Mark 10
New Matthew Bible
On divorce. The rich man questions Christ. Of the sons of Zebedee. Bartimaeus the blind man.
10 And he arose from there and went into the borders of Judea, through the region that is beyond the Jordan. And the people resorted to him afresh, and as his custom was, he taught them again. 2 And the Pharisees came and asked him a question, whether it was lawful for a man to put away his wife, in order to prove him. 3 And he answered and said to them, What did Moses tell you to do? 4 And they said, Moses permitted us to write a testimonial of divorce and to put her away.
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, For the hardness of your hearts he wrote this precept for you. 6 But at the first creation, God made them man and woman. 7 And for the sake of this, a man must leave his father and mother and abide by his wife, 8 and the two shall be one flesh. So then they are now not two, but are one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
10 And in the house, his disciples asked him again about that matter. 11 And he said to them, Whoever puts away his wife and marries another, breaks wedlock to her. 12 And if a woman forsakes her husband and is married to another, she commits adultery.
13 And they brought children to him, for him to touch them. And his disciples rebuked the people who brought them. 14 When Jesus saw that, he was displeased, and said to them, Suffer the children to come to me, and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, and put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
17 And when he had gone out to the road, a man came running, and kneeled to him and asked him, Good Teacher, what should I do so that I may inherit eternal life? 18 Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? There is none good but one, who is God. 19 You know the commandments: do not break matrimony, do not kill, do not steal, bear no false witness, defraud no man, honour your father and mother. 20 He answered and said to him, Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.
21 Jesus regarded him with favour and said to him, One thing is lacking to you. Go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come and follow me, and take up the cross.
22 But the man was downcast with that saying, and went away grieved, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about and said to his disciples, What a hard thing it is for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God. 24 And his disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus spoke again and said to them, Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God? 25 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.
26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying between themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 Jesus looked upon them and said, With men it is impossible, but not with God. For with God, all things are possible.
28 And Peter began to say to him, Lo, we have left everything and have followed you. 29 Jesus answered and said, Truly I say to you, there is no one who gives up house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this life: houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands – with persecutions – and in the world to come, eternal life. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last, first.
32 And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went before them. And they were amazed, and as they followed, were afraid. And Jesus took the twelve again, and began to tell them the things that would happen to him: 33 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered to the high priests and to the scribes. And they will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him, and scourge him, and spit upon him, and kill him. And the third day he will rise again.
35 And then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him, saying, Teacher, we would like you to do for us whatever we ask. 36 He said to them, What would you like me to do for you? 37 They said to him, Grant to us that we may sit one on your right hand, and the other on your left hand, in your glory. 38 But Jesus said to them, You know not what you ask. Can you drink of the cup that I must drink of, and be baptized in the baptism that I must be baptized in? 39 And they said to him, That we can. Jesus said to them, You will drink of the cup that I will drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized in. 40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but is for them for whom it is prepared.
41 And when the ten heard this, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to him and said to them, You know that those who are seen to bear rule among the Gentiles reign as lords over them. And those who are great among them exercise authority over them. 43 It shall not be this way among you, but whoever would be great among you shall minister to you, 44 and whoever would be chief shall be servant to all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many.
46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was going out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, Bartimaeus the son of Timeus, who was blind, sat by the side of the high road, begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to call out and to say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! 48 And many people admonished him to hold his peace. But he cried the more a great deal, Son of David, have mercy on me!
49 And Jesus stood still and directed that he be called. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Be of good comfort. Rise, he has called you.
50 And he threw away his cloak, and rose and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus spoke and said to him, What do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him, Teacher, that I could see! 52 Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has saved you.
And immediately the man received his sight, and followed Jesus in the road.
Mark 10
The Message
Divorce
10 1-2 From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 Jesus said, “What did Moses command?”
4 They answered, “Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her.”
5-9 Jesus said, “Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
10-12 When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: “A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery.”
* * *
13-16 The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
To Enter God’s Kingdom
17 As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
18-19 Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”
20 He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!”
21 Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”
22 The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.
23-25 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”
26 That got their attention. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked.
27 Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”
28 Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”
29-31 Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”
32-34 Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.”
The Highest Places of Honor
35 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.”
36 “What is it? I’ll see what I can do.”
37 “Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.”
38 Jesus said, “You have no idea what you’re asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup I drink, of being baptized in the baptism I’m about to be plunged into?”
39-40 “Sure,” they said. “Why not?”
Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you will drink the cup I drink, and be baptized in my baptism. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that.”
41-45 When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”
* * *
46-48 They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”
49-50 Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Call him over.”
They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.
51 Jesus said, “What can I do for you?”
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.”
In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.
Mark 10
King James Version
10 And 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.
2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But 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.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
17 And 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?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19 Thou 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.
20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21 Then 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.
22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24 And 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!
25 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.
26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 And 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,
30 But 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.
31 But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
32 And 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,
33 Saying, 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:
34 And 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.
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
37 They 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.
38 But 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?
39 And 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:
40 But 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.
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
42 But 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.
43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
46 And 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.
47 And 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.
48 And 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.
49 And 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.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51 And 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.
52 And 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.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson