Marriage and Divorce^(A)

10 Then ^(B)He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.

^2 (C)The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.

³ And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?”

⁴ They said, ^(D)“Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”

⁵ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this ^[a]precept. ⁶ But from the beginning of the creation, God ^(E)‘made them male and female.’ ^7 (F)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. ¹¹ So He said to them, ^(G)“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(H)

^13 (I)Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(J)of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, ^(K)whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will ^(L)by no means enter it.” ¹⁶ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(M)

^17 (N)Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I ^(O)do that I may inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, ^(P)God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ^(Q)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²⁰ And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have ^(R)kept from my youth.”

²¹ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, ^(S)sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^(T)treasure in heaven; and come, ^(U)take up the cross, and follow Me.”

²² But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

With God All Things Are Possible^(V)

^23 (W)Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is ^[b]for those ^(X)who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ^(Y)rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not ^(Z)with God; for with God all things are possible.”

^28 (AA)Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

²⁹ So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother ^[c]or wife or children or ^[d]lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, ^30 (AB)who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with ^(AC)persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. ^31 (AD)But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

David’s Last Words

23 Now these are the last words of David.

David’s Mighty Men^(H)

⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: ^[b]Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among ^[c]the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. ⁹ And after him was ^(I)Eleazar the son of ^[d]Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. ¹⁰ He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was ^(J)weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to ^(K)plunder. ¹¹ And after him was ^(L)Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. ^(M)The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. ¹² But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³ Then ^(N)three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at ^(O)the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in ^(P)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ David was then in ^(Q)the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁵ And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁷ And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not ^(R)the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it.

These things were done by the three mighty men.

¹⁸ Now ^(S)Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of ^[e]another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. ¹⁹ Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.

²⁰ Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from ^(T)Kabzeel, ^[f]who had done many deeds. ^(U)He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²¹ And he killed an Egyptian, ^[g]a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²² These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²³ He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him ^(V)over his guard.

^24 (W)Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ^25 (X)Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ²⁷ Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, ²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, ²⁹ Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite), Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, ³⁰ Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of ^(Y)Gaash, ³¹ Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, ³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the sons of Jashen), Jonathan, ^33 (Z)Shammah the ^[h]Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, ³⁴ Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of ^(AA)Ahithophel the Gilonite, ^35 [i]Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶ Igal the son of Nathan of ^(AB)Zobah, Bani the Gadite, ³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ^38 (AC)Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ³⁹ and ^(AD)Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

Israel Will Return to God

3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a ^(A)lover^[a] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

² So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. ³ And I said to her, “You shall ^(B)stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

⁴ For the children of Israel shall abide many days ^(C)without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ^(D)ephod or ^(E)teraphim. ⁵ Afterward the children of Israel shall return and ^(F)seek the Lord their God and ^(G)David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the ^(H)latter days.