1
Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων ὥστε ἐκβάλλειν αὐτὰ καὶ θεραπεύειν πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν.
And calling his twelve disciples he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every weakness.
2
τῶν δὲ δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τὰ ὀνόματά ἐστιν ταῦτα· πρῶτος Σίμων ὁ λεγόμενος Πέτρος καὶ Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς ⸀αὐτοῦ, Ἰάκωβος ὁ τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ,
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Why this rendering
Matt.10.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἀπόστολος occurs only here in Matthew, only once in Mark (6:30) and only once in John (13:16). Luke alone uses it six times (6:13, 9:10, 11:49, 17:5, 22:14, 24:10). **Three books are sparing with it and one is not.** The three normally say μαθηταί, disciples, or οἱ δώδεκα, the twelve. The list opens with πρῶτος, first — but not as a count: no second or third follows, only καί. So πρῶτος attaches to Simon rather than numbering the list. The names come in pairs (two brothers, two brothers…), and Matthew's own name carries ὁ τελώνης, the tax collector — a qualifier absent from the parallel list at Mark 3:18. And Judas carries ὁ καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτόν, the one who handed him over, spoken as already done at the moment the list is written. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀αὐτοῦ,).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “first, Simon” — without numbering
Basis Keeps πρῶτος without supplying second and third. The translation does not count what the text does not.
Number the list through
Basis Tidies the list for reading.
Rejected The text counts one and stops. Numbering through invents a system the text lacks and closes what was open — whether πρῶτος belongs to Simon or to the list.
3
Φίλιππος καὶ Βαρθολομαῖος, Θωμᾶς καὶ Μαθθαῖος ὁ τελώνης, Ἰάκωβος ὁ τοῦ Ἁλφαίου καὶ ⸀Θαδδαῖος,
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4
Σίμων ὁ ⸀Καναναῖος καὶ Ἰούδας ⸀ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης ὁ καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτόν.
Simon the Kananaios, and Judas Iscariot, the one who handed him over.
5
Τούτους τοὺς δώδεκα ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς παραγγείλας αὐτοῖς λέγων· Εἰς ὁδὸν ἐθνῶν μὴ ἀπέλθητε καὶ εἰς πόλιν Σαμαριτῶν μὴ εἰσέλθητε·
These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them: “Do not go off on a road of the gentiles, and do not enter a town of the Samaritans;
6
πορεύεσθε δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ.
go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7
πορευόμενοι δὲ κηρύσσετε λέγοντες ὅτι Ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.
And as you go, proclaim, saying, ‘The kingdom of the heavens has come near.'
8
ἀσθενοῦντας θεραπεύετε, ⸂νεκροὺς ἐγείρετε⸃, λεπροὺς καθαρίζετε, δαιμόνια ἐκβάλλετε· δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
9
μὴ κτήσησθε χρυσὸν μηδὲ ἄργυρον μηδὲ χαλκὸν εἰς τὰς ζώνας ὑμῶν,
Do not procure gold or silver or bronze for your belts,
10
μὴ πήραν εἰς ὁδὸν μηδὲ δύο χιτῶνας μηδὲ ὑποδήματα μηδὲ ⸀ῥάβδον· ἄξιος γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς ⸀αὐτοῦ.
nor a bag for the road, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.
Why this rendering
Matt.10.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
**The two books contradict each other head on.** Mark 6:8-9: μηδὲν αἴρωσιν εἰς ὁδὸν **εἰ μὴ ῥάβδον μόνον** — take nothing for the road except a staff only — and then ἀλλὰ ὑποδεδεμένους σανδάλια, but wearing sandals. Matthew 10:10: μηδὲ ὑποδήματα **μηδὲ ῥάβδον** — no sandals, no staff. What Mark permits, Matthew forbids. And Luke 9:3 has Μηδὲν αἴρετε εἰς τὴν ὁδόν, μήτε ῥάβδον — **Luke forbids the staff too.** So this is not one against one but two against one, and **Mark alone permits it.** ῥάβδος occurs exactly once in each of the three books (Mark 6:8, Matt 10:10, Luke 9:3), and only Mark's runs the other way. This is not a variant: all three base texts print it so, and since we render all three books it cannot be harmonised. The footwear divides too: only Mark uses σανδάλιον (6:9, once in the whole corpus), while Matthew 10:10 and Luke 10:4 use ὑπόδημα. The lists are built differently too: Mark puts bread, bag and money in the do-not-take list; Matthew begins with gold, silver and bronze (v.9) and then adds bag, tunics, sandals, staff. The last sentence gives the ground — ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ, the worker is worthy of his food. Luke 10:7 has the same maxim with a different word — ἄξιος ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ, worthy of his wage, not of his food. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀ῥάβδον· ⸀αὐτοῦ.).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted Rendered as prohibition — no sandals, no staff — kept apart from Mark 6:8's except a staff only
Basis Renders each book as printed; the contradiction is recorded in the analysis, not evened out. This is where the value of rendering both books together shows.
Harmonise, e.g. “no extra staff”
Basis Reads the two instructions as compatible.
Rejected There is no word for extra in the text. That the two books diverge is the datum here, and harmonising removes it from the translation.
11
εἰς ἣν δ’ ἂν πόλιν ἢ κώμην εἰσέλθητε, ἐξετάσατε τίς ἐν αὐτῇ ἄξιός ἐστιν· κἀκεῖ μείνατε ἕως ἂν ἐξέλθητε.
And into whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.
12
εἰσερχόμενοι δὲ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀσπάσασθε αὐτήν·
And as you enter the house, greet it;
13
καὶ ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ ἡ οἰκία ἀξία, ἐλθάτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτήν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ ἀξία, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ⸀πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπιστραφήτω.
and if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14
καὶ ὃς ⸀ἂν μὴ δέξηται ὑμᾶς μηδὲ ἀκούσῃ τοὺς λόγους ὑμῶν, ἐξερχόμενοι ⸀ἔξω τῆς οἰκίας ἢ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἐκτινάξατε τὸν κονιορτὸν τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν.
And whoever does not receive you or listen to your words — as you leave that house or that town, shake the dust off your feet.
15
ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ.
Amen I say to you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town.
16
Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων· γίνεσθε οὖν φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί.
Look, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be prudent as the snakes and unmixed as the doves.
17
προσέχετε δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· παραδώσουσιν γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια, καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς·
But beware of people; for they will hand you over to councils, and in their synagogues they will flog you;
18
καὶ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας δὲ καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the gentiles.
19
ὅταν δὲ ⸀παραδῶσιν ὑμᾶς, μὴ μεριμνήσητε πῶς ἢ τί λαλήσητε· δοθήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ τί ⸀λαλήσητε·
But when they hand you over, do not worry how or what you will say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour.
20
οὐ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ λαλοῦντες ἀλλὰ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν.
For it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.
21
παραδώσει δὲ ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν εἰς θάνατον καὶ πατὴρ τέκνον, καὶ ἐπαναστήσονται τέκνα ἐπὶ γονεῖς καὶ θανατώσουσιν αὐτούς.
And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.
22
καὶ ἔσεσθε μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου· ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος οὗτος σωθήσεται.
And you will be hated by all because of my name; but the one who endures to the end — this one will be saved.
23
ὅταν δὲ διώκωσιν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ, φεύγετε εἰς τὴν ⸀ἑτέραν· ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ τελέσητε τὰς πόλεις ⸀τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἕως ⸀ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
And when they persecute you in this town, flee to the other; for Amen I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
24
Οὐκ ἔστιν μαθητὴς ὑπὲρ τὸν διδάσκαλον οὐδὲ δοῦλος ὑπὲρ τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ.
A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above his master.
25
ἀρκετὸν τῷ μαθητῇ ἵνα γένηται ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ δοῦλος ὡς ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ. εἰ τὸν οἰκοδεσπότην Βεελζεβοὺλ ⸀ἐπεκάλεσαν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τοὺς οἰκιακοὺς αὐτοῦ.
It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they called the master of the house Beelzeboul, how much more those of his household.
26
Μὴ οὖν φοβηθῆτε αὐτούς· οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν κεκαλυμμένον ὃ οὐκ ἀποκαλυφθήσεται, καὶ κρυπτὸν ὃ οὐ γνωσθήσεται.
So do not fear them; for nothing is covered that will not be uncovered, and hidden that will not be known.
27
ὃ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, εἴπατε ἐν τῷ φωτί· καὶ ὃ εἰς τὸ οὖς ἀκούετε, κηρύξατε ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων.
What I tell you in the darkness, say in the light; and what you hear into the ear, proclaim on the housetops.
Why this rendering
Matt.10.27 Observation
Syntactic observation
One of Matthew's two places for σκοτία (the other is 4:16). His remaining six are σκότος (6:23 twice, 8:12, 22:13, 25:30, 27:45), while John runs the other way, eight σκοτία to one σκότος, and Luke has one σκοτία (12:3) to four σκότος. Here σκοτία is not the darkness of judgement but the place where words pass — one side of a contrast between hearing in the dark and speaking in the light. Set against the outer dark (σκότος) of 8:12, the two words look to be doing different work in this book; with only two places, no more can be said. The sentence pairs four items: darkness—light, ear—housetops. In the second pair εἰς τὸ οὖς, into the ear, states secrecy as a place, and ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων, on the housetops, states publicity as a place — all four are locations.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “in the darkness” — kept distinct from the dark of 8:12
Basis Applies the corpus decision separating σκοτία from σκότος (Matthew 4). Only if Matthew's two places and John's eight share a rendering can the distribution be counted.
Render by sense, e.g. “in secret”
Basis Makes the contrast plain.
Rejected The text sets all four items as places. In secret carries the sense but deletes the word darkness, breaking the link to 4:16 and to John's σκοτία.
28
καὶ μὴ ⸀φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· ⸁φοβεῖσθε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον ⸀καὶ ψυχὴν ⸁καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ.
And do not fear from those who kill the body but cannot kill the life; rather fear the one who can destroy both life and body in Gehenna.
Why this rendering
Matt.10.28 Observation
Syntactic observation
ψυχή and σῶμα are split and then rejoined in one sentence — the first half separates them (they kill the body but cannot kill the ψυχή), the second puts them together as καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα. This corpus has held ψυχή to one word, life (the paradox of Mark 8:35-37, Mark 12:30, Mark 14:34), and this is where that decision is pulled hardest: calling life what survives the killing of the body strains the word, while switching to soul breaks the fixed rendering across the corpus. We keep the fixed rendering and record the strain as a loss — the same handling as at Mark 8:36-37, where one word was said to bear two weights. γέεννα stays transliterated here too (fixed from Mark 9:43) — seven in Matthew, three in Mark, one in Luke, none in John. And the verse's two commands of φοβέομαι differ in construction: the first takes ἀπό with the genitive, do not fear from them; the second takes its object directly — the grammar of fearing divides. SBLGNT marks a variant in this verse (⸀φοβεῖσθε ⸁φοβεῖσθε ⸀καὶ ⸁καὶ).
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “those who kill the body but cannot kill the life” — the fixed rendering kept
Basis Keeps ψυχή to one word as fixed at Mark 8:35-37, recording the strain here as a loss.
“…but cannot kill the soul”
Basis Chooses the word that fits this place.
Rejected This corpus decided not to vary ψυχή by place. Changing it here parts this verse from the paradox of Mark 8:35-37 and from with all your life at Mark 12:30 — trading the countability of the whole for the ease of one place.
Lost in translation
the widest stretch of ψυχή Korean 목숨 strains to hold what survives the body's death. But varying the word by place cuts the thread this noun runs across the corpus — either choice loses something, and this project chose to keep the thread.
29
οὐχὶ δύο στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται; καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ πεσεῖται ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν.
Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30
ὑμῶν δὲ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς πᾶσαι ἠριθμημέναι εἰσίν.
And even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31
μὴ οὖν ⸀φοβεῖσθε· πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε ὑμεῖς.
So do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32
Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ὁμολογήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ⸀ἐν οὐρανοῖς·
So everyone who confesses me before people, I too will confess him before my Father in the heavens;
33
ὅστις ⸂δ’ ἂν⸃ ἀρνήσηταί με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀρνήσομαι ⸂κἀγὼ αὐτὸν⸃ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ⸀ἐν οὐρανοῖς.
but whoever denies me before people, I too will deny him before my Father in the heavens.
34
Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν.
Do not think that I came to throw peace on the earth; I did not come to throw peace but a sword.
35
ἦλθον γὰρ διχάσαι ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ θυγατέρα κατὰ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῆς καὶ νύμφην κατὰ τῆς πενθερᾶς αὐτῆς,
For I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36
καὶ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἱ οἰκιακοὶ αὐτοῦ.
and a man's enemies will be those of his own household.
37
ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος· καὶ ὁ φιλῶν υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος·
The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38
καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος.
and whoever does not take his cross and follow behind me is not worthy of me.
39
ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσει αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν.
The one who found his life will lose it, and the one who lost his life because of me will find it.
Why this rendering
Matt.10.39 Observation
Syntactic observation
The two books build the same paradox on different verbs. Mark 8:35 sets σῴζω, to save, against ἀπόλλυμι, to lose: whoever would save loses, whoever loses saves. Matthew 10:39 sets εὑρίσκω, to find, against ἀπόλλυμι: the one who found loses, the one who lost finds. The losing verb is shared; the gaining verb differs. And Matthew's sentence runs on participles (ὁ εὑρών, ὁ ἀπολέσας), putting both as something already done, where Mark uses relative clauses with subjunctives, as something still ahead. Matthew states the paradox again at 16:25, and there he mixes the two verbs — σῶσαι for the saving, εὑρήσει for the finding. Luke states it twice as well: 9:24 has σῶσαι/σώσει as Mark does, and 17:33 uses two altogether different verbs — περιποιήσασθαι, to preserve, and ζῳογονήσει, to keep alive. Both of those occur **nowhere else in the corpus**. So five places fall into four patterns: Mark 8:35 and Luke 9:24 save/save, Matthew 10:39 find/find, Matthew 16:25 save/find, Luke 17:33 preserve/keep alive. The causal phrase differs too: Mark has ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, because of me and of the gospel; Matthew and Luke 9:24 only ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ; and Luke 17:33 has no causal phrase at all.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “the one who found his life will lose it” — kept apart from Mark 8:35's save
Basis Different verbs, different renderings; and at Matthew 16:25 the first must be save and the second find, so that all three places stay distinguishable.
Level to save/lose as in Mark
Basis One paradox, one wording.
Rejected The five places pair their verbs in four ways (Mark 8:35 and Luke 9:24 save/save, Matt 10:39 find/find, Matt 16:25 save/find, Luke 17:33 preserve/keep alive). Levelling makes the four one.
40
Ὁ δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται, καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με.
The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.
41
ὁ δεχόμενος προφήτην εἰς ὄνομα προφήτου μισθὸν προφήτου λήμψεται, καὶ ὁ δεχόμενος δίκαιον εἰς ὄνομα δικαίου μισθὸν δικαίου λήμψεται.
The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.
42
καὶ ὃς ⸀ἂν ποτίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων ποτήριον ψυχροῦ μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ.
And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple — Amen I say to you, he will certainly not lose his reward.”