Mark 10:1-22

English Standard Version

Teaching About Divorce

10 ^(A)And he left there and went ^(B)to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

²And Pharisees came up and in order ^(C)to test him asked, ^(D)“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴They said, ^(E)“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” ⁵And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^(F)hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶But ^(G)from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them ^(H)male and female.’ ⁷^(I)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,^[a] ⁸and ^(J)the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹^(K)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹And he said to them, ^(L)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹²and ^(M)if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

¹³^(N)And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ^(O)rebuked them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^(P)“Let the children come to me; ^(Q)do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁵^(R)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(S)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶And ^(T)he took them in his arms and blessed them, ^(U)laying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

¹⁷^(V)And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and ^(W)knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(X)inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ^(Y)‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰And he said to him, “Teacher, ^(Z)all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹And Jesus, ^(AA)looking at him, ^(AB)loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^(AC)sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^(AD)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²²^(AE)Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.