1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Pharisees came up to him in order to test him. “Does the Torah permit+ a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” they asked.

4 Jesus+ answered, “Surely ᵖyou have read, haven’t you, that the one who created them in the beginning ‘made them male and female,’+ 5 and that he said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’+? 6 Thus they are no longer two, but one flesh. What God, therefore, has himself yoked+ together, man must not separate.”

7 “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give ‘a written notice of divorce’+ and send her away?”

8 “As for Moses, it was because of the hardness of ᵖyour hearts that he allowed ᵖyou to divorce your wives,” he said to them. “In the beginning, however, it was not this way. 9 Furthermore, I tell ᵖyou this: If a man divorces his wife on any grounds other than marital unfaithfulness+ and marries another woman, he is guilty of committing adultery.”+

10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the only reason a husband can divorce his wife,+ it would be better not to marry!”

11 “Not everyone can accept this statement,” he said to them, “but only those to whom it has been assigned.+ 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way from their mother’s womb; some are eunuchs because they have been made that way by others;+ and some choose not to marry+ because of the Kingdom of Heaven.+ He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

13 Then some children were brought to Jesus+ in hopes that he would place on their heads+ his hands.+ The disciples, though, scolded those who brought them.+ 14 Jesus, however, said, “Let the children come to me and don’t try to stop them! It is to lowly people such as these, you see, that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs.” 15 And after placing his hands on them, he set off from that place.

16 Just then there came up to Jesus+ a certain man. “Teacher,” he said, “what good thing must I do to receive life in the coming age+?”

17 “Exactly why is it that ˢyou are asking me about what is good?” Jesus+ asked him. “There is only one who is good. Now, if you desire to enter life,+ obey the commandments.”+

18 “Which ones?” the man+ asked.

Jesus replied, “‘ˢYou must not murder,’+ ‘ˢYou must not commit adultery,’+ ‘ˢYou must not steal,’+ ‘ˢYou must not bear false testimony,’+19 ‘Honor ˢyour father and mother,’+ and, ‘ˢYou are to love your neighbor as yourself.’+”

20 “All these things I have carefully observed,” the young man said to him. “What am I still lacking?”

21 “If you want to be blameless,” Jesus answered, “go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure stored away in the heavens.+ Then come along with me as a disciple.+”+

22 When the young man heard this, he went away feeling sad, because he had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I solemnly tell ᵖyou this: For a rich person it will be very difficult to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.+ 24 Again, I tell ᵖyou this: It is truly easier for a camel to pass through the very eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”

25 When the disciples heard this, they were completely taken aback. “Who then can be saved?” they asked.

26 Jesus, looking straight at them, said, “With mere+ men this is impossible. With God, however, indeed all things are possible.”

27 In response Peter said to him, “What about us? We have left behind everything to be your disciples.+ What then will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Amen, I solemnly tell ᵖyou this: As for you disciples of mine,+ in the renewal of creation,+ when the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory,+ you, too, will each sit on a throne,+ judging and governing the twelve tribes of Israel.+ 29 In fact, everyone who has left behind houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for the sake of my name will receive indeed a hundred times as much, and will inherit this: Life in the coming age.+ 30 Many, however, who are now first, will at that time be last, and many who are now last will at that time be first.