1And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.2And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.3And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?4And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.5And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.6But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.7For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;8And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.9What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.10And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.11And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.12And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.13And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.14But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.15Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.16And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.17And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.28Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.29And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,30But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.31But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.32And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,33Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:34And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.36And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?37They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?39And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:40But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.41And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.42But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.43But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:44And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.45For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.46And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.48And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.49And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.50And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.51And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.52And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Mark 10
New International Reader’s Version
Jesus teaches about divorce
1Jesus left that place and went into the area of Judea and across the River Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him. As usual, he taught them.2Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, ‘Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?’3‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied.4They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.’5‘You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied.6‘But at the beginning of creation, God “made them male and female.” (Ge 1:27)7“That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.8The two of them will become one.” They are no longer two, but one. (Ge 2:24)9So no one should separate what God has joined together.’10When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.11He answered, ‘What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her.12And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.’
Little children are brought to Jesus
13People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on them to bless them. But the disciples told them to stop.14When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, ‘Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them.15What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.’16Then he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them to bless them.
Rich people and the kingdom of God
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him. He fell on his knees before Jesus. ‘Good teacher’, he said, ‘what must I do to receive eternal life?’18‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good except God.19You know what the commandments say. “Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. Do not cheat. Honour your father and mother.” ’ (Ex 20:12; De 5:16)20‘Teacher’, he said, ‘I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy.’21Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘You are missing one thing,’ he said. ‘Go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.’22The man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he was very rich.23Jesus looked around. He said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom!’24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter God’s kingdom!25Is it hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It is even harder for someone who is rich to enter God’s kingdom!’26The disciples were even more amazed. They said to each other, ‘Then who can be saved?’27Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With people, this is impossible. But not with God. All things are possible with God.’28Then Peter spoke up, ‘We have left everything to follow you!’29‘What I’m about to tell you is true,’ Jesus replied. ‘Has anyone left home or family or fields for me and the good news?30They will receive 100 times as much in this world. They will have homes and families and fields. But they will also be treated badly by others. In the world to come they will live for ever.31But many who are first will be last. And the last will be first.’
Jesus speaks a third time about his coming death
32They were on their way up to Jerusalem. Jesus was leading the way. The disciples were amazed. Those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the 12 disciples to one side. He told them what was going to happen to him.33‘We are going up to Jerusalem,’ he said. ‘The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles.34They will make fun of him and spit on him. They will whip him and kill him. Three days later he will rise from the dead!’
James and John ask Jesus for a favour
35James and John came to Jesus. They were the sons of Zebedee. ‘Teacher’, they said, ‘we would like to ask you for a favour.’36‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.37They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right hand in your glorious kingdom. Let the other one sit at your left hand.’38‘You don’t know what you’re asking for,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup of suffering I drink? Or can you go through the baptism of suffering I must go through?’39‘We can’, they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink. And you will go through the baptism I go through.40But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or left hand. These places belong to those they are prepared for.’41The other ten disciples heard about it. They became angry at James and John.42Jesus called them together. He said, ‘You know about those who are rulers of the Gentiles. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around.43Don’t be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant.44And anyone who wants to be first must be the slave of everyone.45Even the Son of Man did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.’
Blind Bartimaeus receives his sight
46Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. They were leaving the city. A large crowd was with them. A blind man was sitting by the side of the road begging. His name was Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus means Son of Timaeus.47He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. So he began to shout, ‘Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!’48Many people commanded him to stop. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, ‘Son of David! Have mercy on me!’49Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call for him.’ So they called out to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! Get up on your feet! Jesus is calling for you.’50He threw his coat to one side. Then he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.51‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to be able to see.’52‘Go’, said Jesus. ‘Your faith has healed you.’ Right away he could see. And he followed Jesus along the road.