Mark 10
New International Reader's Version
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
10 Jesus left that place and went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again crowds of people came to him. As usual, he taught them.
2 Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”
3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.
4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.”
5 “You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ (Genesis 1:27) 7 ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. 8 The two of them will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) They are no longer two, but one. 9 So no one should separate what God has joined together.”
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her. 12 And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.”
Little Children Are Brought to Jesus
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on them to bless them. But the disciples told them to stop. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. 15 What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them to bless them.
Rich People and the Kingdom of God
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him. He fell on his knees before Jesus. “Good teacher,” he said, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God. 19 You know what the commandments say. ‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.’ ” (Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20)
20 “Teacher,” he said, “I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “You are missing one thing,” he said. “Go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
22 The man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he was very rich.
23 Jesus looked around. He said to his disciples, “How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom!”
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter God’s kingdom! 25 Is it hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It is even harder for someone who is rich to enter God’s kingdom!”
26 The disciples were even more amazed. They said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With people, this is impossible. But not with God. All things are possible with God.”
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
29 “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus replied. “Has anyone left home or family or fields for me and the good news? 30 They will receive 100 times as much in this world. They will have homes and families and fields. But they will also be treated badly by others. In the world to come they will live forever. 31 But many who are first will be last. And the last will be first.”
Jesus Speaks a Third Time About His Coming Death
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem. Jesus was leading the way. The disciples were amazed. Those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the 12 disciples to one side. He told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said. “The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles. 34 They will make fun of him and spit on him. They will whip him and kill him. Three days later he will rise from the dead!”
James and John Ask Jesus for a Favor
35 James and John came to Jesus. They were the sons of Zebedee. “Teacher,” they said, “we would like to ask you for a favor.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right hand in your glorious kingdom. Let the other one sit at your left hand.”
38 “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup of suffering I drink? Or can you go through the baptism of suffering I must go through?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink. And you will go through the baptism I go through. 40 But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or left hand. These places belong to those they are prepared for.”
41 The other ten disciples heard about it. They became angry at James and John. 42 Jesus called them together. He said, “You know about those who are rulers of the Gentiles. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around. 43 Don’t be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant. 44 And anyone who wants to be first must be the slave of everyone. 45 Even the Son of Man did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.”
Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight
46 Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. They were leaving the city. A large crowd was with them. A blind man was sitting by the side of the road begging. His name was Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus means Son of Timaeus. 47 He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. So he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”
48 Many people commanded him to stop. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David! Have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call for him.”
So they called out to the blind man, “Cheer up! Get up on your feet! Jesus is calling for you.” 50 He threw his coat to one side. Then he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to be able to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus. “Your faith has healed you.” Right away he could see. And he followed Jesus along the road.
Mark 10
Lexham English Bible
On Divorce
10 And from there he set out and[a] came to the region of Judea and the other side of the Jordan, and again crowds came together to him. And again, as he was accustomed to do,[b] he began to teach[c] them. 2 And they asked[d] him if it was permitted for a man to divorce his[e] wife, in order to[f] test him. 3 And he answered and[g] said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 So they said, “Moses permitted a man[h] to write a certificate of divorce and to send her[i] away.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “He wrote this commandment for you because of your hardness of heart. 6 But from the beginning of creation ‘he made them male and female.[j] 7 Because of this a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife,[k] 8 and the two will become one flesh,’[l] so that they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
10 And in the house again the disciples began to ask[m] him about this. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and[n] marries another, she commits adultery.”
Little Children Brought to Jesus
13 And they were bringing young children to him so that he could touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when[o] Jesus saw it,[p] he was indignant, and said to them, “Let the young children come to me. Do not forbid them, for to such belongs[q] the kingdom of God. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a young child will never enter into it.” 16 And after[r] taking them[s] into his arms, he blessed them, placing his[t] hands on them.
A Rich Young Man
17 And as[u] he was setting out on his way, one individual ran up and knelt down before him and[v] asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?” 18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”[w] 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all that you have, and give the proceeds[x] to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” 22 But he looked gloomy at the statement and[y] went away sorrowful, because he had[z] many possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around and[aa] said to his disciples, “How difficult it is for[ab] those who possess wealth to enter into the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were astounded at his words. But Jesus answered and[ac] said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were very astounded, saying to one another, “And who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and[ad] said, “With human beings it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields on account of me and on account of the gospel 30 who will not[ae] receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, together with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going on ahead of them. And they were astounded, but those who were following him[af] were afraid. And taking aside the twelve again, he began to tell them the things that were about to happen to him: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him,[ag] and after three days he will rise.”
A Request by James and John
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and[ah] said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want that I do[ai] for you?” 37 So they said to him, “Grant to us that we may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup that I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when they[aj] heard this,[ak] the ten began to be indignant about James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to himself and[al] said to them, “You know that those who are considered to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their people in high positions exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be the slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A Blind Man Healed at Jericho
46 And they came to Jericho. And as[am] he was setting out from Jericho along with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road. 47 And when he[an] heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many people warned him that he should be quiet. But he was crying out even more loudly,[ao] “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and[ap] said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man and[aq] said to him, “Have courage! Get up! He is calling you.” 50 And he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and[ar] came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered him and[as] said, “What do you want me to do[at] for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabboni,[au] that I may regain my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” And immediately he regained his sight and began to follow[av] him on the road.
Footnotes
- Mark 10:1 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“set out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:1 *The words “to do” are not in the Greek text but are implied
- Mark 10:1 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”)
- Mark 10:2 Some manuscripts have “And Pharisees came up and asked”
- Mark 10:2 The pronoun “his” is not in the Greek text but is implied
- Mark 10:2 Here “in order to” is supplied as a component of the participle (“test”) which is understood as purpose
- Mark 10:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:4 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:4 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:6 A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2
- Mark 10:7 The earliest and most important manuscripts do not contain the phrase “and be joined to his wife”
- Mark 10:8 A quotation from Gen 2:24
- Mark 10:10 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to ask”)
- Mark 10:12 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“divorces”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:14 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 10:14 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:14 Literally “for of such is”
- Mark 10:16 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“taking … into his arms”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 10:16 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:16 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Mark 10:17 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was setting out”)
- Mark 10:17 Here “and” is supplied because the two previous participles (“ran up” and “knelt down before”) have been translated as finite verbs
- Mark 10:19 A quotation from Exod 20:12–16; Deut 5:16–20, except for “do not defraud” which is an allusion to Deut 24:14
- Mark 10:21 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“looked gloomy”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:22 Literally “because he was having”
- Mark 10:23 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“looked around”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:23 Literally “with difficulty”
- Mark 10:24 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:27 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“looked at”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:30 Literally “unless he will not”
- Mark 10:32 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:34 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:35 Here “and” is supplied because the participle (“said”) has been translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style
- Mark 10:36 Some manuscripts have “do you want me to do”
- Mark 10:41 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 10:41 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Mark 10:42 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called … to himself”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:46 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was setting out”)
- Mark 10:47 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 10:48 Literally “by much more”
- Mark 10:49 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stopped”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:49 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:50 Here “and” is supplied because the two previous participles (“threw off” and “jumped up”) have been translated as finite verbs
- Mark 10:51 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Mark 10:51 Literally “that I do”
- Mark 10:51 The Aramaic term is an elevated form of Rabbi
- Mark 10:52 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to follow”)
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