The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
1 When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan.
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And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
2 Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them.
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And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
3 One day the Pharisees were badgering him: "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"
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The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 He answered, "Haven't you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female?
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And he answered and said unto them,Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh - no longer two bodies but one.
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And said,For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart."
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Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
7 They shot back in rebuttal, "If that's so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?"
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They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8 Jesus said, "Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hardheartedness, but it is not part of God's original plan.
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He saith unto them,Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
9 I'm holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery."
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And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
10 Jesus' disciples objected, "If those are the terms of marriage, we're stuck. Why get married?"
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His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11 But Jesus said, "Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn't for everyone.
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But he said unto them,All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
12 Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked - or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you're capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it."
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For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
13 One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off.
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Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus intervened: "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these."
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But Jesus said,Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
15 After laying hands on them, he left.
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And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
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And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."
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And he said unto him,Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 The man asked, "What in particular?" Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie,
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He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said,Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."
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Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?"
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The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 "If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."
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Jesus said unto him,If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.
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But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom?
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Then said Jesus unto his disciples,Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye than for the rich to enter God's kingdom."
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And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 The disciples were staggered. "Then who has any chance at all?"
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When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."
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But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
27 Then Peter chimed in, "We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?"
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Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
28 Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel.
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And Jesus said unto them,Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields - whatever - because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life.
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And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
30 This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.
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But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
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.
The King James Version is in the public domain.