Marriage and Covenant Faithfulness

19 Now when Yeshua had finished these words, He moved on from the Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. ³ Pharisees came up to Yeshua, testing Him and saying, “Is it permitted for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

⁴ “Haven’t you read?” He answered. “He who created them from the beginning ‘made them male and female’ ^{[a] 5} and 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.’ ^{[b] 6} So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.”

⁷ They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to ‘give her a certificate of divorce and put her away?’”^[c]

⁸ Yeshua said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ Now I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”^[d]

¹⁰ The disciples said to Him, “If that’s the case for a man and his wife, it’s better not to marry!”

¹¹ But He said to them, “Not everyone can accept this saying—only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made that way by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who can accept this, let him accept it.”

Receiving the Kingdom of Heaven

¹³ Then little children were brought to Yeshua so that He might lay hands upon them and pray. Then the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ^{[e] 14} But Yeshua said, “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ After laying His hands upon them, He went on from there.

¹⁶ Now behold, one came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good shall I do to have eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Yeshua said to him. “There is only One who is good; but if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he said.

Yeshua said, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”^[f]

²⁰ “All these I’ve kept,” the young man said to Him. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Yeshua said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you own, and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” ²² But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving, for he had much property.

²³ Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “Amen, I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell 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 the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁶ And looking, Yeshua said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”^[g]

²⁷ Then Peter said to Him, “Look, we’ve left everything to follow You! So what will we have?”

²⁸ And Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne in the new world,^[h] you who have followed Me shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”