Mar 10 | ESV | STEP | And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan , and crowds gathered to him again . And again , as was his custom , he taught them .

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

2 And Pharisees came up and in order ^cto test him asked, ^d“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, ^e“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ^fhardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But ^gfrom the beginning of creation, ‘God made them ^hmale and female.’ 7 ⁱ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit and hold fast to his wife} 8 and ^kthe two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 ^lWhat therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, ^m“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and ⁿif she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Let the Children Come to Me

13 ^oAnd they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples ^prebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ^q“Let the children come to me; ^rdo not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 ^sTruly, I say to you, whoever does not ^treceive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And ^uhe took them in his arms and blessed them, ^vlaying his hands on them.

The Rich Young Man

17 ^wAnd as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and ^xknelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^yinherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ^z‘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, ^aaall these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, ^ablooking at him, ^acloved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, ^adsell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have ^aetreasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 ^afDisheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus ^aglooked around and said to his disciples, ^ah“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter ^aithe kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples ^ajwere amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ^ak“Children, ^alhow difficult it is ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add for those who trust in riches} to enter ^anthe kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^aothe kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts to one another} “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus ^aqlooked at them and said, ^ar“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, ^aswe have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, ^atthere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and ^aufor the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold ^avnow in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, ^awwith persecutions, and in ^axthe age to come eternal life. 31 But ^aymany who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

32 ^azAnd they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and ^baJesus was walking ahead of them. And ^bbthey were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, ^bcwe are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will ^bdcondemn him to death and ^bedeliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will ^bfmock him and ^bgspit on him, and flog him and kill him. And ^bhafter three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

35 ^biAnd James and John, ^bjthe sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ^bkwhatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, ^bl“What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us ^bmto sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^bnin your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, ^bo“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^bpto drink the cup that I drink, or ^bqto be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, ^br“The cup that I drink ^bsyou will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, ^btyou will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, ^bubut it is for those for whom it has been ^bvprepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 ^bwAnd Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles ^bxlord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But ^byit shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ^{▼▼Greek diakonos} 44 and whoever would be first among you must be ^caslave ^{▼▼Greek bondservant (doulos)} of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but ^ccto serve, and ^cdto give his life as a ransom for ^cemany.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

46 ^cfAnd they came to Jericho. And ^cgas he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, ^cha blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was ^ciJesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many ^cjrebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, ^ck“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his ^clcloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, ^cm“What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, ^cn“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; ^coyour faith has ^cpmade you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.