Sending Out More Disciples

¹After this, the Lord appointed 70 others and sent them out in pairs ahead of him to every town and place he planned to visit. ²He said to them, “The harvest is truly great, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send workers into his harvest.” ³Now go! But understand this — I'm sending you out like lambs into a pack of wolves. ⁴“Carry no money bag, travel bag, or shoes, and greet no one along the way.” ⁵When you enter a house, the first thing you should say is, 'Peace be to this house.' ⁶If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. ⁷Stay in that same house, and eat and drink whatever they offer you, because a worker deserves to be paid. Don't keep moving from house to house. ⁸When you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat whatever food they put in front of you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' ¹⁰But when you enter a town and they don't welcome you, go out into the streets and say, ¹¹'We're wiping off even the dust of your town that clings to our feet as a witness against you. But know this — the kingdom of God has come near to you.' ¹²I'm telling you, on judgment day it will be more bearable for Sodom than for that town. ¹³Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴But on judgment day, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ¹⁵And you, Capernaum, which are exalted to heaven, will be thrust down to hell. ¹⁶Whoever listens to you is listening to me. Whoever rejects you is rejecting me. And whoever rejects me is rejecting the one who sent me." ¹⁷The 70 came back overjoyed. "Lord," they said, "even the demons obey us when we use your name!" ¹⁸He said to them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” ¹⁹Listen — I've given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overpower every force of the enemy. Nothing will harm you in any way. ²⁰But don't celebrate because the spirits submit to you. Instead, celebrate because your names are written in heaven." ²¹At that time, Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was pleasing in your sight.” ²²All things are delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²³Then he turned to his disciples privately and said, "How blessed are the eyes that see what you're seeing! ²⁴I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you're seeing but never saw it, and to hear what you're hearing but never heard it."