13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (A)Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the firstborn of every womb among the sons of Israel, among people and animals alike; it belongs to Me.”

And Moses said to the people, “(B)Remember this day in which you departed from Egypt, from the house of [a]slavery; for (C)by [b]a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. (D)And nothing with yeast shall be eaten. On this day in the (E)month of Abib, you are about to go out from here. And it shall be when the Lord (F)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which (G)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, (H)that you shall [c]perform this rite in this month. For (I)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and (J)nothing with yeast shall [d]be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast [e]be seen among you in all your borders. And (K)you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And (L)it shall [f]serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder [g]on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with (M)a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 Therefore, you shall (N)keep this ordinance at its appointed time from [h]year to year.

11 “Now when (O)the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as (P)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 (Q)you shall [i]devote to the Lord every firstborn of a womb, and every firstborn offspring of an animal that you own; the males belong to the Lord. 13 But (R)every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and (S)every [j]firstborn among your sons you shall redeem. 14 (T)And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘(U)With [k]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of [l]slavery. 15 And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the (V)Lord put to death every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborns to animal firstborns. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, every firstborn of a womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 So (W)it shall [m]serve as a sign on your hand and as [n]phylacteries [o]on your forehead, for with [p]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

God Leads the People

17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “(X)The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the [q]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up (Y)in battle formation from the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took (Z)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly [r]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 20 Then they set out from (AA)Succoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And (AB)the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might [s]travel by day and by night. 22 [t]He (AC)did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people.

Pharaoh in Pursuit

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of (AD)Pi-hahiroth, between (AE)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ And (AF)I will [u]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and (AG)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and (AH)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, [v]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him; and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. So (AI)the Lord [w]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out [x](AJ)boldly. Then (AK)the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, (AL)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel [y]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; (AM)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then (AN)they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, [z]bringing us out of Egypt? 12 (AO)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘[aa]Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”

The Sea Is Divided

13 But Moses said to the people, “(AP)Do not fear! [ab]Stand by and see (AQ)the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. 14 (AR)The Lord will fight for you, while (AS)you keep silent.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up (AT)your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall [ac]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 And as for Me, behold, (AU)I will [ad]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 (AV)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”

19 Then (AW)the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud [ae]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.

21 (AX)Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord [af]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into (AY)dry land, and (AZ)the waters were divided. 22 So (BA)the sons of Israel [ag]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and (BB)the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. 23 Then (BC)the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 But at the morning watch, (BD)the Lord looked down on the [ah]army of the Egyptians [ai]through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the [aj]army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He [ak]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, (BE)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(BF)Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and (BG)the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing [al]right into it; then the Lord [am](BH)overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; (BI)not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on (BJ)dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.

30 (BK)So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel (BL)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great [an]power which the Lord had [ao]used against the Egyptians, the people [ap]feared the Lord, and (BM)they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 13:3 Lit slaves
  2. Exodus 13:3 Lit strength of hand
  3. Exodus 13:5 Lit serve this service
  4. Exodus 13:7 Lit appear to you
  5. Exodus 13:7 Lit appear to you
  6. Exodus 13:9 Lit be for
  7. Exodus 13:9 Lit between your eyes
  8. Exodus 13:10 Lit days to days
  9. Exodus 13:12 Lit cause to pass over
  10. Exodus 13:13 Lit firstborn of a human
  11. Exodus 13:14 Lit strength of hand
  12. Exodus 13:14 Lit slaves
  13. Exodus 13:16 Lit be for
  14. Exodus 13:16 Or frontlet-bands
  15. Exodus 13:16 Lit between your eyes
  16. Exodus 13:16 Lit strength of hand
  17. Exodus 13:18 Lit Sea of Reeds
  18. Exodus 13:19 Lit visit
  19. Exodus 13:21 Lit go
  20. Exodus 13:22 Or The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart
  21. Exodus 14:4 Lit make strong
  22. Exodus 14:5 Lit the heart of Pharaoh...was changed
  23. Exodus 14:8 Lit made strong
  24. Exodus 14:8 Lit with a high hand
  25. Exodus 14:10 Lit lifted up their eyes
  26. Exodus 14:11 Lit so as to bring
  27. Exodus 14:12 Lit Cease from us
  28. Exodus 14:13 Or Take your stand
  29. Exodus 14:16 Lit enter the
  30. Exodus 14:17 Lit make strong
  31. Exodus 14:20 Lit and the darkness
  32. Exodus 14:21 Lit caused to go
  33. Exodus 14:22 Lit entered the
  34. Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
  35. Exodus 14:24 Or in
  36. Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
  37. Exodus 14:25 Or removed
  38. Exodus 14:27 Lit to meet it
  39. Exodus 14:27 Lit shook off
  40. Exodus 14:31 Lit hand
  41. Exodus 14:31 Lit done
  42. Exodus 14:31 Or revered

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.(A) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,(B) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.(C) Eat nothing containing yeast.(D) Today, in the month of Aviv,(E) you are leaving. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,(F) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites(G)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey(H)—you are to observe this ceremony(I) in this month: For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival(J) to the Lord. Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. On that day tell your son,(K) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand(L) and a reminder on your forehead(M) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(N) 10 You must keep this ordinance(O) at the appointed time(P) year after year.

11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites(Q) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath(R) to you and your ancestors,(S) 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.(T) 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,(U) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(V) Redeem(W) every firstborn among your sons.(X)

14 “In days to come, when your son(Y) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(Z) 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’(AA) 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead(AB) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Crossing the Sea

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”(AC) 18 So God led(AD) the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.(AE)

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph(AF) with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”[b](AG)

20 After leaving Sukkoth(AH) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.(AI) 21 By day the Lord went ahead(AJ) of them in a pillar of cloud(AK) to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left(AL) its place in front of the people.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol(AM) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.(AN) Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(AO) and he will pursue them.(AP) But I will gain glory(AQ) for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”(AR) So the Israelites did this.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,(AS) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds(AT) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots,(AU) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart(AV) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.(AW) The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses(AX) and chariots, horsemen[c] and troops(AY)—pursued the Israelites and overtook(AZ) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.(BA)

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried(BB) out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?(BC) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”(BD)

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.(BE) Stand firm and you will see(BF) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see(BG) again. 14 The Lord will fight(BH) for you; you need only to be still.”(BI)

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?(BJ) Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff(BK) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water(BL) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts(BM) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.(BN) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(BO) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God,(BP) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud(BQ) also moved from in front and stood behind(BR) them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness(BS) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand(BT) over the sea,(BU) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind(BV) and turned it into dry land.(BW) The waters were divided,(BX) 22 and the Israelites went through the sea(BY) on dry ground,(BZ) with a wall(CA) of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen(CB) followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud(CC) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.(CD) 25 He jammed[d] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting(CE) for them against Egypt.”(CF)

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.(CG) The Egyptians were fleeing toward[e] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.(CH) 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.(CI) Not one of them survived.(CJ)

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,(CK) with a wall(CL) of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved(CM) Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand(CN) of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared(CO) the Lord and put their trust(CP) in him and in Moses his servant.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 13:18 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Exodus 13:19 See Gen. 50:25.
  3. Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28
  4. Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
  5. Exodus 14:27 Or from

The King of Glory Entering Zion.

A Psalm of David.

24 The (A)earth is the Lords, and [a]all it contains,
The (B)world, and those who live in it.
For He has (C)founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.
Who may (D)ascend onto the (E)hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy (F)place?
One who has (G)clean hands and a (H)pure heart,
Who has not (I)lifted up his soul to deceit
And has not (J)sworn deceitfully.
He will receive a (K)blessing from the Lord
And [b](L)righteousness from the God of his salvation.
[c]This is the generation of those who (M)seek Him,
Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah

(N)Lift up your heads, you gates,
And be lifted up, you [d]ancient doors,
That the King of (O)glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord (P)strong and mighty,
The Lord (Q)mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates,
And lift them up, you [e]ancient doors,
That the King of (R)glory may come in!
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of (S)armies,
He is the King of glory. Selah

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 24:1 Lit its fullness
  2. Psalm 24:5 I.e., as vindicated
  3. Psalm 24:6 Or Such
  4. Psalm 24:7 Lit everlasting
  5. Psalm 24:9 Lit everlasting

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

The earth is the Lord’s,(A) and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;(B)
for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.(C)

Who may ascend the mountain(D) of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?(E)
The one who has clean hands(F) and a pure heart,(G)
    who does not trust in an idol(H)
    or swear by a false god.[a]

They will receive blessing(I) from the Lord
    and vindication(J) from God their Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face,(K) God of Jacob.[b][c]

Lift up your heads, you gates;(L)
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King(M) of glory(N) may come in.(O)
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,(P)
    the Lord mighty in battle.(Q)
Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty(R)
    he is the King of glory.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 24:4 Or swear falsely
  2. Psalm 24:6 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most Hebrew manuscripts face, Jacob
  3. Psalm 24:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.

Signs of Christ’s Return

24 (A)Jesus (B)left the temple area and was going on His way [a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, (C)not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

And as He was sitting on (D)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of (E)Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?”

And Jesus answered and said to them, (F)See to it that no one [c]misleads you. For (G)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [d]Christ,’ and they will [e]mislead many people. And you will be hearing of (H)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For (I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be (J)famines and earthquakes in various places. (K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

(L)Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and (M)you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 And at that time many will [f](N)fall away, and they will [g]betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many (O)false prophets will rise up and [h]mislead many people. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, [i]most people’s love will become cold. 13 (P)But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 14 This (Q)gospel of the kingdom (R)shall be preached in the whole [j](S)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Perilous Times

15 “Therefore when you see the (T)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in (U)the holy place—[k](V)let the [l]reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [m]Whoever is on (W)the [n]housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. 18 And [o]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But (X)woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 Moreover, pray that [p]when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a (Y)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no [q]life would have been saved; but for (Z)the sake of the [r]elect those days will be cut short. 23 (AA)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [s]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and (AB)false prophets will arise and will provide great [t](AC)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (AD)the [u]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 (AE)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the (AF)coming of the (AG)Son of Man [v]be. 28 (AH)Wherever the corpse is, there the [w]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

29 “But immediately after the (AI)tribulation of those days (AJ)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (AK)the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (AL)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see (AM)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (AN)He will send forth His angels with (AO)a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [x](AP)elect from (AQ)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so you too, when you see all these things, [y]recognize that [z]He is near, right (AR)at the [aa]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (AS)this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AT)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36 “But (AU)about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [ab]the (AV)coming of the Son of Man will be (AW)just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AX)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that (AY)Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [ac]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the (AZ)coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one [ad]will be taken and one [ae]will be left. 41 (BA)Two women will be grinding at the [af](BB)mill; one [ag]will be taken and one [ah]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42 “Therefore (BC)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [ai]be sure of this, that (BD)if the head of the house had known (BE)at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason (BF)you must be ready as well; for (BG)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45 (BH)Who then is the (BI)faithful and (BJ)sensible slave whom his [aj]master (BK)put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ak]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that (BL)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [al]master [am]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50 then the [an]master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will [ao]cut him in two and assign [ap]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be (BM)weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:1 Lit and
  2. Matthew 24:3 Or consummation
  3. Matthew 24:4 Or deceives
  4. Matthew 24:5 I.e., Messiah
  5. Matthew 24:5 Or deceive
  6. Matthew 24:10 I.e., from the faith
  7. Matthew 24:10 Or hand over
  8. Matthew 24:11 Or deceive
  9. Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of the many
  10. Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
  11. Matthew 24:15 Or the reader is to understand
  12. Matthew 24:15 I.e., the reader of Daniel
  13. Matthew 24:17 Lit The one who
  14. Matthew 24:17 Housetops were flat living areas
  15. Matthew 24:18 Lit the one who
  16. Matthew 24:20 Lit your flight will not be
  17. Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
  18. Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
  19. Matthew 24:23 I.e., Messiah
  20. Matthew 24:24 I.e., confirming miracles
  21. Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
  22. Matthew 24:27 I.e., be visible everywhere
  23. Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
  24. Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
  25. Matthew 24:33 Or know
  26. Matthew 24:33 Or it
  27. Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
  28. Matthew 24:37 Lit just like the days...so will be
  29. Matthew 24:39 Lit know
  30. Matthew 24:40 Lit is
  31. Matthew 24:40 Lit is
  32. Matthew 24:41 I.e., handmill
  33. Matthew 24:41 Lit is
  34. Matthew 24:41 Lit is
  35. Matthew 24:43 Lit know that
  36. Matthew 24:45 Or lord
  37. Matthew 24:46 Or lord
  38. Matthew 24:48 Or lord
  39. Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
  40. Matthew 24:50 Or lord
  41. Matthew 24:51 Possibly referring to other extreme punishment
  42. Matthew 24:51 Lit his portion with

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(B) every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(D) and of the end of the age?”(E)

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(F) For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(G) You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(H) There will be famines(I) and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(J) and put to death,(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(L) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(M) will appear and deceive many people.(N) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(O) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(P) will be preached in the whole world(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place(R) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a](S) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop(T) go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!(U) 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.(V)

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect(W) those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.(X) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(Y) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning(Z) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(AA) of the Son of Man.(AB) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(AC)

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b](AD)

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn(AE) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,(AF) with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels(AG) with a loud trumpet call,(AH) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door.(AI) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(AJ) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(AK)

The Day and Hour Unknown(AL)(AM)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father.(AN) 37 As it was in the days of Noah,(AO) so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,(AP) up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.(AQ) 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.(AR) 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.(AS)

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.(AT) 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,(AU) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,(AV) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,(AW) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.(AX) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.(AY) 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.(AZ) 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
  2. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  3. Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
  4. Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
  5. Matthew 24:33 Or he
  6. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.