El divorcio(A)

19 Cuando Jesús acabó de decir estas cosas, salió de Galilea y se fue a la región de Judea, al otro lado del Jordán. Lo siguieron grandes multitudes y sanó allí a los enfermos.

Algunos fariseos se acercaron y, para ponerlo a prueba, le preguntaron:

—¿Está permitido que un hombre se divorcie de su esposa por cualquier motivo?

—¿No han leído —respondió Jesús— que en el principio el Creador “los creó hombre y mujer”[a] y dijo: “Por eso dejará el hombre a su padre y a su madre, se unirá a su mujer y los dos llegarán a ser uno solo”?[b] Así que ya no son dos, sino uno solo. Por tanto, lo que Dios ha unido, que no lo separe el hombre.

Ellos replicaron:

—¿Por qué, entonces, mandó Moisés que un hombre diera a su esposa un certificado de divorcio y la despidiera?

—Moisés les permitió a ustedes divorciarse de sus esposas por lo obstinados que son[c] —respondió Jesús—. Pero no fue así desde el principio. Les digo que, excepto en caso de inmoralidad sexual, el que se divorcia de su esposa y se casa con otra, comete adulterio.

10 —Si tal es la situación entre esposo y esposa —comentaron los discípulos—, es mejor no casarse.

11 —No todos pueden comprender este asunto —respondió Jesús—, sino solo aquellos a quienes se les ha concedido entenderlo. 12 Pues algunos son eunucos porque nacieron así; a otros los hicieron así los hombres; y otros se han hecho así por causa del reino de los cielos. El que pueda aceptar esto, que lo acepte.

Jesús y los niños(B)

13 Llevaron unos niños a Jesús para que les impusiera las manos y orara por ellos, pero los discípulos reprendían a quienes los llevaban.

14 Jesús dijo: «Dejen que los niños vengan a mí; no se lo impidan, porque el reino de los cielos es de quienes son como ellos». 15 Después de poner las manos sobre ellos, se fue de allí.

El joven rico(C)

16 Sucedió que un joven se acercó a Jesús y le preguntó:

—Maestro, ¿qué es lo bueno que debo hacer para obtener la vida eterna?

17 —¿Por qué me preguntas sobre lo que es bueno?[d] —respondió Jesús—. Solamente hay uno que es bueno. Si quieres entrar en la vida, obedece los mandamientos.

18 —¿Cuáles? —preguntó el joven.

Contestó Jesús:

—“No mates, no cometas adulterio, no robes, no presentes falso testimonio, 19 honra a tu padre y a tu madre”[e] y “ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo”.[f]

20 —Todos esos los he cumplido[g] —dijo el joven—. ¿Qué más me falta?

21 Jesús respondió:

—Si quieres ser perfecto, anda, vende lo que tienes y dáselo a los pobres, y tendrás tesoro en el cielo. Luego ven y sígueme.

22 Cuando el joven oyó esto, se fue triste porque tenía muchas riquezas.

23 —Les aseguro —comentó Jesús a sus discípulos— que es difícil para un rico entrar en el reino de los cielos. 24 De hecho, le resulta más fácil a un camello pasar por el ojo de una aguja que a un rico entrar en el reino de Dios.

25 Al oír esto, los discípulos quedaron asombrados y decían:

—En ese caso, ¿quién podrá salvarse?

26 —Para los hombres es imposible —aclaró Jesús, mirándolos fijamente—, mas para Dios todo es posible.

27 —¡Mira, nosotros lo hemos dejado todo por seguirte! —le dijo Pedro—. ¿Y qué ganamos con eso?

28 —Les aseguro —respondió Jesús— que en la renovación de todas las cosas, cuando el Hijo del hombre se siente en su trono glorioso, ustedes que me han seguido se sentarán también en doce tronos para juzgar a las doce tribus de Israel. 29 Y todo el que por mi causa haya dejado casas, hermanos, hermanas, padre, madre,[h] hijos o terrenos recibirá cien veces más y heredará la vida eterna. 30 Pero muchos de los primeros serán últimos y los últimos serán primeros.

Footnotes

  1. 19:4 Gn 1:27.
  2. 19:5 Gn 2:24.
  3. 19:8 por lo obstinados que son. Lit. por su dureza de corazón.
  4. 19:17 ¿Por qué … bueno? Var. ¿Por qué me llamas bueno?
  5. 19:19 Éx 20:12-16; Dt 5:16-20.
  6. 19:19 Lv 19:18.
  7. 19:20 cumplido. Var. cumplido desde mi juventud.
  8. 19:29 madre. Var. madre, esposa.

19 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the part of Judea that is beyond the Jordan;

And great throngs accompanied Him, and He cured them there.

And Pharisees came to Him and put Him to the test by asking, Is it lawful and right to dismiss and repudiate and divorce one’s wife for any and [a]every cause?

He replied, Have you never read that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

And said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united firmly (joined inseparably) to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?(A)

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder (separate).

They said to Him, Why then did Moses command [us] to give a certificate of divorce and thus to dismiss and repudiate a wife?(B)

He said to them, Because of the hardness (stubbornness and perversity) of your hearts Moses permitted you to dismiss and repudiate and divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been [b]so [ordained].

I say to you: whoever dismisses (repudiates, divorces) his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery, [c]and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

10 The disciples said to Him, If the case of a man with his wife is like this, it is neither profitable nor advisable to marry.

11 But He said to them, Not all men can accept this saying, but it is for those to whom [the capacity to receive] it has been given.

12 For there are eunuchs who have been born incapable of marriage; and there are eunuchs who have been made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves incapable of marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him who is able to accept this accept it.

13 Then little children were brought to Jesus, that He might put His hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

14 But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid or restrain or hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven composed.

15 And He put His hands upon them, and then went on His way.

16 And behold, there came a man up to Him, saying, Teacher, what excellent and perfectly and essentially good deed must I do to possess eternal life?(C)

17 And He said to him, Why do you ask Me about the perfectly and essentially good? There is only One Who is good [perfectly and essentially]—God. If you would enter into the Life, you must continually keep the commandments.

18 He said to Him, What [d]sort of commandments? [Or, which ones?] And Jesus answered, You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,(D)

19 Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.(E)

20 The young man said, I have observed all these from my youth; what still do I lack?

21 Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, [e]have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, [f]be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me].

22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad (grieved and in much distress), for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you, it will be difficult for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven.

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven.

25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly puzzled (astonished, bewildered), saying, Who then can be saved [[g]from eternal death]?

26 But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.(F)

27 Then Peter answered Him, saying, Behold, we have left [our] all and have become [h]Your disciples [sided with Your party and followed You]. What then shall we receive?

28 Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, in the new age [the [i]Messianic rebirth of the world], when the Son of Man shall sit down on the throne of His glory, you who have [become My disciples, sided with My party and] followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And anyone and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for My name’s sake will receive [j]many [even a hundred] times more and will inherit eternal life.

30 But many who [now] are first will be last [then], and many who [now] are last will be first [then].

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 19:3 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  2. Matthew 19:8 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  3. Matthew 19:9 Some manuscripts do not contain this phrase.
  4. Matthew 19:18 Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation: “Interrogative of quality.”
  5. Matthew 19:21 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
  6. Matthew 19:21 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  7. Matthew 19:25 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
  8. Matthew 19:27 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  9. Matthew 19:28 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary.
  10. Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts read “manifold.”

Divorce(A)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(B) he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them(C) there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife(D) for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a](E) and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]?(F) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”(G)

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”(H)

10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.(I) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

The Little Children and Jesus(J)

13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them(K) and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs(L) to such as these.”(M) 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God(N)

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life(O)?”(P)

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”(Q)

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,(R) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[c](S) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d](T)

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,(U) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,(V) and you will have treasure in heaven.(W) Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich(X) to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Y)

27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!(Z) What then will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,(AA) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.(AB) 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.(AC) 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 19:4 Gen. 1:27
  2. Matthew 19:5 Gen. 2:24
  3. Matthew 19:19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
  4. Matthew 19:19 Lev. 19:18
  5. Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife.

19 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;

And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.