New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 Then Jesus left Capernaum and went down to the region of Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. Once again crowds gathered around him, and as usual he was teaching 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 tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed 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 Jesus answered them with a question: “What did Moses say in the law about divorce?”
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Jesus said, "What did Moses command?"
4 “Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice 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 But Jesus responded, “He wrote this commandment only as a concession to your hard hearts.
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Jesus said, "Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways.
6 But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.
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In the original creation, God made male and female to be together.
7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,
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Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage
8 and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one,
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he becomes one flesh with a woman - no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity.
9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
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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 Later, when he was alone with his disciples in the house, they brought up the subject again.
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When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again.
11 He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else 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 a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.”
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And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery."
13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
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The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them.
14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
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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 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a 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 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads 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 was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, 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 asked. “Only God is truly good.
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Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God.
19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. 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,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
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He said, "Teacher, I have - from my youth - kept them all!"
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money 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, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
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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 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to 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 In fact, 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!”
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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 astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
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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 intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is 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 began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
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Peter tried another angle: "We left everything and followed you."
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News,
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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 receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have 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 the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. ”
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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 now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about 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 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.
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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 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
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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 over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
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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 is your request?” he asked.
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"What is it? I'll see what I can do."
37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
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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 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be 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 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering.
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"Sure," they said. "Why not?"
40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
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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 other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant.
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When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John.
42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under 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 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader 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 among you must be the slave of everyone else.
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Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others 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 reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road.
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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 Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, 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 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “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 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!”
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Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over."
50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, 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. “My Rabbi, ” the blind man said, “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 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down 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.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.