Matthew 19:16-26
New King James Version
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler(A)
16 (B)Now behold, one came and said to Him, (C)“Good[a] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17 So He said to him, [b]“Why do you call Me good? [c]No one is (D)good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, (E)keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, (F)“‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 (G)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, (H)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have (I)kept [d]from my youth. What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, (J)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(K)
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that (L)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 (M)with God all things are possible.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 19:16 NU omits Good
- Matthew 19:17 NU Why do you ask Me about what is good?
- Matthew 19:17 NU There is One who is good. But
- Matthew 19:20 NU omits from my youth
Matthew 19:16-26
The Message
16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”
18-19 The man asked, “What in particular?”
Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”
20 The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”
21 “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”
22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.
23-24 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
25 The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”
26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson