^aGetting up, He *went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered around Him again, and, ^baccording to His custom, He once more began to teach them.

2 Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to ¹divorce a wife. 3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “^aMoses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND ¹SEND her AWAY.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “^1aBecause of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But ^afrom the beginning of creation, God ^bMADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7 ^aFOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER¹, 8 ^aAND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11 And He *said to them, “^aWhoever ¹divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and ^aif she herself ¹divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

13 ^aAnd they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; ^afor the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, ^awhoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He ^atook them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

17 ^aAs He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and ^bknelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to ^cinherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘^aDO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept ^aall these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have ^atreasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words ¹he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “^aHow hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples ^awere amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 ^aIt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “¹Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “^aWith people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 ^aPeter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, ^athere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 ¹but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in ²the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in ^athe age to come, eternal life. 31 But ^amany who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

32 ^aThey were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they ^bwere amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^athe Son of Man will be ¹delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will ²hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34 They will mock Him and ^aspit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

35 ^1aJames and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “¹Grant that we ^amay sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^ato drink the cup that I drink, or ^bto be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink ^ayou shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; ^abut it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 ^aHearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with ¹James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, ^abut whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man ^adid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His ¹life a ransom for many.”

46 ^aThen they *came to Jericho. And ^bas He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus the ^aNazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, ^bSon of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “^aSon of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “^aTake courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” 50 Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “^1aRabboni, I want to regain my sight!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; ^ayour faith has ¹made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

^aAnd standing up, He *went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered around Him again, and, ^baccording to His custom, He once more began to teach them.

2 And some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to ¹divorce a wife. 3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 And they said, “^aMoses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND ¹SEND her AWAY.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “^1aBecause of your hardness of heart he wrote for you this commandment. 6 But ^afrom the beginning of creation, God ^bMADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7 ^aFOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER¹, 8 ^aAND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

10 And in the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11 And He *said to them, “^aWhoever ¹divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and ^aif she herself ¹divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

13 ^aAnd they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; ^afor the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, ^awhoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He ^atook them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

17 ^aAnd as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and ^bknelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to ^cinherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘^aDO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept ^aall these things from my youth up.” 21 And looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have ^atreasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words ¹he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “^aHow hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples ^awere amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 ^aIt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were even more astonished, saying to ¹Him, “²Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “^aWith people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 ^aPeter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, ^athere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 ¹except one who will receive one hundred times as much now in ²the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions—and in ^athe age to come, eternal life. 31 But ^amany who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

32 ^aAnd they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they ^bwere amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him: 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^athe Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock Him and ^aspit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

35 ^aThen James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 And they said to Him, “¹Grant that we ^amay sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^ato drink the cup that I drink, or ^bto be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink ^ayou shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; ^abut it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 ^aAnd hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 And calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, ^abut whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man ^adid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His ¹life a ransom for many.”

46 ^aThen they *came to Jericho. And ^bas He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus the ^aNazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, ^bSon of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “^aSon of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “^aTake courage, get up! He is calling for you.” 50 And throwing off his outer garment, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered him and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “^1aRabboni, I want to regain my sight!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; ^ayour faith has ¹saved you.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

^aGetting up, He left there (Capernaum) and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; and crowds gathered around Him again and accompanied Him, and ^bas was His custom, He once more began to teach them.

2 Pharisees came to Jesus to test Him intending to trick Him into saying something wrong, and asked Him, “Is it lawful according to Scripture for a man to divorce his wife and send her away?” 3 He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “^aMoses allowed a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND TO SEND HER AWAY.” Deut 24:1-4 5 But Jesus said to them, “^aBecause of your hardness of hearts your callousness and insensitivity toward your wives and the ¹provision of God he wrote you this precept. 6 But ^afrom the beginning of creation God ^bMADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. Gen 1:27; 5:2 7 ^aFOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER to establish a home with his wife, Matt 19:5 8 ^aAND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so that they are no longer two, but are united as one flesh. Gen 2:24 9 Therefore, what God has united and joined together, man must not separate by divorce.”

10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him again about this. 11 And He said to them, “^aWhoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and ^aif a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

13 ^aPeople were bringing children to Him so that He would touch and bless them, but the disciples reprimanded them and discouraged them from coming. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and He said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them; ^afor the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^awhoever does not receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He ^atook the children one by one in His arms and ¹blessed them with kind, encouraging words, placing His hands on them.

17 ^aAs He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and ^bknelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher You who are essentially good and morally perfect, what shall I do to ^cinherit eternal life that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom?” Matt 19:16-29; Luke 18:18-30 18 Jesus said to him, “¹Why do you call Me good? No one is essentially good by nature except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘^aDO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT TESTIFY FALSELY, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” Ex 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20 20 And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have carefully kept ^aall these commandments since my ¹youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give the money to the poor, and you will have abundant ^atreasure in heaven; and come, follow Me becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk.” 22 But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions which he treasured more than his relationship with God.

23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “^aHow difficult it will be for those who are wealthy and cling to possessions and status as security to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples ^awere ¹amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is for those who place their hope and confidence in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 ^aIt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man who places his faith in wealth or status to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved from the wrath of God?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “^aWith people as far as it depends on them it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

28 ^aPeter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord.” 29 Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^athere is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in ^athe age to come, eternal life. 31 But ^amany who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

32 ^aNow they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they ^bwere perplexed at what Jesus had said, and those who were following were alarmed and afraid. And again He took the twelve disciples aside and began telling them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Listen very carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^athe Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles (Romans) . 34 They will mock and ridicule Him and ^aspit on Him, and whip (scourge) Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise from the dead.”

35 ^aJames and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” Matt 20:20, 21 36 And He replied to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we ^amay sit with You, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory Your majesty and splendor in Your kingdom.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^ato drink the cup that I drink, or ^bto be baptized with the baptism of suffering and death with which I am baptized?” 39 And they replied to Him, “We are able.” Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink ^ayou will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or left, this is not Mine to give; ^abut it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

41 ^aHearing this, the other ten became indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their powerful men exercise authority over them tyrannizing them. 43 But this is not how it is among you; ^ainstead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first and most important among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man ^adid not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ¹ransom for many.”

46 ^aThen they came to Jericho. And ^bas He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road as was his custom. Matt 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43 47 When Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus ^aof Nazareth, he began to shout and say, “Jesus, ^1bSon of David (Messiah) , have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly rebuked him, telling him to keep still and be quiet; but he kept on shouting out all the more, “^aSon of David (Messiah) , have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “^aTake courage, get up! He is calling for you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “^aRabboni (my Master) , let me regain my sight.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; ^ayour faith and confident trust in My power has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road. Is 42:6, 7