1 Then he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds gathered to him again; and again, as his custom was, he taught them.

2 The Pharisees came and in order to test him asked, »Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?«

3 He answered them, »What did Moses command you?«

4 They said, »Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away.«

5 But Jesus said to them, »Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

6 But from the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’

7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,

8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.«

10 In the house his disciples also asked him again about this matter.

11 So he said to them, »Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.

12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.«

13 And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, »Let the little children come to me; and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it.«

16 And he took them in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, »Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?«

18 And Jesus said to him, »Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’«

20 And he said to him, »Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.«

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, »You lack one thing; go and sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.«

22 But he fell sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, »How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!«

24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, »Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.«

26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, »Then who can be saved?«

27 Jesus looked at them and said, »With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.«

28 Peter began to say to him, »See, we have left everything and followed you.«

29 Jesus said, »Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,

30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time—house and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life.

31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.«

32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And he took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him.

33 »Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles;

34 and they will mock him, and spit on him, and scourge him, and kill him. And after three days he will rise.«

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, »Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.«

36 And he said to them, »What do you want me to do for you?«

37 And they said to him, »Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and the other at your left, in your glory.«

38 But Jesus said to them, »You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?«

39 They said to him, »We are able.« So Jesus said to them, »You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;

40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.«

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant with James and John.

42 But Jesus called them to himself and said to them, »You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be slave of all.

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.«

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging.

47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, »Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!«

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, »Son of David, have mercy on me!«

49 So Jesus stopped and said, »Call him.« And they called the blind man, saying to him, »Take heart; rise, he is calling you.«

50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

51 And Jesus said to him, »What do you want me to do for you?« And the blind man said to him, »Master, let me receive my sight.«

52 Then Jesus said to him, »Go your way; your faith has made you well.« And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.