Mark 10
New Living Translation
Discussion about Divorce and Marriage
10 Then Jesus left Capernaum and went down to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. Once again crowds gathered around him, and as usual he was teaching them.
2 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?”
3 Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?”
4 “Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.”[a]
5 But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts. 6 But ‘God made them male and female’[b] from the beginning of creation. 7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,[c] 8 and the two are united into one.’[d] Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
10 Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again. 11 He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
The Rich Man
17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[e]”
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[f] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.[g]”
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man[h] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.[i] 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
Jesus Teaches about Serving Others
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
36 “What is your request?” he asked.
37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”
39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.
But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”
So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“My Rabbi,[j]” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.[k]
Footnotes
- 10:4 See Deut 24:1.
- 10:6 Gen 1:27; 5:2.
- 10:7 Some manuscripts do not include and is joined to his wife.
- 10:7-8 Gen 2:24.
- 10:19 Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20.
- 10:24 Some manuscripts read very hard for those who trust in riches.
- 10:31 Greek But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
- 10:33a “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 10:33b Greek the Gentiles.
- 10:51 Greek uses the Hebrew term Rabboni.
- 10:52 Or on the way.
Mark 10
Tree of Life Version
Abide in Marriage
10 Then getting up from there, Yeshua goes to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Again crowds gather around Him, and, as was His custom, He began to teach them once more.
2 Pharisees came up, and to test Him they began asking, “Is it permitted for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 And He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?”
4 The Pharisees said, “Moses permitted a man to write a bill of divorce and to put her away.”[a]
5 But Yeshua said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment! 6 But from the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female. 7 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.’[b] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate!”
10 In the house, the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 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 marries another, she is committing adultery.”
Let the Little Ones Come!
13 Now people were bringing little children to Yeshua so He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Yeshua saw this, He got angry. He told them, “Let the little children come to Me! Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Amen, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it!” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
The Cost of Discipleship
17 As Yeshua was setting out on His way, a man ran up to Him, fell on his knees before Him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call Me good?” Yeshua said to him. “No one is good except One—that is God. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,’ do not cheat, ‘honor your father and mother.’”[c]
20 The man responded, “Teacher, all these I have kept since my youth!”
21 Looking at him, Yeshua loved him and said, “One thing you lack. Go, sell as much as you have, and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22 But at this statement, the man became sad and went away grieving, for he had much property.
23 Then looking around, Yeshua says to His disciples, “How hard it will be for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Yeshua answers again and says to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 The disciples were even more astonished, saying among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Looking at them, Yeshua said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God!”[d]
28 Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we’ve left everything to follow You!”
29 “Amen, I tell you,” Yeshua replied, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and property, along with persecutions; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Death and Resurrection Revealed
32 They were on the way going up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua was going ahead of them. And they were amazed, while those who followed were fearful. Again Yeshua took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him.
33 He said, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars. They will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles. [e] 34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, scourge Him and kill Him. Yet after three days, He will rise again!”
35 Then Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, come up to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”
36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Let us sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Yeshua answered them, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or endure the immersion I must endure?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.”
And Yeshua said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will endure the immersion I must endure. 40 But to sit on My right or left is not Mine to grant—it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 Now when the ten heard, they started to get angry with Jacob and John. 42 And calling them over, Yeshua said to them, “You know those recognized as rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones play the tyrant over them. 43 Yet it is not this way among you. But whoever wants to be great among you shall be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be 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.”
Ben-David Heals the Blind
46 Then they came to Jericho. Now as Yeshua was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Yeshua of Natzeret, he began to cry out, “Ben-David, Yeshua! Have mercy on me!” 48 Many were warning him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Ben-David, have mercy on me!”[f]
49 Yeshua stopped and said, “Call him over.”
So they call the blind man, saying, “Take heart! Get up, He’s calling you!” 50 Throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Yeshua.
51 And answering him, Yeshua said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said, “Rabboni, I want to see again!”
52 Yeshua said to him, “Go! Your faith has made you well.” Instantly he regained his sight and began following Yeshua down the road.
Footnotes
- Mark 10:4 Deut. 24:1-4.
- Mark 10:8 Gen. 1:27; 5:2; 2:24.
- Mark 10:19 Exod. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20.
- Mark 10:27 cf. Gen. 18:14.
- Mark 10:34 cf. Isa. 42, 49, 50, 53; Dan. 9:26.
- Mark 10:48 cf. Isa. 61:1(LXX); Lk. 4:18.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.