| 1 | Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the part of Judea that is beyond the Jordan; |
| 2 | And great throngs accompanied Him, and He cured them there. |
| 3 | And Pharisees came to Him and put Him to the test by asking, Is it lawful
and
right to dismiss
and
repudiate
and
divorce one’s wife for any
and
[a]every cause? |
| 4 | He replied, Have you never read that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female, |
| 5 | And said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be united firmly (joined inseparably) to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? |
| 6 | So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder (separate). |
| 7 | They said to Him, Why then did Moses command [us] to give a certificate of divorce and thus to dismiss
and
repudiate a wife? |
| 8 | He said to them, Because of the hardness (stubbornness and perversity) of your hearts Moses permitted you to dismiss
and
repudiate
and
divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been
[b]so [ordained]. |
| 9 | I say to you: whoever dismisses (repudiates, divorces) his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery,
[c]
and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery
. |
| 10 | The disciples said to Him, If the case of a man with his wife is like this, it is neither profitable
nor
advisable to marry. |
| 11 | But He said to them, Not all men can accept this saying, but it is for those to whom [the capacity to receive] it has been given. |
| 12 | For there are eunuchs who have been born incapable of marriage; and there are eunuchs who have been made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves incapable of marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him who is able to accept this accept it. |
| 13 | Then little children were brought to Jesus, that He might put His hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. |
| 14 | But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid
or
restrain
or
hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven
composed
. |
| 15 | And He put His hands upon them, and then went on His way. |
| 16 | And behold, there came a man up to Him, saying, Teacher, what excellent
and
perfectly
and
essentially good deed must I do to possess eternal life? |
| 17 | And He said to him, Why do you ask Me about the perfectly
and
essentially good? There is only One Who is good [perfectly and essentially]—God. If you would enter into the Life, you must continually keep the commandments. |
| 18 | He said to Him, What
[d]sort of commandments? [Or, which ones?] And Jesus answered, You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, |
| 19 | Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. |
| 20 | The young man said, I have observed all these
from my youth
; what still do I lack? |
| 21 | Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is,
[e]have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come,
[f]be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. |
| 22 | But when the young man heard this, he went away sad (grieved and in much distress), for he had great possessions. |
| 23 | And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you, it will be difficult for a rich man to get into 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 go into the kingdom of heaven. |
| 25 | When the disciples heard this, they were utterly puzzled (astonished, bewildered), saying, Who then can be saved [
[g]from eternal death]? |
| 26 | But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God. |
| 27 | Then Peter answered Him, saying, Behold, we have left [our] all and have become
[h]Your disciples [sided with Your party and followed You]. What then shall we receive? |
| 28 | Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, in the new age [the
[i]Messianic rebirth of the world], when the Son of Man shall sit down on the throne of His glory, you who have [become My disciples, sided with My party and] followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. |
| 29 | And anyone
and
everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for My name’s sake will receive
[j]many [even a hundred] times more and will inherit eternal life. |
| 30 | But many who [now] are first will be last [then], and many who [now] are last will be first [then]. |
Cross references:
-
Matthew 19:5 : Gen. 1:27; 2:24.
-
Matthew 19:7 : Deut. 24:1-4.
-
Matthew 19:16 : Lev. 18:5.
-
Matthew 19:18 : Exod. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20.
-
Matthew 19:19 : Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39.
-
Matthew 19:26 : Gen. 18:14; Job 42:2.
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