Matthew 24:12-49
King James Version
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
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Matthew 24:12-49
English Standard Version
12 And because lawlessness will be increased, (A)the love of many will grow cold. 13 (B)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom (C)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world (D)as a testimony (E)to all nations, and (F)then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation (G)spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in (H)the holy place ((I)let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 (J)Let the one who is on (K)the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And (L)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be (M)great tribulation, (N)such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for (O)the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 (P)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For (Q)false christs and (R)false prophets will arise and (S)perform great signs and wonders, (T)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, (U)I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, (V)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 (W)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be (X)the coming of the Son of Man. 28 (Y)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after (Z)the tribulation of those days (AA)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (AB)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then (AC)will appear in heaven (AD)the sign of the Son of Man, and then (AE)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and (AF)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (AG)with power and great glory. 31 And (AH)he will send out his angels with a loud (AI)trumpet call, and they will (AJ)gather (AK)his elect from (AL)the four winds, (AM)from one end of heaven to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, (AN)at the very gates. 34 (AO)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AP)Heaven and earth will pass away, but (AQ)my words will not pass away.
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour (AR)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, (AS)nor the Son,[a] (AT)but the Father only. 37 (AU)For as were the days of Noah, (AV)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 (AW)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AX)marrying and giving in marriage, until (AY)the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, (AZ)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 (BA)Two women will be grinding (BB)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, (BC)stay awake, for you do not know on what day (BD)your Lord is coming. 43 (BE)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night (BF)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be (BG)ready, for (BH)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is (BI)the faithful and (BJ)wise servant,[b] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 (BK)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, (BL)he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master (BM)is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants[c] and eats and drinks with (BN)drunkards,
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- Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts omit nor the Son
- Matthew 24:45 Or bondservant; also verses 46, 48, 50
- Matthew 24:49 Or bondservants
Matthew 24:12-49
Christian Standard Bible
12 Because lawlessness(A) will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[a] as a testimony to all nations,(B) and then the end will come.(C)
The Great Tribulation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation,[b] spoken of by the prophet Daniel,(D) standing in the holy place”(E) (let the reader understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 A man on the housetop[c] must not come down to get things out of his house,(F) 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great distress,[d](G) the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. 22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would[e] be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.(H)
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’(I) or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it.(J) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,(K) if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(L) 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[f] will gather.(M)
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the distress(N) of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[g] will mourn;[h] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.(O) 31 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet,(P) and they will gather his elect from the four winds,(Q) from one end of the sky to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Learn this lesson(R) from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize[i] that he[j] is near—at the door.(S) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.(T) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away,(U) but my words will never pass away.(V)
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son[k] —except the Father alone.(W) 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.(X) 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.(Y) 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day[l] your Lord is coming.(Z) 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time[m] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.(AA) 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(AB)
Faithful Service to Christ
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant,(AC) whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?(AD) 46 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.(AE) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,(AF)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 24:14 Or in all the inhabited earth
- 24:15 Dn 9:27
- 24:17 Or roof
- 24:21 Or tribulation, also in v. 29
- 24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not
- 24:28 Or eagles
- 24:30 Or all the tribes of the land
- 24:30 Lit will beat; that is, beat their chests
- 24:33 Or things, you know
- 24:33 Or it; that is, summer
- 24:36 Other mss omit nor the Son
- 24:42 Other mss read hour; = time
- 24:43 Lit watch; a division of the night in ancient times
Matthew 24:12-49
New American Standard Bible 1995
12 Because lawlessness is increased, [a]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 (A)But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This (B)gospel of the kingdom (C)shall be preached in the whole [b](D)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Perilous Times
15 “Therefore when you see the (E)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in (F)the holy place ((G)let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [c]Whoever is on (H)the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 [d]Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But (I)woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a (J)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no [e]life would have been saved; but for (K)the sake of the [f]elect those days will be cut short. 23 (L)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [g]Christ,’ or ‘[h]There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and (M)false prophets will arise and will [i]show great [j](N)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (O)the [k]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 (P)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the (Q)coming of the (R)Son of Man be. 28 (S)Wherever the corpse is, there the [l]vultures will gather.
The Glorious Return
29 “But immediately after the (T)tribulation of those days (U)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (V)the stars will fall from [m]the sky, and the powers of [n]the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (W)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 (X)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (Y)He will send forth His angels with (Z)a great trumpet and they will gather together His [o](AA)elect from (AB)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: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, [p]recognize that [q]He is near, right (AC)at the [r]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (AD)this [s]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AE)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But (AF)of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [t]the (AG)coming of the Son of Man will be (AH)just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AI)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that (AJ)Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [u]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the (AK)coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one [v]will be taken and one [w]will be left. 41 (AL)Two women will be grinding at the [x](AM)mill; one [y]will be taken and one [z]will be left.
Be Ready for His Coming
42 “Therefore (AN)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [aa]be sure of this, that (AO)if the head of the house had known (AP)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 [ab]broken into. 44 For this reason (AQ)you also must be ready; for (AR)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 “(AS)Who then is the (AT)faithful and (AU)sensible slave whom his [ac]master (AV)put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ad]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that (AW)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [ae]master [af]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards;
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- Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of many
- Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
- Matthew 24:17 Lit He who
- Matthew 24:18 Lit He who
- Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
- Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:23 I.e. Messiah
- Matthew 24:23 Lit here
- Matthew 24:24 Lit give
- Matthew 24:24 Or attesting miracles
- Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:29 Or heaven
- Matthew 24:29 Or heaven
- Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:33 Or know
- Matthew 24:33 Or it
- Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
- Matthew 24:34 Or race
- Matthew 24:37 Lit just as...were the days
- Matthew 24:39 Lit know
- Matthew 24:40 Lit is
- Matthew 24:40 Lit is
- Matthew 24:41 I.e. handmill
- Matthew 24:41 Lit is
- Matthew 24:41 Lit is
- Matthew 24:43 Lit know this
- Matthew 24:43 Lit dug through
- Matthew 24:45 Or lord
- Matthew 24:46 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
