Matthew 5:31-32
Contemporary English Version
Divorce
(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)
31 (A) You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her.[a] 32 (B) But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin.[b] If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.
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- 5.31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife.
- 5.32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus 18.6-18 or to some serious sexual sin.
Matthew 19:3-9
Contemporary English Version
3 Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
4 (A) Jesus answered, “Don't you know in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? 5 (B) That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. 6 Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple God has joined together.”
7 (C) The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why did Moses say a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?”
8 Jesus replied, “You are so heartless! That's why Moses allowed you to divorce your wife. But from the beginning God did not intend it to be that way. 9 (D) I say if your wife has not committed some terrible sexual sin,[a] you must not divorce her to marry someone else. If you do, you are unfaithful.”
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- 19.9 some terrible sexual sin: See the note at 5.32.
Mark 10:1-12
Contemporary English Version
Teaching about Divorce
(Matthew 19.1-12; Luke 16.18)
10 After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them.
2 Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife. 3 Jesus asked them, “What does the Law of Moses say about this?”
4 (A) They answered, “Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away.”
5 Jesus replied, “Moses gave you this law because you are so heartless. 6 (B) But in the beginning God made a man and a woman. 7 (C) That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. 8 He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. 9 And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together.”
10 When Jesus and his disciples were back in the house, they asked him about what he had said. 11 (D) He told them, “A man who divorces his wife and marries someone else is unfaithful to his wife. 12 A woman who divorces her husband[a] and marries again is also unfaithful.”
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- 10.12 A woman who divorces her husband: Roman law let a woman divorce her husband, but Jewish law did not let a woman do this.
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