Matthew 19:1-12 - On Divorce

¹ And when Jesus had finished these discourses, He departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea, beyond Jordan: ² and great multitudes followed Him, and there He healed them. ³ And the pharisees came to Him to ensnare Him, and asked Him, whether it was lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

⁴ And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He, who made them at first, made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, ⁵ and be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh:

⁶ so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. And therefore what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

⁷ They say unto Him, Why then did Moses order a bill of divorce to be given, and so to put her away?

⁸ He answered them, Moses because of your hardheartedness, permitted you to put away your wives; but it was not so from the beginning: ⁹ and I tell you, that whosoever putteth away his wife, except for whoredom, and marrieth another, committeth adultery; and he that marrieth her so put away committeth adultery.

¹⁰ His disciples say unto Him, if the case of a man with his wife be thus, it is not adviseable to marry:

¹¹ but He said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying of yours, but those only who have the gift of continence: ¹² for there are some eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb; and there be some, who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He that can receive this saying, let him receive it.

¹ And He arose from thence and came into the coasts of Judea, through the country beyond Jordan: and the people resorted to Him again; and, as He was wont, He taught them again. ² And the pharisees came to Him and asked Him, "if it were lawful for a man to put away his wife," tempting Him.

³ And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

⁴ And they said, Moses permitted a man to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away.

⁵ And Jesus replied, He wrote this precept on account of your cruel tempers: ⁶ but from the beginning of the world, God created them male and female.

⁷ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, ⁸ and be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh: so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore let not man separate what God hath joined together.

¹⁰ And when they were in the house his disciples asked Him again about it: ¹¹ and He told them, Whoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another, committeth adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman be divorced from her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

¹⁸ Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.