Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” New Living Translation Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” English Standard Version Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Berean Standard Bible Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” Berean Literal Bible Jesus was saying to him, "If you desire to be perfect, go, sell what you are possessing, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come, follow Me." King James Bible Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. New King James Version Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” New American Standard Bible Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” NASB 1995 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” NASB 1977 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Legacy Standard Bible Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Amplified Bible Jesus answered him, “If you wish to be perfect [that is, have the spiritual maturity that accompanies godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies], go and sell what you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” Christian Standard Bible “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Holman Christian Standard Bible “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” American Standard Version Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. Contemporary English Version Jesus replied, "If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower." English Revised Version Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. GOD'S WORD® Translation Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!" Good News Translation Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me." International Standard Version Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me." Majority Standard Bible Jesus told him, ?If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.? NET Bible Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." New Heart English Bible Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Webster's Bible Translation Jesus said to him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Weymouth New Testament "If you desire to be perfect," replied Jesus, "go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; and come, follow me." World English Bible Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionJesus said to him, “If you will to be perfect, go away, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven, and come, follow Me.” Berean Literal Bible Jesus was saying to him, "If you desire to be perfect, go, sell what you are possessing, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come, follow Me." Young's Literal Translation Jesus said to him, 'If thou dost will to be perfect, go away, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.' Smith's Literal Translation Jesus said to him, If thou wished to be perfected, retire, sell thy possessions, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleJesus 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. Catholic Public Domain Version Jesus said to him: “If you are willing to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” New American Bible Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” New Revised Standard Version Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleJesus said to him. If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give them to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven; then follow me. Aramaic Bible in Plain English Yeshua said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven, and come after me.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentJesus said to him: If you would be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Godbey New Testament Jesus said to him, Haweis New Testament Jesus said to him, If thou art desirous to be perfect, go, sell all thy substance, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Mace New Testament Jesus said, if thou wilt be perfect, go sell your estate, give the value to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: then come and follow me. Weymouth New Testament "If you desire to be perfect," replied Jesus, "go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; and come, follow me." Worrell New Testament Jesus said to him, Worsley New Testament Jesus replied, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Rich Young Man…20“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.… Cross References Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” Luke 18:22 On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” Acts 2:44-45 All the believers were together and had everything in common. / Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. Acts 4:34-35 There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, / and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? / Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. / If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? ... 1 John 3:17-18 If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? / Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. Luke 12:33-34 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender. Proverbs 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses. Isaiah 58:6-7 Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? / Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Deuteronomy 15:7-11 If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. / Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs. / Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. ... Leviticus 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. Treasury of Scripture Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. If. Matthew 5:19,20,48 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven… Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. go. Matthew 6:19,20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: … Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. come. Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. Jump to Previous Complete Desire Follow Heaven Jesus Money Perfect Poor Possess Possessions Property Sell Treasure Want Wealth Wilt Wish WouldestJump to Next Complete Desire Follow Heaven Jesus Money Perfect Poor Possess Possessions Property Sell Treasure Want Wealth Wilt Wish WouldestMatthew 19 1. Jesus heals the sick;3. answers the Pharisees concerning divorce; 10. shows when marriage is necessary; 13. receives the little children; 16. instructs the young man how to attain eternal life; 20. and how to be perfect; 23. tells his disciples how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God; 27. and promises reward to those who forsake all to follow him. Jesus told him This phrase indicates a direct communication from Jesus, emphasizing His authority and personal engagement. The Greek word for "told" (εἶπεν, eipen) suggests a definitive statement, underscoring the importance of the message. Jesus, as the divine teacher, provides guidance that is both personal and universal, reflecting His role as the ultimate source of wisdom and truth. If you want to be perfect go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven Then come, follow Me If thou wilt be perfect.--Better, if thou wishest. St. Mark and St. Luke report the words, "One thing thou lackest," reminding us forcibly of the "One thing is needful" of Luke 10:42. (See Note on Matthew 19:16.) Go and sell that thou hast.--It would be altogether a mistake to see in this either an obligation binding on all seekers after eternal life, or even what has been called a "counsel of perfection," a precept laying down an indispensable condition for all who aim at its higher forms and powers. It was strictly a remedy for the special evil which hindered the young ruler's progress to perfection, applicable to others so far only as their cases are analogous. It would be idle to deny that there have been and are many such analogous types of character, and so far as any one is conscious of being under the power of wealth and its temptations, so far there is a call to some act asserting his victory over those temptations, in the spirit, if not in the letter, of the command thus given. But it is, we must remember, the spirit, and not the letter, which is binding. Distribution to the poor was then almost the only form of charity. A wider range of action is presented by the organisation of modern Christian societies, and the same sacrifice may be made in ways more productive of true and permanent good; in the foundation, e.g., of schools or hospitals, in the erection of churches, in the maintenance of home or foreign missions. Treasure in heaven.--The parallelism with the Sermon on the Mount should not be forgotten (5:20). The "treasure" is the "eternal life" which the young ruler was seeking, the memory of good deeds, the character formed and perfected, the vision of the presence of God. . . . Verse 21. - If thou wilt (θέλεις) be perfect. I believe what you tell me. You have led a religious life in the ordinary way; now yon aspire to higher things; you have a noble ambition to serve God more completely; yon have the power, if you have the will, to do so; I will tell you how. To be "perfect" is to be lacking in nothing that is required for life eternal. It is spoken of Noah and Job; it is required of Christ's disciples (Matthew 5:48). Christ is here giving a counsel of perfection, as it is called, not of obligation on all men, but suited to the idiosyncrasy of this particular inquirer, and of others who are capable of such absolute self-surrender and trustfulness. Go and sell that thou hast. Go back to thy home, and sell all thy substance, all thy possessions. This was the counsel which Jesus gave, denoting the stumbling block which lay in the way of the ruler's endeavours after perfection. He was voluntarily to deprive himself of the earthly thing to which he fondly clung, his wealth, and to embrace a life of poverty and hardship. Give to the poor. The money obtained by the sale of his possessions he was to distribute, not to relations and friends, who might make some return, but to the poor, from whom he could expect no recompense. And thou shalt have treasure in heaven (Matthew 5:12; Matthew 6:20). Thou shalt obtain that which thou desirest, eternal life. Not that stripping one's self of goods and giving to the poor does necessarily ensure the great reward, but, in this youth's case, such a sacrifice, such a victory over the besetting sin, would be the turning point in his character, and enable him to conquer all lesser temptations, and win the prize of his high calling. Here was to be proved love of man. But there was one more element in the required perfection, viz. love of God. Come and follow me. St Mark adds, "take up the cross." If he would have apostolic perfection, he must embrace the apostolic life. He must give up wealth, position, earthly ties, earthly occupations, must cast in his lot with the despised Jesus, suffer with him, and, if necessary, die with him. The twelve apostles had accepted Christ's call on these terms; from him was demanded the same sacrifice the same test of sincerity. He had wished to be exceptionally good; exceptional conduct was required from him in order to reach this high standard. The condition imposed, severe as it undoubtedly was, exactly suited the case, showed the weak spot in the ruler's character, and, if accepted fully and heartily, would have led him to perfection. Reading these words of our Lord, St. Anthony was so stricken in heart and conscience that he obeyed them literally, stripped himself of everything that he had, distributed to the needy, and went forth poor and naked, trusting to God to provide for him. Many in all ages, inspired by ardent love of life eternal, have done the same. We shall do well to recognize that there are two ways of serving God acceptably - there is the good life required from all religious Christians, and there is the life of perfection to which some, by God's special grace, are called, and which they embrace and fulfil. It was the latter life that Christ put before this young man.Parallel Commentaries ... Greek JesusἸησοῦς (Iēsous) Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites. told Ἔφη (Ephē) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 5346: To say, declare. Properly, the same as the base of phos and phaino; to show or make known one's thoughts, i.e. Speak or say. him, αὐτῷ (autō) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons. “If Εἰ (Ei) Conjunction Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc. you want θέλεις (theleis) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design. to be εἶναι (einai) Verb - Present Infinitive Active Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. perfect, τέλειος (teleios) Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular Strong's 5046: From telos; complete; neuter completeness. go, ὕπαγε (hypage) Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 5217: To go away, depart, begone, die. From hupo and ago; to lead under, i.e. Withdraw or retire, literally or figuratively. sell πώλησόν (pōlēson) Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 4453: To sell, exchange, barter. Probably ultimately from pelomai; to barter, i.e. To sell. your σου (sou) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou. possessions ὑπάρχοντα (hyparchonta) Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Neuter Plural Strong's 5225: To begin, am, exist, be in possession. From hupo and archomai; to begin under, i.e. Come into existence; expletively, to exist (verb). and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. give δὸς (dos) Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give. to the τοῖς (tois) Article - Dative Masculine Plural Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. poor, πτωχοῖς (ptōchois) Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural Strong's 4434: Poor, destitute, spiritually poor, either in a good sense (humble devout persons) or bad. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. you will have ἕξεις (hexeis) Verb - Future Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold. treasure θησαυρὸν (thēsauron) Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Strong's 2344: A store-house for precious things; hence: a treasure, a store. From tithemi; a deposit, i.e. Wealth. in ἐν (en) Preposition Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. heaven. οὐρανοῖς (ouranois) Noun - Dative Masculine Plural Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel. Then καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. come, δεῦρο (deuro) Verb - Imperative - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 1204: Here; used also imperative hither!; and of time, hitherto. follow ἀκολούθει (akolouthei) Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Strong's 190: To accompany, attend, follow. Properly, to be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany. Me.? μοι (moi) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Singular Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I. Links Matthew 19:21 NIVMatthew 19:21 NLT Matthew 19:21 ESV Matthew 19:21 NASB Matthew 19:21 KJV Matthew 19:21 BibleApps.com Matthew 19:21 Biblia Paralela Matthew 19:21 Chinese Bible Matthew 19:21 French Bible Matthew 19:21 Catholic Bible NT Gospels: Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him If you want (Matt. Mat Mt) |
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