Knox Bible

1

Removing thence, he entered the territory of Judaea which lies beyond the Jordan. Multitudes gathered round him once more; and once more he began to teach them, as his custom was.

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Then the Pharisees came and put him to the test by asking him, whether it is right for a man to put away his wife.

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He answered them, What command did Moses give you?

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And they said, Moses left a man free to put his wife away, if he gave her a writ of separation.✻

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Jesus answered them, It was to suit your hard hearts that Moses wrote such a command as that;

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God, from the first days of creation, made them man and woman.

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A man, therefore, will leave his father and mother and will cling to his wife,✻

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and the two will become one flesh. Why then, since they are no longer two, but one flesh,

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what God has joined, let not man put asunder.

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And when they were in the house, his disciples asked him further about the same question.

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Whereupon he told them, If a man puts away his wife and marries another, he behaves adulterously towards her,✻

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and if a woman puts away her husband and marries another, she is an adulteress.✻

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Then they brought children to him, asking him to touch them; and his disciples rebuked those who brought them.

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But Jesus was indignant at seeing this; Let the children come to me, he said, do not keep them back; the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

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I tell you truthfully, the man who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a child, will never enter into it.

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And so he embraced them, laid his hands upon them, and blessed them.

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Then he went out to continue his journey; and a man ran up and knelt down before him, asking him, Master, who art so good, what must I do to achieve eternal life?

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Jesus said to him, Why dost thou call me good? None is good, except God only.

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Thou knowest the commandments, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not wrong any man, Honour thy father and thy mother.✻

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Master, he answered, I have kept all these ever since I grew up.

21

Then Jesus fastened his eyes on him, and conceived a love for him; In one thing, he said, thou art still wanting. Go home and sell all that belongs to thee; give it to the poor, and so the treasure thou hast shall be in heaven; then come back and follow me.✻

22

At this, his face fell, and he went away sorrowing, for he had great possessions.

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And Jesus looked round, and said to his disciples, With what difficulty will those who have riches enter God’s kingdom!

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The disciples were amazed at his words; but Jesus gave them a second answer, My children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter God’s kingdom!

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It is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye, than for a man to enter the kingdom of God when he is rich.

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They were still more astonished; Why then, they said to themselves, who can be saved?

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Jesus fastened his eyes on them, and said, Such things are impossible to man’s powers, but not to God’s; to God, all things are possible.

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Hereupon Peter took occasion to say, What of us, who have forsaken all, and followed thee?

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Jesus answered, I promise you, everyone who has forsaken home, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or children, or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel,

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will receive, now in this world, a hundred times their worth, houses, sisters, brothers, mothers, children and lands, but with persecution; and in the world to come he will receive everlasting life.

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But many will be first that were last, and last that were first.✻

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And now they were on the way going up to Jerusalem; and still Jesus led them on, while they were bewildered and followed him with faint hearts. Then once more he brought the twelve apostles to his side, and began to tell them what was to befall him:

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Now, we are going up to Jerusalem; and there the Son of Man will be given up into the hands of the chief priests and scribes, who will condemn him to death; and these will give him up into the hands of the Gentiles,

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who will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; but on the third day he will rise again.✻

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Thereupon James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, Master, we would have thee grant the request we are to make.

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And he asked them, What would you have me do for you?

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They said to him, Grant that one of us may take his place on thy right and the other on thy left, when thou art glorified.

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But Jesus said to them, You do not know what it is you ask. Have you strength to drink of the cup I am to drink of, to be baptized with the baptism I am to be baptized with?

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They said to him, We have. And Jesus told them, You shall indeed drink of the cup I am to drink of, and be baptized with the baptism I am to be baptized with;

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but a place on my right hand or my left is not mine to give you; it is for those for whom it has been destined.

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The ten others grew indignant with James and John when they heard of it.

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But Jesus called them to him, and said to them, You know that, among the Gentiles, those who claim to bear rule lord it over them, and those who are great among them make the most of the power they have.

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With you it must be otherwise; whoever has a mind to be great among you, must be your servant,

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and whoever has a mind to be first among you, must be your slave.

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So it is that the Son of Man did not come to have service done him; he came to serve others, and to give his life as a ransom for the lives of many.✻

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And now they reached Jericho. As he was leaving Jericho, with his disciples and with a great multitude, Bartimaeus, the blind man, Timaeus’ son, was sitting there by the way-side, begging.

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And, hearing that this was Jesus of Nazareth, he fell to crying out, Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.

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Many of them rebuked him and told him to be silent, but he cried out all the more, Son of David, have pity on me.

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Jesus stopped, and bade them summon him; so they summoned the blind man; Take heart, they said, and rise up; he is summoning thee.

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Whereupon he threw away his cloak and leapt to his feet, and so came to Jesus.

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Then Jesus answered him, What wouldst thou have me do for thee? And the blind man said to him, Lord, give me back my sight.

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Jesus said to him, Away home with thee; thy faith has brought thee recovery. And all at once he recovered his sight, and followed Jesus on his way.✻