“Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that He who created[a] them in the beginning made them male and female,”(A)[b] and He also said:

For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh?(B)[c]

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

“Why then,” they asked Him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers(C) and to send her away?”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 19:4 Other mss read made
  2. Matthew 19:4 Gn 1:27; 5:2
  3. Matthew 19:5 Gn 2:24

He replied, “Have you never read that He who created 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 joined inseparably to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?(A) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” The Pharisees said to Him, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”(B)

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Divorce Practices Censured

31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces(A) his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.(B)[a] 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality,[b] causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:31 Dt 24:1
  2. Matthew 5:32 Gk porneia = fornication, or possibly a violation of Jewish marriage laws

31 “It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife is to give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 but I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on grounds of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.(A)

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Adultery in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.(A)[a] 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(B) 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,(C) gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.(D) 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!

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27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;(A) 28 but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

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