Matthew 24
New American Standard Bible
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. 2 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.”
3 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?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “(F)See to it that no one [c]misleads you. 5 For (G)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [d]Christ,’ and they will [e]mislead many people. 6 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. 7 For (I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be (J)famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 (K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
9 “(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
- Matthew 24:1 Lit and
- Matthew 24:3 Or consummation
- Matthew 24:4 Or deceives
- Matthew 24:5 I.e., Messiah
- Matthew 24:5 Or deceive
- Matthew 24:10 I.e., from the faith
- Matthew 24:10 Or hand over
- Matthew 24:11 Or deceive
- Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of the many
- Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
- Matthew 24:15 Or the reader is to understand
- Matthew 24:15 I.e., the reader of Daniel
- Matthew 24:17 Lit The one who
- Matthew 24:17 Housetops were flat living areas
- Matthew 24:18 Lit the one who
- Matthew 24:20 Lit your flight will not be
- Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
- Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:23 I.e., Messiah
- Matthew 24:24 I.e., confirming miracles
- Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:27 I.e., be visible everywhere
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:33 Or know
- Matthew 24:33 Or it
- Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
- Matthew 24:37 Lit just like the days...so will be
- 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 that
- Matthew 24:45 Or lord
- Matthew 24:46 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
- Matthew 24:50 Or lord
- Matthew 24:51 Possibly referring to other extreme punishment
- Matthew 24:51 Lit his portion with
Matthew 24
New Living Translation
Jesus Speaks about the Future
24 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?[a]”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.[b] 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations[c] will hear it; and then the end will come.
15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[d] standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man[e] comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.[f]
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.[g]
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[h] 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world[i]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation[j] will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[k] Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- 24:3 Or the age?
- 24:9 Greek on account of my name.
- 24:14 Or all peoples.
- 24:15 Greek the abomination of desolation. See Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
- 24:27 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 24:28 Greek Wherever the carcass is, the vultures gather.
- 24:29 See Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10.
- 24:30 See Dan 7:13.
- 24:31 Greek from the four winds.
- 24:34 Or this age, or this nation.
- 24:36 Some manuscripts do not include or the Son himself.
Matthew 24
Contemporary English Version
The Temple Will Be Destroyed
(Mark 13.1,2; Luke 21.5,6)
24 After Jesus left the temple, his disciples came over and said, “Look at all these buildings!”
2 Jesus replied, “Do you see these buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place.”
Warning about Trouble
(Mark 13.3-13; Luke 21.7-19)
3 (A) Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”
4 Jesus answered:
Don't let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.
6 You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. 7 (B) Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.
9 (C) You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10 Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12 Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13 (D) But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.
The Horrible Thing
(Mark 13.14-23; Luke 21.20-24)
15 (E) Someday you will see that “Horrible Thing” in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! 16 If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. 17 (F) If you are on the roof[a] of your house, don't go inside to get anything. 18 If you are out in the field, don't go back for your coat. 19 It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. 20 And pray that you won't have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath.[b] 21 (G) This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. 22 If God doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God's chosen ones, he will make the time shorter.
23 Someone may say, “Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” But don't believe it. 24 False messiahs and false prophets will come and work great miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones. 25 But I have warned you ahead of time. 26 (H) If you are told the Messiah is out in the desert, don't go there! And if you are told he is in some secret place, don't believe it! 27 The coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning that can be seen from east to west. 28 (I) Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.[c]
When the Son of Man Appears
(Mark 13.24-27; Luke 21.25-28)
29 (J) Right after those days of suffering,
“The sun will become dark,
and the moon
will no longer shine.
The stars will fall,
and the powers in the sky[d]
will be shaken.”
30 (K) Then a sign will appear in the sky. And there will be the Son of Man.[e] All nations on earth will weep when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth.
A Lesson from a Fig Tree
(Mark 13.28-31; Luke 21.29-33)
32 Learn a lesson from a fig tree. When its branches sprout and start putting out leaves, you know summer is near. 33 So when you see all these things happening, you will know the time has almost come.[f] 34 I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens. 35 The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will.
No One Knows the Day or Time
(Mark 13.32-37; Luke 17.26-30,34-36)
36 No one knows the day or hour. The angels in heaven don't know, and the Son himself doesn't know.[g] Only the Father knows. 37 (L) When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 38 People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day the flood came and Noah went into the big boat. 39 (M) They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. This is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.
40 Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 41 Two women will be together grinding grain, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 42 So be on your guard! You don't know when your Lord will come. 43 (N) Homeowners never know when a thief is coming, and they are always on guard to keep one from breaking in. 44 Always be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come.
Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
(Luke 12.35-48)
45 Who are faithful and wise servants? Who are the ones the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their food supplies at the proper time? 46 Servants are fortunate if their master comes and finds them doing their job. 47 You may be sure a servant who is always faithful will be put in charge of everything the master owns. 48 But suppose one of the servants thinks the master won't return until late. 49 Suppose this evil servant starts beating the other servants and eats and drinks with people who are drunk. 50 If that happens, the master will surely come on a day and at a time when the servant least expects him. 51 This servant will then be punished and thrown out with the ones who only pretended to serve their master. There they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.
Footnotes
- 24.17 roof: In Palestine the houses usually had a flat roof. Stairs on the outside led up to the roof, which was made of beams and boards covered with packed earth.
- 24.20 in winter or on a Sabbath: In Palestine the winters are cold and rainy and make travel difficult. The Jewish people were not allowed to travel much more than a kilometer on the Sabbath. For these reasons it was hard for them to escape from their enemies in the winter or on a Sabbath.
- 24.28 Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures: This saying may mean that when anything important happens, people soon know about it. Or the saying may mean that whenever something bad happens, curious people gather around and stare. But the word translated “vulture” also means “eagle” and may refer to the Roman army, which had an eagle as its symbol.
- 24.29 the powers in the sky: In ancient times people thought that the stars were spiritual powers.
- 24.30 And there will be the Son of Man: Or “And it will be the Son of Man.”
- 24.33 the time has almost come: Or “he (that is, the Son of Man) will soon be here.”
- 24.36 and the Son himself doesn't know: These words are not in some manuscripts.
Matthew 24
Living Bible
24 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple buildings.
2 But he told them, “All these buildings will be knocked down, with not one stone left on top of another!”
3 “When will this happen?” the disciples asked him later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. “What events will signal your return and the end of the world?”[a]
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will lead many astray. 6 When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. 7 The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. 8 But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
9 “Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, 10 and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. 13 But those enduring to the end shall be saved.
14 “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come.
15 “So, when you see the horrible thing[b] (told about by Daniel the prophet) standing in a holy place (Note to the reader: You know what is meant!), 16 then those in Judea must flee into the Judean hills. 17 Those on their porches[c] must not even go inside to pack before they flee. 18 Those in the fields should not return to their homes for their clothes.
19 “And woe to pregnant women and to those with babies in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter, or on the Sabbath.[d] 21 For there will be persecution such as the world has never before seen in all its history and will never see again.
22 “In fact, unless those days are shortened, all mankind will perish. But they will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen people.[e]
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘The Messiah has arrived at such and such a place, or has appeared here or there,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets, and will do wonderful miracles so that if it were possible, even God’s chosen ones[f] would be deceived. 25 See, I have warned you.
26 “So if someone tells you the Messiah has returned and is out in the desert, don’t bother to go and look. Or, that he is hiding at a certain place, don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah,[g] return. 28 And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the persecution of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give light, and the stars will seem to fall from the heavens,[h] and the powers overshadowing the earth will be convulsed.
30 “And then at last the signal of my coming[i] will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. And the nations of the world will see me arrive in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.[j]
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When her branch is tender and the leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is almost here. 33 Just so, when you see all these things beginning to happen, you can know that my return is near,[k] even at the doors. 34 Then at last this age will come to its close.[l]
35 “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever. 36 But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son.[m] Only the Father knows.
37-38 “The world will be at ease[n] —banquets and parties and weddings—just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the Flood; 39 people wouldn’t believe[o] what was going to happen until the Flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be.
40 “Two men will be working together in the fields, and one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be going about their household tasks; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So be prepared, for you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 “Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, 44 so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for my unannounced return.
45 “Are you a wise and faithful servant of the Lord? Have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my children day by day? 46 Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. 47 I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own!
48 “But if you are evil and say to yourself, ‘My Lord won’t be coming for a while,’ 49 and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying and getting drunk, 50 your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, 51 and severely whip you and send you off to the judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:3 world, literally, “age.”
- Matthew 24:15 the horrible thing, literally, “the abomination of desolation.” Daniel, see Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. Note to the reader: You know what is meant, literally, “Let the reader take note.”
- Matthew 24:17 porches, literally, “rooftops,” which, being flat, were used as porches at that time. See Acts 10:9.
- Matthew 24:20 on the Sabbath. The city gates were closed on the Sabbath.
- Matthew 24:22 God’s chosen people, literally, “the elect.”
- Matthew 24:24 God’s chosen ones, literally, “the elect.”
- Matthew 24:27 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 24:29 the stars will seem to fall from the heavens, literally, “the stars shall fall from heaven.” the earth will be convulsed, literally, “the powers of the heavens shall be shaken”; see Ephesians 6:12.
- Matthew 24:30 of my coming, literally, “of the coming of the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 24:31 from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven, literally, “from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
- Matthew 24:33 my return is near, literally, “he is nigh.”
- Matthew 24:34 this age will come to its close, literally, “this generation shall pass away.”
- Matthew 24:36 No, nor even God’s Son, literally, “Neither the Son.” Many ancient manuscripts omit this phrase.
- Matthew 24:37 The world will be at ease, implied.
- Matthew 24:39 wouldn’t believe, literally, “knew not.”
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