Matthew 19:3-20

English Standard Version

³ And Pharisees came up to him and ^(A)tested him by asking, ^(B)“Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” ⁴ He answered, ^(C)“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ^(D)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and ^(E)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ^(F)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” ⁷ They said to him, ^(G)“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” ⁸ He said to them, “Because of your ^(H)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ^9 (I)And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”^[a]

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” ¹¹ But he said to them, ^(J)“Not everyone can receive this saying, but only ^(K)those to ^(L)whom it is given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs ^(M)for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^13 (N)Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples ^(O)rebuked the people, ¹⁴ but Jesus said, ^(P)“Let the little children ^(Q)come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵ And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The Rich Young Man

^16 (R)And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to ^(S)have ^(T)eternal life?” ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. ^(U)If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, ^(V)“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother, and, ^(W)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to him, ^(X)“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”