Jesus Teaches About Divorce^(A)

19 After Jesus ·said all these things [^Lfinished these words; see 7:28], he left Galilee and went into the ·area [region] of Judea ·on the other side of [beyond] the Jordan River. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ Some Pharisees came to Jesus ·and tried to trick [to trap/test] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; ^Caccording to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?”

⁴ Jesus answered, “·Surely you have [^LHaven’t you…?] read in the Scriptures: ·When God made the world, ‘he [^LFrom the beginning, the Creator] made them male and female’ [Gen. 1:27; 5:2]. ⁵ And God said, ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be ·united with [joined to] his wife, and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; ^Tone flesh; Gen. 2:24].’ ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one. God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”

⁷ The Pharisees asked, “Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by giving her ·divorce papers [a certificate of divorce/dismissal; Deut. 24:1]?”

⁸ Jesus answered, “Moses ·allowed [permitted] you to divorce your wives because ·you refused to accept God’s teaching [^Lof your hard-heartedness], but ·divorce was not allowed in the beginning [or this was not God’s intention at creation; ^Lfrom the beginning it was not like this]. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman ·is guilty of [commits] adultery.^[a] ·The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if his wife has sexual relations with another man [^L …except in the case of sexual immorality].”

¹⁰ The ·followers [disciples] said to him, “If that is the ·only reason a man can divorce his wife [situation/case between a husband and wife], it is better not to marry.”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “Not everyone can accept this ·teaching [word], but ·God has made some able to accept it [or only those given this gift of celibacy; ^Lonly to those whom it has been given]. ¹² ·There are different reasons why some men cannot marry [^LFor…]. Some men were born ·without the ability to become fathers [^Las eunuchs]. Others were made ·that way later in life [^Leunuchs] by other people [^Cmales would sometimes be castrated as punishment, or to serve in harems]. And some men have ·given up marriage because [^Lmade themselves eunuchs for the sake] of the kingdom of heaven [^Cthrough abstinence, not necessarily castration]. ·But the person who can marry should accept this teaching about marriage [or The person who can accept this teaching about not marrying should accept it].”

Jesus Teaches About Divorce^(A)

10 Then Jesus left that place and went into the ·area [region] of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again, crowds came to him, and he taught them as he usually did.

² Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to ·trick [test; trap] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; ^Caccording to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you to do?”

⁴ They said, “Moses ·allowed [permitted] a man to write out divorce papers and send her away [Deut. 24:1].”

⁵ Jesus said, “Moses wrote that command for you because you were ·stubborn [hard hearted]. ⁶ But ·when God made the world [from the beginning of creation], ‘he made them male and female’ [Gen. 1:27; 5:2]. ⁷ ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be ·united with [joined to] his wife,^{[a] 8} and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; ^Tone flesh; Gen. 2:24]’. So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹ God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”

¹⁰ Later, in the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked Jesus again about ·the question of divorce [^Lthis matter]. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman ·is guilty of [commits] adultery against her. ¹² And the woman who divorces her husband and marries another man ·is also guilty of [commits] adultery.”

A Town Rejects Jesus

⁵¹ When the time was coming near for Jesus to ·depart [ascend], he ·was determined to go to [resolutely set out for; ^Lset his face toward] Jerusalem [Matt. 19:1–2; Mark 10:1].

Divorce and Remarriage^(A)

¹⁸ “If a man divorces his wife and marries another woman, he ·is guilty of [commits] adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman ·is also guilty of [commits] adultery.”