Day 421 of 730

¹He arose from there and came into the borders of Judea and beyond the Jordan. Multitudes came together to him again. As he usually did, he was again teaching them.

²Pharisees came to him testing him, and asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

³He answered, "What did Moses command you?"

⁴They said, "Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her."

⁵But Jesus said, "For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment.

⁶But from the beginning of the creation, he made them male and female.

⁷For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife,

⁸and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.

⁹What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

¹⁰In the house, the disciples asked him again about the same matter.

¹¹He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against her.

¹²If she herself divorces her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery."

¹³They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said to them, "Allow the little children to come to me! Do not forbid them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it."

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

¹⁷As he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"

¹⁸Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except one-God.

¹⁹You know the commandments: 'Do not murder,' 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not give false testimony,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and mother.'"

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

²¹Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross."

²²But his face fell at that saying, and he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had great possessions.

²³Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples, "How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!"

²⁴The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, "Children, how hard is it to enter into the Kingdom of God!

²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."

²⁶They were exceedingly astonished, saying to him, "Then who can be saved?"

²⁷Jesus, looking at them, said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God."

²⁸Peter began to tell him, "Behold, we have left everything, and have followed you."

²⁹Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,

³⁰but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

³¹But many who are first will be last; and the last first."

³²They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him.

³³"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles.

³⁴They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. After three days he will rise again."

³⁵Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask."

³⁶He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

³⁷They said to him, "Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left hand, in your glory."

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

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

⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared."

⁴¹When the ten heard it, they began to be indignant towards Jacob and John.

⁴²Jesus summoned them, and said to them, "You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

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

⁴⁴Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all.

⁴⁵For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

⁴⁶They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road.

⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say, "Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁸Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he shouted all the louder, "You son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁹Jesus stood still, and said, "Call him." They called the blind man, saying to him, "Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!"

⁵⁰He, casting away his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "Rabboni, that I may see again."

⁵²Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight, and followed himon the road.

¹I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?

²My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

³He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber.

⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

⁶The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul.

⁸The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forth, and forevermore.

¹An unfriendly man pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.

²A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own opinion.

³When wickedness comes, contempt also comes, and with shame comes disgrace.

⁴The words of a man's mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook.

⁵To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, nor to deprive the innocent of justice.

⁶A fool's lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings.

⁷A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

⁸The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person's innermost parts.

⁹One who is slack in his work is brother to him who is a master of destruction.

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.

¹¹The rich man's wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination.

¹²Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honor is humility.

¹³He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.

¹⁴A man's spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?

¹⁵The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

¹⁶A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

¹⁷He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.

¹⁸The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart.

¹⁹A brother offended is more difficult than a fortified city; and disputes are like the bars of a castle.

²⁰A man's stomach is filled with the fruit of his mouth. With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied.

²¹Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.

²²Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of the Lord.

²³The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.

²⁴A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.