The Daily Audio Bible

⁵¹ As the time came nearer for Jesus to be taken up, he settled it in his mind to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent messengers ahead of him. They came into a Samaritan village to get them ready, ⁵³ and they refused to receive him, because his mind was set on going to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call down fire from heaven and burn them up?” ⁵⁵ He turned and rebuked them, ⁵⁶ and they went on to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road a man addressed Jesus.

“Wherever you’re going,” he said, “I’ll follow you!”

⁵⁸ “Foxes have lairs,” Jesus replied, “and the birds in the sky have nests; but the son of man doesn’t have anywhere to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ To another person he said, “Follow me.”

“Master,” he replied, “let me first go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ “Let the dead bury their dead,” said Jesus. “You must go and announce God’s kingdom.”

⁶¹ “I will follow you, Master,” said another, “but first let me say goodbye to the people at home.”

⁶² “Nobody,” replied Jesus, “who begins to plow and then looks over his shoulder is fit for God’s kingdom.”

Jesus sends out the seventy

10 After this the master commissioned seventy others, and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he was intending to come.

² “There’s a great harvest out there,” he said to them, “but there aren’t many workers. So plead with the harvest-master to send out workers for the harvest.

³ “Off you go now. Remember, I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Take no money-bag, no pack, no sandals—and don’t stop to pass the time with anyone on the road. ⁵ Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace on this house.’ ⁶ If a child of peace lives there, your peace will rest on them; but if not, it will return to you.

⁷ “Stay in the same house, and eat and drink what they provide. The worker deserves to be paid, you see. Don’t go from house to house. ⁸ If you go into a town and they welcome you, eat what is provided, ⁹ heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come close to you.’ ¹⁰ But if you go into a town and they don’t welcome you, go out into the streets of the town and say, ¹¹ ‘Here is the very dust of your town clinging to our feet—and we’re wiping it off in front of your eyes! ¹² But you should know this: God’s kingdom has come close to you!’ Let me tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.