rejects me publicly, I
will reject him before my Father in
heaven. note
Not Peace, but a Sword
(Luke 12.51–53; 14.26–27)
34 “Do not think that I have come
to bring peace to the world. No, I did
not come to bring peace, but a
sword.
35 I came to set sons against
their fathers, daughters against their
mothers, daughters-in-law against
their mothers-in-law;
36 a man's
worst enemies will be the members
of his own family. note
37 “Whoever loves his father or
mother more than me is not fit to be
my disciple; whoever loves his son
or daughter more than me is not fit
to be my disciple.
38 Whoever does
not take up his cross and follow in
my steps is not fit to be my disciple. note
39 Whoever tries to gain his own life
will lose it; but whoever loses his life
for my sake will gain it. note
Rewards
(Mark 9.41)
40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes
me; and whoever welcomes
me welcomes the one who sent me. note
41 Whoever welcomes God's messenger
because he is God's messenger,
will share in his reward. And whoever
welcomes a good man because
he is good, will share in his reward.
42 You can be sure that whoever
gives even a drink of cold water to
one of the least of these my followers
because he is my follower, will
certainly receive a reward.”
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Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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