The Widow’s Gift

21 ^(A)Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² And He saw a poor widow putting ^[a]in ^(B)two ^[b]lepta coins. ³ And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; ⁴ for they all ^[c]contributed to the ^[d]offering from their ^[e]surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all ^[f]that she had ^(C)to live on.”

^5 (D)And while some were talking about the temple, that it was decorated with beautiful stones and ^[g]vowed gifts, He said, ⁶ “As for these things which you are observing, the days will come when ^(E)there will not be left one stone upon ^[h]another, which will not be torn down.”

⁷ They asked Him questions, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the ^[i]sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸ And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘^(F)I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ ^(G)Do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and revolts, do not be alarmed; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

Things to Come

¹⁰ Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, ¹¹ and there will be ^[j]massive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrible sights and great ^[k]signs from heaven.

¹² “But before all these things, ^(H)they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, ^[l]bringing you before kings and governors on account of My name. ^13 (I)It will lead to ^[m]an opportunity for your testimony. ^14 (J)So ^[n]make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; ¹⁵ for ^(K)I will provide you ^[o]eloquence and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to oppose or refute. ¹⁶ But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death, ¹⁷ and you will be hated by all people because of My name. ¹⁸ And yet ^(L)not a hair of your head will perish. ^19 (M)By your endurance you will gain your ^[p]lives.

²⁰ “But when you see Jerusalem ^(N)surrounded by armies, then ^[q]recognize that her desolation is near. ²¹ Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside ^[r]the city must leave, and ^(O)those who are in the country must not enter ^[s]the city; ²² because these are ^(P)days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled. ²³ Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for ^(Q)there will be great distress upon the ^[t]land, and wrath to this people; ²⁴ and they will fall by ^(R)the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and ^(S)Jerusalem will be ^(T)trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until ^(U)the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Return of Christ

²⁵ “There will be ^[u]signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the ^[v]world; for the powers of ^[w]the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And ^(V)then they will see ^(W)the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because ^(X)your redemption is drawing near.”