Matthew 19 | King James Version

King James Version

1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; 2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith 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. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. 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 little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. 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 callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no 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 saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It 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. 25 When his disciples heard it, they 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 answered Peter 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 which 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, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

New International Reader’s Version

Jesus teaches about divorce

1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee. He went into the area of Judea on the other side of the River Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him. He healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, ‘Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?’ 4 Jesus replied, ‘Haven’t you read that in the beginning the Creator “made them male and female”? (Ge 1:27) 5 He said, “That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one.” (Ge 2:24) 6 They are no longer two, but one. So no one should separate what God has joined together.’ 7 They asked, ‘Then why did Moses command that a man can give his wife a letter of divorce and send her away?’ 8 Jesus replied, ‘Moses let you divorce your wives because you were stubborn. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 Here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him.’ 10 Here is what the disciples said to him. ‘If that’s the way it is between a husband and wife, it is better not to get married.’ 11 Jesus replied, ‘Not everyone can accept the idea of staying single. Only those who have been helped to live without getting married can accept it. 12 Some men are not able to have children because they were born that way. Some have been made that way by other people. Others have chosen to live that way in order to serve the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.’

Little children are brought to Jesus

13 Some people brought little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on the children and pray for them. But the disciples told them not to do it. 14 Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them.’ 15 Jesus placed his hands on them to bless them. Then he went on from there.

Rich people and the kingdom of God

16 Just then, a man came up to Jesus. He asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?’ 17 ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only one who is good. If you want to enter the kingdom, obey the commandments.’ 18 ‘Which ones?’ the man asked. Jesus said, ‘ “Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. 19 Honour your father and mother.” And “love your neighbour as you love yourself.” ’ (Ex 20:12; Le 19:18; De 5:16) 20 ‘I have obeyed all those commandments,’ the young man said. ‘What else do I need to do?’ 21 Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, 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.’ 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad. He was very rich. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. But it is even harder for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 25 When the disciples heard this, they were really amazed. They asked, ‘Then who can be saved?’ 26 Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With people, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible.’ 27 Peter answered him, ‘We have left everything to follow you! What reward will be given to us?’ 28 ‘What I’m about to tell you is true,’ Jesus said to them. ‘When all things are made new, the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. Then you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones. You will judge the 12 tribes of Israel. 29 Suppose anyone has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, husband or wife, children or fields because of me. Anyone who has done that will receive 100 times as much. They will also receive eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last. And many who are last will be first.