Bible / Matthew
Matthew 19
Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision (1749–1752), the traditional Catholic English Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate. If you read a modern Bible, this is the same Scripture in older English; some names are spelled differently (Cesarea for Caesarea, Apocalypse for Revelation). About this translation
1 And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these words, he departed from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judea, beyond Jordan. CCC
2 And great multitudes followed him: and he healed them there.
3 And there came to him the Pharisees tempting him, saying: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? CCC
4 Who answering, said to them: Have ye not read, that he who made man from the beginning, made them male and female? And he said: CCC
5 For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. CCC
6 Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. CCC · Fathers
7 They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away? CCC · Fathers
8 He saith to them: Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. CCC · Fathers
9 And I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery. CCC
10 His disciples say unto him: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry.
11 Who said to them: All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given. CCC
12 For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother’s womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it. CCC · Fathers
13 Then were little children presented to him, that he should impose hands upon them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.
15 And when he had imposed hands upon them, he departed from thence.
16 And behold one came and said to him: Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting? CCC
17 Who said to him: Why askest thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. CCC · Fathers
18 He said to him: Which? And Jesus said: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. CCC
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. CCC
20 The young man saith to him: All these have I kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me?
21 Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. CCC · Fathers
22 And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
25 And when they had heard this, the disciples wondered much, saying: Who then can be saved?
26 And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible. CCC · Fathers
27 Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have?
28 And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. CCC
29 And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. Fathers
30 And many that are first, shall be last: and the last shall be first. Fathers
This chapter in the Catechism and the early Church
Where the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites these verses (from its footnotes on vatican.va), and where the earliest Church Fathers quote them (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, public domain). Short quotes only; follow the links for the full text.
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- CCC 2364 “The married couple forms "the intimate partnership of life and love established by the Creator and governed by his laws; it is…”
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- CCC 2382 “The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 796 “The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a…”
- CCC 1605 “Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: "It is not good that the man should be alone."…”
- CCC 1614 “In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from…”
- CCC 1644 “The love of the spouses requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses' community of persons, which embraces…”
- CCC 2053 “To this first reply Jesus adds a second: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the…”
- CCC 2336 “Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of its origins. In the Sermon on the Mount, he interprets God's plan strictly:…”
“… shall thou serve, with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, the Lord God that made thee." And when a certain man came to Him and said, "Good Master," He answered and said, "There is none good but God only, who made all things.”
Quoted in First Apology, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 155), Chapter XVI. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 2382 “The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that…”
“… saying to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorcement, and to send away a wife?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he permitted these things to you; but from the beginning it was not so;”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book IV, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 1610 “Moral conscience concerning the unity and indissolubility of marriage developed under the pedagogy of the old law. In the Old Testament the…”
- CCC 1614 “In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from…”
- CCC 2382 “The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that…”
“… saying to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorcement, and to send away a wife?" He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he permitted these things to you; but from the beginning it was not so;”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book IV, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2382 “The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that…”
Read the Catechism
- CCC 1615 “This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 922 “From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit,…”
- CCC 1579 “All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith…”
- CCC 1618 “Christ is the center of all Christian life. the bond with him takes precedence over all other bonds, familial or social. From…”
“… her that is divorced from another husband, committeth adultery." And, "There are some who have been made eunuchs of men, and some who were born eunuchs, and some who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake; but all cannot receive this saying.”
Quoted in First Apology, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 155), Chapter XV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2052 “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answers first…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 2052 “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answers first…”
“… shall thou serve, with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, the Lord God that made thee." And when a certain man came to Him and said, "Good Master," He answered and said, "There is none good but God only, who made all things.”
Quoted in First Apology, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 155), Chapter XVI. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2052 “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answers first…”
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2052 “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who asked this question, Jesus answers first…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 2053 “To this first reply Jesus adds a second: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the…”
“… reason did the Lord, instead of that [commandment], "Thou shalt not commit adultery," forbid even concupiscence; and instead of that which runs thus, "Thou shalt not kill," He prohibited anger; and instead of the law enjoining the giving of tithes, [He told us] to share”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book IV, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 308 “The truth that God is at work in all the actions of his creatures is inseparable from faith in God the Creator.…”
- CCC 2841 “This petition is so important that it is the only one to which the Lord returns and which he develops explicitly in…”
“… to believe even what is impossible to our own nature and to men, than to be unbelieving like the rest of the world, we have learned; for we know that our Master Jesus Christ said, that "what is impossible with men is possible with God,”
Quoted in First Apology, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 155), Chapter XIX. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism
- CCC 765 “The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else there…”
Read the Fathers
“… thee at the resurrection of the just." And again He says, "Whosoever shall have left lands, or houses, or parents, or brethren, or children because of Me, he shall receive in this world an hundred-fold, and in that to come he shall inherit eternal life.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Fathers
“For this reason did the Lord declare that the first should in truth be last, and the last first.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book III, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
A modern English Catholic translation will be added once its publisher grants permission.