Matthew 19
New Testament for Everyone
The question about divorce
19 So this is what happened next. When Jesus had finished saying all this, he went away from Galilee and came to the region of Judaea across the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees approached him with a trick question.
“Is it lawful,” they asked, “for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that the creator from the beginning ‘made them male and female’? 5 And this is what he said: ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ 6 As a result, they are no longer two, but one flesh. So humans shouldn’t split up what God has joined together.”
7 “So then,” they asked, “why did Moses lay it down that one should give the woman a certificate of divorce and make the separation legal?”
8 “Moses gave you this instruction about how to divorce your wives,” replied Jesus, “because your hearts were hard. But that’s not how it was at the beginning. 9 Let me tell you this: anyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.”
Marriage, celibacy and children
10 The disciples said to Jesus, “If that’s the situation of a man with his wife, it would be better not to marry!”
11 “Not everyone can accept this word,” replied Jesus; “only the people it’s given to. 12 You see, there are some eunuchs who are that way from birth. There are some who have been made eunuchs by others. And there are some who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can receive this, let them do so.”
13 Then children were brought to Jesus for him to lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t stop them! They are the sort the kingdom of heaven belongs to!” 15 And he laid his hands on them.
Then he moved on elsewhere.
The rich young man
16 Suddenly a man came up to Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good thing must I do if I’m to possess the life of the age to come?”
17 “Why come to me with questions about what’s good?” retorted Jesus. “There is One who is good! If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he asked.
“These ones,” Jesus answered: “ ‘don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t tell lies under oath, 19 respect your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
20 “I’ve kept the lot,” said the young man. “What am I still short of?”
21 “If you want to complete the set,” Jesus replied, “go and sell everything you own and give it to the poor. That way you’ll have treasure in heaven! Then come and follow me.”
22 When the young man heard him say that, he went away very sad. He had many possessions.
The first and the last
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “I’m telling you the truth: it’s very hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom of heaven. 24 Let me say it again: it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
25 The disciples were completely flabbergasted when they heard that. “So who then can be saved?” they asked.
26 Jesus looked round at them. “Humanly speaking,” he replied, “it’s impossible. But everything’s possible with God.”
27 Then Peter spoke up. “Look here,” he said, “we’ve left everything behind and followed you. What can we expect?”
28 “I’m telling you the truth,” Jesus replied. “In God’s great new world, when the son of man sits on his glorious throne, those of you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones—yes, you!—and rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And anyone who’s left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or estates because of my name will get back a hundred times over, and will inherit the life of that new age. 30 But many at the front will find themselves at the back, and the back ones at the front.”
Matthew 19
1599 Geneva Bible
19 2 The sick are healed. 3 and 7 A bill of divorcement. 12 Eunuchs. 13 Children brought to Christ. 17 God only good. The commandments must be kept. 21 A perfect man. 23 A rich man. 26 Salvation cometh of God. 27 To leave all and follow Christ.
1 And (A)it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he [a]departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan.
2 And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.
3 ¶ [b]Then came unto him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to [c]put away his wife upon every occasion?
4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, (B)that he which made them at the beginning, made them male and female,
5 And said, (C)For this cause, shall a man leave father and mother, and [d]cleave unto his wife, and they which were [e]two, shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. Let not man therefore put asunder that, which God hath [f]coupled together.
7 [g]They said to him, Why did then (D) Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?
8 He said unto them, Moses, [h]because of the hardness of your heart, [i]suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9 I say therefore unto you, (E)that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be [j]for whoredom, and marry another, commiteth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her which is divorced, doth commit adultery.
10 Then said his disciples to him, If the [k]matter be so between man and wife, it is not good to marry.
11 [l]But he said unto them, All men cannot [m]receive this thing, save they to whom it is given.
12 For there are some [n]eunuchs, which were so born of their mother’s belly: and there be some eunuchs, which be gelded by men: and there be some eunuchs, which have [o]gelded themselves for the kingdom of heaven. He that is able to receive this, let him receive it.
13 ¶ (F)[p]Then were 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 to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
15 And when he had put his hands on them, he departed thence.
16 ¶ (G)[q]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 called thou me good? there is none good but one, even God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments.
18 He said unto him, Which? And Jesus said, (H)These, Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness.
19 Honor thy father, and mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
20 The young man said unto him, I have observed all these things from my youth. What lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If [r]thou wilt be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, and follow me.
22 And when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 [s]Then Jesus said 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 [t]easier for a [u]camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 And when his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 And Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
27 ¶ (I)Then answered Peter, and said to him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee: what therefore shall we have?
28 [v]And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say to you, that when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his Majesty, ye which followed me in the [w]regeneration, (J)shall sit also upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And whosoever shall forsake houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my Name’s sake, he shall receive an hundredfold more, and shall inherit everlasting life.
30 (K)[x]But many that are first, shall be last, and the last shall be first.
Footnotes
- Matthew 19:1 Passed over the water out of Galilee into the borders of Judea.
- Matthew 19:3 The band of marriage ought not to be broken, unless it be for fornication.
- Matthew 19:3 To send her a book of divorcement, see also Matt. 1:19.
- Matthew 19:5 The Greek word imported to be glued unto, whereby is signified that straight knot, which is between man and wife, as though they were glued together.
- Matthew 19:5 They which were two, become as it were one: and this word flesh is by a figure taken for the whole man, or the body after the manner of the Hebrews.
- Matthew 19:6 Hath made them yoke fellows, as the marriage itself is by a borrowed kind of speech called a yoke.
- Matthew 19:7 Because political Laws are constrained to bear with some things, it followeth not by and by that God alloweth them.
- Matthew 19:8 Being occasioned by reason of the hardness of your hearts.
- Matthew 19:8 By a political law, not by the moral law: for this law is a perpetual law of God’s justice, the other boweth and bendeth as the carpenter’s Bevel.
- Matthew 19:9 Therefore in these days the Laws that were made against adulterers were not regarded: for they should have needed no divorcement, if marriage had been cut asunder with punishment by death.
- Matthew 19:10 If the matter stands so between man and wife, or in marriage.
- Matthew 19:11 The gift of continency is peculiar, and therefore no man can set a Law to himself of perpetual continency.
- Matthew 19:11 Receive and admit, as by translation we say, that a straight and narrow place is not able to receive many things.
- Matthew 19:12 The word Eunuch is a general word, and hath divers kinds under it, as gelded men and barren men.
- Matthew 19:12 Which abstain from marriage, and live continently through the gift of God.
- Matthew 19:13 Infants and little children are contained in the free covenant of God.
- Matthew 19:16 They neither know themselves nor the Law, that seek to be saved by the Law.
- Matthew 19:21 The young man did not answer truly in saying that he had kept all the commandments: and therefore he layeth out an example of true charity before him, to show the disease that lay lurking in his mind.
- Matthew 19:23 Rich men have need of a singular gift of God, to escape out of the snares of Satan.
- Matthew 19:24 Word for word, it is of less labor.
- Matthew 19:24 Theophylact noteth, that by this word is meant a cable rope, but Caninius allegeth out of the Talmuds that it is a proverb, and the word Camel, signifieth the beast itself.
- Matthew 19:28 It is not lost, that is neglected for God’s sake.
- Matthew 19:28 The regeneration is taken for that day, wherein the elect shall begin to live a new life, that is to say, when they shall enjoy the heavenly inheritance, both in body and soul.
- Matthew 19:30 To have begun well, and not to continue unto the end, doth not only not profit, but also hurteth very much.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
