Mark 10

₁Jesus went away from the town of Capernaum and He went over the Jordan River and came into the province of Judea. A big crowd of people came together around Jesus and He started to teach them as He always did. ₂Some Pharisees came to Him. They wanted to test Jesus and trap Him. They asked Him: ‘Is it right for a man to divorce his wife?’ ₃Jesus asked them: ‘What did Moses teach you in his laws?’

₄They said: ‘Moses said a man can write a letter to his wife that says the man and the woman are now divorced. Then he can send his wife away.’ ₅Jesus said to them: ‘Moses said this because you are so stubborn. That is why Moses gave you this law. ₆But when God made the earth, He made a man and a woman.

₉And if God has tied 2 people together, then no person may separate them.’

₁₀Later, when they were back in the house, the disciples asked Jesus what He meant. ₁₁Jesus said to them: ‘If a man divorces his wife and he marries another woman, then he is guilty of adultery against his wife. ₁₂And if a woman divorces her husband and she marries another man, then she is guilty of adultery.’

₁₃The people brought their children to Jesus so that He could put his hands on them and bless them, but his disciples rebuked them and said they must go away. ₁₄When Jesus heard this, He was angry and He told his disciples: ‘Let the children come to Me and do not stop them, because God is King over people like them. ₁₅I tell you this and it is sure: You must be like these children. If you do not believe like these children believe, then you will not be able to go in where God is King.’ ₁₆Then Jesus took the children in his arms and He put his hands on them and blessed them.

₁₇Jesus was walking when someone ran to Him. He knelt before Jesus and he said: ‘You are a good Teacher. Please tell me what I must do to get eternal_life.’ ₁₈Jesus asked him: ‘Why do you say I am good? Only God is good, no one else. ₁₉You know what God said in the laws. He said:

₂₀The man said to Jesus: ‘Teacher, I have done everything that God's laws say, from the time that I was a little boy.’ ₂₁Jesus looked at him for a long time and He started to love him like a father loves his son, and He said to him: ‘You must do one more thing. Go and sell everything you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will be rich in heaven. Then come with Me.’

₂₂The man was very sad when he heard what Jesus said. He went away because he was very rich. ₂₃Jesus looked at the people around Him and He said to his disciples: ‘Rich people will not easily go in where God is King.’

₂₄The disciples were amazed when they heard what Jesus said. But Jesus also said: ‘My friends, it is very hard to get in where God is King. It is not easy. ₂₅It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get in where God is King.’

₂₆The disciples were surprised and they said to each other: ‘If that is so, then who can go in where God is King? No one can.’ ₂₇Jesus looked at them for a long time and He said: ‘People can not come to God with their own power. It is impossible for them, but God can do it. God can do anything that He wants to do.’

₂₈Peter said to Jesus: ‘Look at us. We gave everything away to follow You.’ ₂₉Jesus said: ‘I tell you this and it is sure: If someone leaves his home or his brothers or his sisters or his mother or his father or his children or his field for Me and the Good_News, then he will get much more. ₃₀He will get 100 times more than he has now, more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and farms. People will do bad things to him and he will suffer, but he will have eternal_life in the time that comes. ₃₁Many people who are important now will not be important, and people who are unimportant now will be important.’

₃₂Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the city of Jerusalem. Jesus walked in front of them. The disciples were amazed and the other people who followed Jesus were afraid. Jesus talked to the 12 disciples again. He told them about all the things that would happen to Him. ₃₃He said: ‘Listen, we are going to Jerusalem now. The people will give Me, the Son of man, to the chief_priests and to the teachers_of_the_Laws. They will judge Me and decide that I must die and they will give Me to the Gentiles. ₃₄The Gentiles will mock Me and spit on Me and beat Me with a whip and kill Me. But after 3 days I will rise and live again.’

₃₅James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and they said to Him: ‘Teacher, we want to ask You something. Can You please do it for us?’ ₃₆Jesus asked them: ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ ₃₇They said to Him: ‘You will be King over everyone. May we please sit next to You, one on your right hand side and one on your left hand side?’

₃₈Jesus said to them: ‘You do not know what you ask. Can you suffer like I have to suffer? Can you drink the cup_of_suffering that I must drink? Can you be baptised in the way that I will be baptised?’ ₃₉They answered and said to Jesus: ‘Yes, we can do that.’ Then Jesus said to them: ‘Yes, you will drink the cup that I must drink and you will be baptised in the way that I will be baptised. ₄₀But I can not decide who will sit on my right hand side and on my left hand side. God has already decided who will sit there.’

₄₁When the other 10 disciples heard what James and John had asked Jesus, they were angry with James and John. ₄₂Jesus called his disciples to Him and He said: ‘You know that there are people who think they can rule over other people. They think they are important_leaders and they love to use their power over the people and they oppress them. ₄₃You must not do the same. If one of you wants to be important, then he must serve the other people. ₄₄And if you want to be first, then you must be everyone's slave. ₄₅I am the Son of man, but I did not come to earth so that people must serve Me. No, I came to serve them. I have come to serve people and to give my life to let many people go free from their sins.’

₄₆Jesus and his disciples went to the city of Jericho. There were a lot of other people with them and when they wanted to go out of Jericho, they saw Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sitting next to the road. Bartimaeus was blind and he was a beggar. ₄₇When they told him Jesus of Nazareth was there, he started to shout and said: ‘Jesus, Son of David, please feel sorry for me and help me.’

₄₈Many people rebuked him and told him to stop shouting, but he shouted again and again and said: ‘Son of David, please feel sorry for me and help me.’

₄₉Jesus stopped and He said: ‘Call him.’ They called the blind man and said to him: ‘Don't worry. Stand up. Jesus is calling you.’

₅₀The blind man took off his cloak and he threw it onto the ground. He jumped up and he went to Jesus. ₅₁Jesus asked him: ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man said: ‘Lord, I want to see again.’ ₅₂Jesus said to him: ‘You may go. You can now see because you believed in Me.’ The man could see immediately and he followed Jesus on the road.