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The Widow’s Offering

21 (A)And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting [a]in (B)two [b]lepta. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. For they all put in their gifts out of their abundance; but she, out of what she lacked, put in all [c]that she had (C)for living.”

(D)And while some were talking about the temple, that it had been adorned with beautiful stones and dedicated gifts, He said, As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which (E)there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”

So they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the [d]sign when these things are about to take place?” And He said, “See to it that you are not deceived; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘(F)I am He,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ (G)Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

Signs of Christ’s Return

10 Then He continued saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be terrors and great [e]signs from heaven.

12 “But before all these things, (H)they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, [f]bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13 (I)It will result in [g]an opportunity for your testimony. 14 (J)So set in your hearts not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for (K)I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18 Yet (L)not a hair of your head will perish. 19 (M)By your perseverance you will gain your [h]lives.

20 “But when you see Jerusalem (N)surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. 21 Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of [i]the city must leave, and (O)those who are in the countryside must not enter [j]the city; 22 because these are (P)days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for (Q)there will be great distress upon the [k]land and wrath against 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 under foot by the Gentiles until (U)the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

When Christ Returns

25 “And there will be [l]signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the [m]world; for the powers of [n]the heavens will be shaken. 27 (V)And 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.”

The Parable of the Fig Tree

29 Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they put forth leaves and you see it for yourselves, (Y)know that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that (Z)the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, this [o]generation will not pass away until all things take place. 33 (AA)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

34 (AB)But be on guard, so that your hearts will not be overcome with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth. 36 But (AC)keep on the alert at all times, praying earnestly that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to (AD)stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Now [p]during the day He was (AE)teaching in the temple, but [q](AF)during the night He would go out and spend it on [r](AG)the mount called “of [s]Olives.” 38 And all the people would get up (AH)early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 21:2 Lit there
  2. Luke 21:2 Smallest Greek copper coin, approx. 1/128 of a laborer’s daily wage
  3. Luke 21:4 Lit the living that she had
  4. Luke 21:7 Or attesting miracle
  5. Luke 21:11 Or attesting miracles
  6. Luke 21:12 Lit being brought
  7. Luke 21:13 Lit a testimony for you
  8. Luke 21:19 Lit souls
  9. Luke 21:21 Lit her
  10. Luke 21:21 Lit her
  11. Luke 21:23 Or earth
  12. Luke 21:25 Or attesting miracles
  13. Luke 21:26 Lit inhabited earth
  14. Luke 21:26 Or heaven
  15. Luke 21:32 Or race
  16. Luke 21:37 Lit days
  17. Luke 21:37 Lit nights
  18. Luke 21:37 Or the hill
  19. Luke 21:37 Or Olive Grove

The Widow’s Offering

21 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.[a]

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Jesus Speaks about the Future

Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’[b] and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” 10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. 13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.[c] 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.[d] 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.

20 “And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man[e] coming on a cloud with power and great glory.[f] 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.

Footnotes

  1. 21:2 Greek two lepta [the smallest of Jewish coins].
  2. 21:8 Greek claiming, ‘I am.’
  3. 21:13 Or This will be your testimony against them.
  4. 21:17 Greek on account of my name.
  5. 21:27a “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  6. 21:27b See Dan 7:13.