Exegesis:
mēden airete eis tēn hodon ‘do not take anything for the journey.’ For airō cf. on 4.11; here it is used in a weakened meaning ‘to take,’ or, ‘to carry along.’
mēte rabdon mēte pēran lit. ‘nor a staff, nor a bag,’ elaborations of mēden (as are the following phrases).
rabdos ‘staff,’ ‘rod,’ used in travelling.
pēra ‘knapsack,’ ‘traveller’s bag,’ or (possibly but not preferably) ‘beggar’s sack.’
mēte arton mēte argurion lit. ‘nor bread nor money.’ They are to live on what will be given to them.
mēte [ana] duo chitōnas echein lit. ‘nor to have two undergarments each.’ The infinitive echein may be an imperatival infinitive (Klostermann), or represent a shift from direct to indirect speech (Plummer), in which case it is dependent on eipen. The latter is slightly preferable.
Translation:
Take nothing, or, ‘take nothing with you.’ Nothing, or where this would be hyperbolical, ‘no such things as,’ to be taken with the following negative phrases.
For your journey, or as a verbal clause, ‘when you go (or, go-on-journey),’ either at the end or at the beginning of the clause (Toraja-Sa’dan, Balinese).
No…, nor (thrice), repeating the negation in the elaborating phrases. Some languages prefer phrases governed by one negative particle, cf. e.g. ‘do not take-with-you necessities for travel, as-there-are, staff, bag, … etc.’ (Javanese, Sundanese), ‘no…, or (thrice)’ (Batak Toba, Tae’). Elsewhere such a series is preferably given in pairs, ‘staff (n)or bag, food (n)or money’ (cf. Toraja-Sa’dan).
Bag, or, ‘knapsack (lit. place for provisions)’ (Bahasa Indonesia in 10.4), ‘basket’ (Batak Toba; similarly Tae’ 1933 in 10.4, lit. ‘that-in-which-something-is-carried-on-the-back’), ‘bundle’ (Balinese, using a derivation of the verb ‘to tie (up),’ similarly Sranan Tongo in 10.4); or with a shift from the container to the contents, ‘provisions’ (Low Malay, Tae,’ in 10.4).
Bread, or ‘a piece of bread,’ see references on 4.3.
Money, or, ‘some money,’ ‘a sum of money.’ Where a generic term for the means of payment locally in use (such as ‘cowrie shells,’ in Ekari) is lacking, a generic plural of a commonly accepted local coin may be possible.
Do not have two tunics, or, “nor are you each to have a second coat” (New English Bible). A shift from direct to indirect discourse (the interpretation preferred in Exegesis) will often be undesirable in the receptor language; then the other interpretation is to be followed, as done in Revised Standard Version and the majority of the versions investigated; a few versions omit the verb, cf. Good News Translation. To have two tunics may refer to the wearing of two tunics/shirts, the one over the other, or to taking one extra for change. If one must choose, the first is preferable. For the noun see on “coat” in 3.11.
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.