Matthew 19:1–12

Concerning Divorce

^1aWhen Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and ^bcame into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;

²and ¹large crowds followed Him, and ^aHe healed them there.

³Some Pharisees came to ¹Jesus, testing Him and asking, “^aIs it lawful for a man to ²divorce his wife for any reason at all?”

⁴And He answered and said, “Have you not read ^athat He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,

⁵and said, ‘^aFor this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and ^bthe two shall become one flesh’?

⁶“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

⁷They said to Him, “^aWhy then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

⁸He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to ¹divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

⁹“And I say to you, ^awhoever ¹divorces his wife, except for ²immorality, and marries another woman ³commits adultery⁴.”

¹⁰The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”

¹¹But He said to them, “^aNot all men can accept this statement, but ^bonly those to whom it has been given.

¹²“For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”