Matthew 19
English Standard Version
Teaching About Divorce
19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from (A)Galilee and (B)entered (C)the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And (D)large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and (E)tested him by asking, (F)“Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, (G)“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, (H)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and (I)the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. (J)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, (K)“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your (L)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 (M)And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”[a]
10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, (N)“Not everyone can receive this saying, but only (O)those to (P)whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs (Q)for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
Let the Children Come to Me
13 (R)Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples (S)rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, (T)“Let the little children (U)come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
The Rich Young Man
16 (V)And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to (W)have (X)eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. (Y)If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, (Z)“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, (AA)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, (AB)“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be (AC)perfect, go, (AD)sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have (AE)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 (AF)When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, (AG)only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 (AH)Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter (AI)the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus (AJ)looked at them and said, (AK)“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, (AL)we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,[b] (AM)when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me (AN)will also sit on twelve thrones, (AO)judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 (AP)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 a hundredfold[c] and will (AQ)inherit eternal life. 30 But (AR)many who are (AS)first will be last, and the last first.
Footnotes
- Matthew 19:9 Some manuscripts add and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery; other manuscripts except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery
- Matthew 19:28 Greek in the regeneration
- Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts manifold
Matthew 19
International Children’s Bible
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
19 After Jesus said all these things, he left Galilee. He went into the area of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed Jesus, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to trick him. They asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for any reason he chooses?”
4 Jesus answered, “Surely you have read in the Scriptures: When God made the world, ‘he made them male and female.’[a] 5 And God said, ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife. And the two people will become one body.’[b] 6 So the two are not two, but one. God joined the two people together. No person should separate them.”
7 The Pharisees asked, “Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by giving her divorce papers?”
8 Jesus answered, “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you refused to accept God’s teaching. But divorce was not allowed in the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman is guilty of adultery.[c] The only reason for a man to divorce and marry again is if his first wife has been unfaithful to him.”
10 The followers said to him, “If that is the only reason a man can divorce his wife, then it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus answered, “Not everyone can accept this truth about marriage. But God has made some able to accept it. 12 There are different reasons why some men cannot marry. Some men were born without the ability to become fathers. Others were made that way later in life by other people. And other men have given up marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. But the person who can marry should accept this teaching about marriage.”[d]
Jesus Welcomes Children
13 Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so that he could put his hands on them[e] and pray for them. When his followers saw this, they told the people to stop bringing their children to Jesus. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children.” 15 After Jesus put his hands on the children, he left there.
A Rich Young Man’s Question
16 A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have life forever?”
17 Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have life forever, obey the commands.”
18 The man asked, “Which commands?”
Jesus answered, “‘You must not murder anyone. You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor in court. 19 Honor your father and mother.[f] Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”[g]
20 The young man said, “I have obeyed all these things. What else do I need to do?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all the things you own. Give the money to the poor. If you do this, you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me!”
22 But when the young man heard this, he became very sad because he was very rich. So he left Jesus.
23 Then Jesus said to his followers, “I tell you the truth. It will be very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Yes, I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the followers heard this, they were very surprised. They asked, “Then who can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible. But for God all things are possible.”
27 Peter said to Jesus, “We left everything we had and followed you. So what will we have?”
28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth. When the new age comes, the Son of Man will sit on his great throne. And all of you who followed me will also sit on 12 thrones. And you will judge the 12 tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother,[h] children, or farms to follow me will get much more than he left. And he will have life forever. 30 Many who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.
Footnotes
- 19:4 ‘he made . . . female.’ Quotation from Genesis 1:27 or 5:2.
- 19:5 ‘So . . . body.’ Quotation from Genesis 2:24.
- 19:9 adultery Some Greek copies continue, “And anyone who marries a divorced woman is guilty of adultery,” Compare Matthew 5:32.
- 19:12 But . . . marriage. This may also mean, “The person who can accept this teaching about not marrying should accept it.”
- 19:13 put his hands on them Showing that Jesus gave special blessings to these children.
- 19:18-19 ‘You . . . mother.’ Quotation from Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20.
- 19:19 ‘Love . . . yourself.’ Quotation from Leviticus 19:18.
- 19:29 mother Some Greek copies continue, “or wife.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
