New International Version NIV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.
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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.
2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
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Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?"
3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.
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Jesus said, "What did Moses command?"
4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
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They answered, "Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her."
5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.
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Jesus said, "Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways.
6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’
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In the original creation, God made male and female to be together.
7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
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Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage
8 and the two will become one flesh.’So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
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he becomes one flesh with a woman - no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
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Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart."
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this.
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When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again.
11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
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Jesus gave it to them straight: "A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her.
12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
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And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery."
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.
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The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them.
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
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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.
15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
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Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."
16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
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Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
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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 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
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Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God.
19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
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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 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
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He said, "Teacher, I have - from my youth - kept them all!"
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
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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 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
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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 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
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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?"
24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it isto enter the kingdom of God!
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The disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: "You can't imagine how difficult.
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
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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 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
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That set the disciples back on their heels. "Then who has any chance at all?" they asked.
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
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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 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
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Peter tried another angle: "We left everything and followed you."
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel
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Jesus said, "Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land - whatever - because of me and the Message
30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
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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!
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
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This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first."
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
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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.
33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
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"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,
34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
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who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive."
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
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James and John, Zebedee's sons, came up to him. "Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us."
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
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"What is it? I'll see what I can do."
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
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"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 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
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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 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
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"Sure," they said. "Why not?"
40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
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But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. There are other arrangements for that."
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.
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When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
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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.
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
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It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.
44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
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Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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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 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.
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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.
47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!"
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
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Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over."
50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
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Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
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Jesus said, "What can I do for you?" The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
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"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.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.