Add parallel Print Page Options

19 ¶ And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee and came into the borders of Judaea beyond the Jordan;

and a great multitude followed him, and he healed them there.

¶ Then the Pharisees came unto him, tempting him and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause?

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female?

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.

Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a bill of divorce and to put her away?

He said unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication and shall marry another, commits adultery, and whosoever marries her that is put away commits adultery.

10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.

11 But he said unto them, Everyone cannot receive this word, except those unto whom it is given.

12 For there are some eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb; and there are some eunuchs who were made eunuchs of men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs because of the kingdom of the heavens. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

13 ¶ Then were there 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 the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens.

15 And he laid his hands on them and departed from there.

16 ¶ 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 dost thou call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God, but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He said unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother, and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man said unto him, All these things I have kept from my youth up; what do I lack?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou desire to be perfect, go and sell what thou hast and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that word, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is difficult that a rich man shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier to put a cable through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25 But his disciples hearing these things were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

26 But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

27 Then Peter answered and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And every one that has forsaken houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my name’s sake shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit eternal life.

30 But many that are first shall be last, and many of the last shall be first.

Divorce(A)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(B) he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them(C) there.

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife(D) for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a](E) and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]?(F) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”(G)

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”(H)

10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.(I) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

The Little Children and Jesus(J)

13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them(K) and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs(L) to such as these.”(M) 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God(N)

16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life(O)?”(P)

17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”(Q)

18 “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,(R) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[c](S) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d](T)

20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,(U) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,(V) and you will have treasure in heaven.(W) Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich(X) 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 someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Y)

27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!(Z) What then will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,(AA) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.(AB) 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.(AC) 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 19:4 Gen. 1:27
  2. Matthew 19:5 Gen. 2:24
  3. Matthew 19:19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
  4. Matthew 19:19 Lev. 19:18
  5. Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife.