1 ^aAnd he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

2 And Pharisees came up and ^bin order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to ^cdivorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, ^d“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^ehardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ^f‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ^g‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,¹ 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, ^h“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

13 ⁱAnd they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ^jrebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^k“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not ^lenter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

17 ^mAnd as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, ⁿwhat must I do to inherit 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: ^o‘Do 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, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^psell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, ^qfollow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have ^rwealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ^s“Children, how difficult it is² to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ^trich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were ^uexceedingly astonished, and said to him,³ “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For ^vall things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, ^wwe have ^xleft everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or ^ybrothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 ^zBut many who are first will be last, and the last first.”