Matthew 10:16-25 - Persecution Of Disciples Predicted

¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men; for they will deliver you to Sanhedrims, and scourge you in their synagogues, ¹⁸ and you shall be brought before governors, and kings, for my sake, for a testimony to them and the nations. ¹⁹ But when they have delivered you up be not anxious how you shall speak, or what you shall say, for it shall be given you in that hour what to say; ²⁰ for it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you.

²¹ And a brother shall deliver a brother to death, and a father a son; and children shall rise up against their parents and put them to death; ²² and you shall be hated by all men for my sake. But he that endures to the end shall be saved. ²³ And when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For I tell you truly, that you will not finish the cities of Israel till the Son of man shall come. ²⁴ A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is sufficient for the disciple to be as his teacher, and the servant as his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they call the members of his family by that name.

⁹ Then they shall deliver you to affliction, and kill you, and you shall be hated by all nations on my account; ¹⁰ and then many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and hate one another; ¹¹ and many false prophets shall be raised up and deceive many, ¹² and because wickedness shall abound the love of the many shall become cold: ¹³ but he that endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴ And this good news of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a testimony to all nations; and then shall the end come.

⁹ But take heed to yourselves; they shall deliver you up to Sanhedrims, and you shall be beaten in synagogues, and shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰ And the good news must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹ And when they deliver you to afflictions, be not anxious beforehand what you shall say; but whatever is given you in that hour, this speak; for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother shall deliver brother to death, and father, son; and children shall rise up against their parents and kill them; ¹³ and you shall be hated by all on my account; but he that endures to the end shall be saved.

¹² But before all these things they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, committing you to synagogues and prisons, to be brought before kings and governors on my account; ¹³ and it shall result to you for a testimony. ¹⁴ Settle it in your minds, therefore, not to premeditate what defense you shall make, ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your enemies shall not be able to resist or dispute. ¹⁶ And you shall be delivered up by parents, and brothers, and relatives, and friends; and they shall kill some of you; ¹⁷ and you shall be hated by all on my account; ¹⁸ and a hair of your heads shall by no means perish; ¹⁹ by your patience you shall save your souls.

¹ These things I have said to you, that you may not be offended. ² They shall put you out of the synagogues; but the hour is coming when every one that kills you will think he renders God a service. ³ And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father nor me. ⁴ But these things I have told you, that when the time comes you may remember that I told you of them. But I told you not these things at the beginning, because I was with you.