“Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey — neither staffs, nor wallet, nor bread, nor money; neither have two coats apiece.
- KJV And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
- NKJV And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
- NASB And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics.
- NLT “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus tells them to take nothing for the journey, no provisions or spare clothing. They are to depend wholly on God and on those who receive them.
Overview
The instruction to travel without supplies trains the apostles in radical dependence on God's provision through hospitable hosts. The urgency of the mission leaves no room for self-reliance. It models a trust in the Father's care that undergirds Gospel ministry.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 22:35Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
- Ps 37:3Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
- Luke 10:4–12Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the road.
- Matt 10:9–14Do not carry any gold or silver or copper in your belts.
- 2 Tim 2:4A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.
- Mark 6:8–11He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—
- Luke 12:22Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
- Luke 3:11John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
- Luke 12:28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!
- Luke 5:29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 9:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.