^15 (A)And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Truly I say to you, ^(B)whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

The Rich Young Ruler

^18 (C)A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments, ‘^(D)Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; ^(E)sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have ^(F)treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²³ But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴ And Jesus looked at him and said, “^(G)How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For ^(H)it is easier for a camel to ^[a]go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ But He said, “^(I)The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

²⁸ Peter said, “Behold, ^(J)we have left ^[b]our own homes and followed You.” ²⁹ And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, ^(K)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive many times as much at this time and in ^(L)the age to come, eternal life.”

^31 (M)Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, ^(N)we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^(O)all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ^32 (P)For He will be ^[c]handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, ³³ and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.” ³⁴ But ^(Q)the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

Bartimaeus Receives Sight

^35 (R)As ^[d](S)Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶ Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ And he called out, saying, “Jesus, ^(T)Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “^(U)Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, ⁴¹ “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “^[e]Receive your sight; ^(V)your faith has ^[f]made you well.” ⁴³ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, ^(W)glorifying God; and when ^(X)all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.