Home › Bible verses › Matthew 19:14

Matthew 19:14

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14, King James Version (KJV)

“But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.””

World English Bible (WEB)

Read Matthew 19:14 in the NIV, ESV and 13 more Bibles, with study notes and the original Greek, in the Path & Light app.

Matthew 19 (KJV)

  1. 1And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan;
  2. 2And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
  3. 3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
  4. 4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
  5. 5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
  6. 6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
  7. 7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
  8. 8He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
  9. 9And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
  10. 10His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
  11. 11But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
  12. 12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
  13. 13Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
  14. 14But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
  15. 15And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
  16. 16And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
  17. 17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
  18. 18He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
  19. 19Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
  20. 20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
  21. 21Jesus 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.
  22. 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
  23. 23Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
  24. 24And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
  25. 25When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
  26. 26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
  27. 27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
  28. 28And 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.
  29. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, 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 inherit everlasting life.
  30. 30But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Related verses

Passages that readers often connect with Matthew 19:14, in the King James Version.

  • Matthew 18:3

    And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  • Luke 18:16–17

    But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. …

  • 1 Corinthians 14:20

    Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

  • Mark 10:14

    But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

  • Matthew 11:25

    At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

  • 1 Peter 2:1–2

    Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, …

More verses about children

Study Matthew 19:14 in the app

Read it in the NIV, ESV and 13 more Bibles, see every related verse, and ask what it means. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you once, at launch.

Read our Privacy Policy for how we handle your email. One message at launch, nothing else.

1769 standardized text (eBible.org eng-kjv). Public domain outside the United Kingdom. Text courtesy of the Crosswire Bible Society and eBible.org. World English Bible Protestant Edition (eBible engwebp, 2026-09-15 snapshot). Public domain. World English Bible is a trademark of eBible.org. Text unmodified; footnotes and formatting omitted. Related verses: OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0), from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.