Marriage and Divorce^(A)

19 Now it came to pass, ^(B)when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ^2 (C)And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

³ The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who ^[a]made them at the beginning ^(D)‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ^(E)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and ^(F)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

⁷ They said to Him, ^(G)“Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

⁸ He said to them, “Moses, because of the ^(H)hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your ^(I)wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ^9 (J)And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for ^[b]sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

¹⁰ His disciples said to Him, ^(K)“If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

Jesus Teaches on Celibacy

¹¹ But He said to them, ^(L)“All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: ¹² For there are ^[c]eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and ^(M)there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(N)

^13 (O)Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(P)of such is the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵ And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(Q)

^16 (R)Now behold, one came and said to Him, ^(S)“Good^[d] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

¹⁷ So He said to him, ^[e]“Why do you call Me good? ^[f]No one is ^(T)good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, ^(U)keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, ^(V)“‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ^19 (W)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^(X)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have ^(Y)kept ^[g]from my youth. What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, ^(Z)go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

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

With God All Things Are Possible^(AA)

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that ^(AB)it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say to you, 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.”

²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

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

²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, ^(AD)we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

²⁸ So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, ^(AE)you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ^29 (AF)And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother ^[h]or wife or children or ^[i]lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. ^30 (AG)But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

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.”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ Also He spoke this parable to some ^(A)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee ^(B)stood and prayed thus with himself, ^(C)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; ^(D)for everyone who exalts himself will be ^[a]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(E)

^15 (F)Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(G)of such is the kingdom of God. ^17 (H)Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(I)

^18 (J)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but ^(K)One, that is, God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ^(L)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ^(M)‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²¹ And he said, “All ^(N)these things I have kept from my youth.”

²² So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. ^(O)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

²³ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible^(P)

²⁴ And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ^(Q)“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For 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 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But He said, ^(R)“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

^28 (S)Then Peter said, “See, we have left ^[b]all and followed You.”

²⁹ So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(T)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ^30 (U)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”