Matthew 10:21-42

21 ¹Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,

22 ²and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ³But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

23 When they ⁴persecute you in one town, ⁵flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel ⁶before the Son of Man comes.

24 ⁷"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant^[a] above his master.

25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. ⁸If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign^[b] those of his household.

Have No Fear

26 "So have no fear of them, ⁹for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on ¹⁰the housetops.

28 And ¹¹do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him ¹²who can destroy both soul and body in hell.^[c]

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?^[d] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 But ¹³even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear not, therefore; ¹⁴you are of more value than many sparrows.

32 ¹⁵So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

33 but ¹⁶whoever denies me before men, ¹⁷I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

34 ¹⁸"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. ¹⁹I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 ²⁰For I have come ²¹to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 ²²And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

37 ²³Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And ²⁴whoever does not take his cross and ²⁵follow me is not worthy of me.

39 ²⁶Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

40 ²⁷"Whoever receives you receives me, and ²⁸whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

41 ²⁹The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

42 And ³⁰whoever gives one of ³¹these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

Cross References

• 1. ver. 35, 36
• 2. Matthew 24:9; John 15:18-21
• 3. Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13; [Daniel 12:12, 13; James 5:11; Revelation 2:10]; See Hebrews 3:6
• 4. Matthew 23:34
• 5. [Matthew 12:15; Acts 8:1; Acts 9:25, 30; Acts 14:6; Acts 17:10, 14]
• 6. Matthew 16:28
• 7. Luke 6:40; John 13:16; John 15:20; [Hebrews 12:3]
• 8. Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15; See John 7:20
• 9. Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; [1 Timothy 5:25]; For ver. 26-33, see Luke 12:2-9
• 10. See Luke 5:19
• 11. Isaiah 8:12, 13; Isaiah 51:12, 13; Jeremiah 1:8; 1 Peter 3:14
• 12. James 4:12
• 13. See 1 Samuel 14:45
• 14. Matthew 6:26; Matthew 12:12
• 15. [Romans 10:9, 10; Hebrews 10:35; Revelation 3:5]
• 16. 2 Timothy 2:12; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 2:23; [Mark 8:38]
• 17. Matthew 7:23; Matthew 25:12; Luke 13:25
• 18. See Luke 12:51-53
• 19. [Revelation 6:4]
• 20. [See ver. 34 above]
• 21. ver. 21; [Micah 7:6]
• 22. Cited from Micah 7:6; [Psalms 41:9; Psalms 55:12, 13; John 13:18]
• 23. Luke 14:26
• 24. Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27
• 25. Matthew 9:9; John 8:12; John 12:26; John 21:19
• 26. Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33; John 12:25
• 27. Luke 10:16; John 13:20; Galatians 4:14; [ver. 20; Matthew 18:5; Matthew 25:40]
• 28. Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; [John 12:44, 45]
• 29. 1 Kings 17:10-15; 1 Kings 18:4; 2 Kings 4:8; [3 John 5-8]
• 30. Matthew 25:35, 40; Mark 9:41; Hebrews 6:10
• 31. Matthew 18:10

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek bondservant; also verse 25
• [b]. Greek lacks will they malign
• [c]. Greek Gehenna
• [d]. Greek assarion, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/16 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer)