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Matthew 19

1When Jesus had finished these words, he left Galilee and came to the territories of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” 4He answered, “Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no person separate.” 7They said to him, “Why, then, did Moses command giving a certificate of divorce and divorcing her?” 8He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been this way. 9But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except on account of sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

10The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who can accept it accept it.”

13Then children were brought to him so that he could lay his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14Jesus said, “Allow the children, and do not prevent them from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15He laid his hands on them and went on from there.

16And look, someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do to have eternal life?” 17He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one who is good. But if you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not give false testimony; 19honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20The young man said to him, “I have kept all these. What do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

23Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you that a rich person will enter the kingdom of heaven with difficulty. 24Again I tell you, 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.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” 26Jesus looked at them and said, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27Then Peter answered him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What, then, will there be for us?” 28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you that at the renewal, when the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and last first.

Translation notes 6

19:3–9 — Divorce. The question concerns divorce for any cause. The distinction between Moses commanding in the question and permitting in Jesus' answer remains. “One flesh” and hardness of heart retain the images. “Sexual immorality” translates the broader term porneia; proposals restricting it to betrothal misconduct or an unlawful union remain disputed. The clause's subject divorces and remarries; this differs from the causative wording of 5:32.

19:9 — Final clause. SBLGNT includes the statement about marrying a divorced woman, printed here. Other critical editions omit it, and the UBS discussion judges it likely to have been added from 5:32. Retaining it follows the selected base, not a claim that its originality is secure.

19:11–12 — Eunuchs. The bodily word is retained in all three clauses. The final group is commonly understood figuratively as renouncing marriage or sexual relations for the kingdom; literal self-castration is another historical reading. The saying does not command a procedure, and the translation does not replace the image with a general statement about being single. “This saying” may refer to the disciples' preceding statement about marriage or to Jesus' teaching.

19:16–21 — Good; perfect. The base text asks about what is good and has “Teacher,” not “Good teacher”; it is not harmonized with Mark. “Perfect” is the word used in 5:48, with completeness a significant alternative. The command about possessions remains specific and direct.

19:24 — Camel and needle. The deliberately extreme image remains. The text does not mention a small city gate or substitute rope for camel. Matthew uses kingdom of heaven in verse 23 and kingdom of God in verse 24.

19:28–29 — Renewal and family. “Renewal” can be “rebirth”; the scene concerns the Son of Man's enthronement and the twelve tribes. The Greek literally has a throne of glory. SBLGNT includes “wife” among the things left in verse 29, although several critical editions omit it. The passage is not expanded into instructions to abandon dependents.