¹ How is the gold become dim, Changed the best -- the pure gold? Poured out are stones of the sanctuary At the head of all out-places.

² The precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a potter.

³ Even dragons have drawn out the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people is become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness.

⁴ Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none.

⁵ Those eating of dainties have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills.

⁶ And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as [in] a moment, And no hands were stayed on her.

⁷ Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form.

⁸ Darker than blackness hath been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their skin unto their bone, It hath withered -- it hath been as wood.

⁹ Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase of the field.

¹⁰ The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people.

¹¹ Completed hath Jehovah His fury, He hath poured out the fierceness of His anger, And he kindleth a fire in Zion, And it devoureth her foundations.

¹² Believe not did the kings of earth, And any of the inhabitants of the world, That come would an adversary and enemy Into the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³ Because of the sins of her prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous,

¹⁴ They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been polluted with blood, Without [any] being able to touch their clothing,

¹⁵ `Turn aside -- unclean,' they called to them, `Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,' For they fled -- yea, they have wandered, They have said among nations: `They do not add to sojourn.'

¹⁶ The face of Jehovah hath divided them, He doth not add to behold them, The face of priests they have not lifted up, Elders they have not favoured.

¹⁷ While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation [that] saveth not.

¹⁸ They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near hath been our end, fulfilled our days, For come hath our end.

¹⁹ Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned [after] us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.

²⁰ The breath of our nostrils -- the anointed of Jehovah, Hath been captured in their pits, of whom we said: `In his shadow we do live among nations.'

²¹ Joy and rejoice, O daughter of Edom, Dwelling in the land of Uz, Even unto thee pass over doth a cup, Thou art drunk, and makest thyself naked.

²² Completed [is] thy iniquity, daughter of Zion, He doth not add to remove thee, He hath inspected thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He hath removed [thee] because of thy sins!

¹ And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave to them power over unclean spirits, so as to be casting them out, and to be healing every sickness, and every malady.

² And of the twelve apostles the names are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James of Zebedee, and John his brother;

³ Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was surnamed Thaddeus;

⁴ Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who did also deliver him up.

⁵ These twelve did Jesus send forth, having given command to them, saying, `To the way of the nations go not away, and into a city of the Samaritans go not in,

⁶ and be going rather unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

⁷ `And, going on, proclaim saying that, the reign of the heavens hath come nigh;

⁸ infirm ones be healing, lepers be cleansing, dead be raising, demons be casting out -- freely ye did receive, freely give.

⁹ `Provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your girdles,

¹⁰ nor scrip for the way, nor two coats, nor sandals, nor staff -- for the workman is worthy of his nourishment.

¹¹ `And into whatever city or village ye may enter, inquire ye who in it is worthy, and there abide, till ye may go forth.

¹² And coming to the house salute it,

¹³ and if indeed the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; and if it be not worthy, let your peace turn back to you.

¹⁴ `And whoever may not receive you nor hear your words, coming forth from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet,

¹⁵ verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

¹⁶ `Lo, I do send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore wise as the serpents, and simple as the doves.

¹⁷ And, take ye heed of men, for they will give you up to sanhedrims, and in their synagogues they will scourge you,

¹⁸ and before governors and kings ye shall be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.

¹⁹ `And whenever they may deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye may speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak;

²⁰ for ye are not the speakers, but the Spirit of your Father that is speaking in you.

²¹ `And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death,

²² and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end, he shall be saved.

²³ `And whenever they may persecute you in this city, flee to the other, for verily I say to you, ye may not have completed the cities of Israel till the Son of Man may come.

²⁴ `A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his lord;

²⁵ sufficient to the disciple that he may be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord; if the master of the house they did call Beelzeboul, how much more those of his household?

²⁶ `Ye may not, therefore, fear them, for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed, and hid, that shall not be known;

²⁷ that which I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and that which you hear at the ear, proclaim on the house-tops.

²⁸ `And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.

²⁹ `Are not two sparrows sold for an assar? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father;

³⁰ and of you -- even the hairs of the head are all numbered;

³¹ be not therefore afraid, than many sparrows ye are better.

³² `Every one, therefore, who shall confess in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in the heavens;

³³ and whoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in the heavens.

³⁴ `Ye may not suppose that I came to put peace on the earth; I did not come to put peace, but a sword;

³⁵ for I came to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,

³⁶ and the enemies of a man are those of his household.

³⁷ `He who is loving father or mother above me, is not worthy of me, and he who is loving son or daughter above me, is not worthy of me,

³⁸ and whoever doth not receive his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.

³⁹ `He who found his life shall lose it, and he who lost his life for my sake shall find it.

⁴⁰ `He who is receiving you doth receive me, and he who is receiving me doth receive Him who sent me,

⁴¹ he who is receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who is receiving a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward,

⁴² and whoever may give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say to you, he may not lose his reward.'