Mark 13
Christian Standard Bible
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
13 As(A) he was going out of the temple,(B) one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher,(C) look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” (D)
2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings?(E) Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives(F) across from the temple,(G) Peter,(H) James,(I) John,(J) and Andrew(K) asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
5 Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name,(L) saying, ‘I am he,’(M) and they will deceive(N) many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars,(O) don’t be alarmed;(P) these things must take place,(Q) but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(R) There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.[a] These are the beginning(S) of birth pains.(T)
Persecutions Predicted
9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts,[b](U) and you will be flogged(V) in the synagogues.(W) You will stand before governors and kings(X) because of me,(Y) as a witness(Z) to them.(AA) 10 And it is necessary that the gospel(AB) be preached to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother will betray(AC) brother to death,(AD) and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name,(AE) but the one who endures to the end will be saved.(AF)
The Great Tribulation
14 “When you see the abomination of desolation[c](AG) standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea(AH) must flee to the mountains. 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house,(AI) 16 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat.(AJ) 17 Woe (AK) to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!
18 “Pray(AL) it[d] won’t happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation,(AM) the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning(AN) of creation(AO) until now and never will be again. 20 If the Lord(AP) had not cut those days short,(AQ) no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect,(AR) whom he chose.(AS)
21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah!(AT) See, there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders(AU) to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation:(AV) The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars(AW) will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.(AX) 26 Then they will see the Son of Man(AY) coming(AZ) in clouds(BA) with great power(BB) and glory.(BC) 27 He will send out the angels(BD) and gather his elect(BE) from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.(BF)
The Parable of the Fig Tree
28 “Learn(BG) this lesson(BH) from the fig(BI) tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.(BJ) 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize[e] that he[f] is near—at the door.
30 “Truly I tell you,(BK) this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth(BL) will pass away,(BM) but my words will never pass away.(BN)
No One Knows the Day or Hour
32 “Now concerning that day(BO) or hour no one knows—neither the angels(BP) in heaven nor the Son(BQ) —but only the Father.(BR)
33 “Watch! Be alert![g] For you don’t know when the time(BS) is coming.(BT)
34 “It is like(BU) a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants,(BV) gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert,(BW) since you don’t know when the master(BX) of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. 36 Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping.(BY) 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”
Mark 13
Common English Bible
The temple’s fate
13 As Jesus left the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What awesome stones and buildings!”
2 Jesus responded, “Do you see these enormous buildings? Not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.”
3 Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? What sign will show that all these things are about to come to an end?”
Keep watch!
5 Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the one!’ They will deceive many people. 7 When you hear of wars and reports of wars, don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. 8 Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be earthquakes and famines in all sorts of places. These things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end.
9 “Watch out for yourselves. People will hand you over to the councils. You will be beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me so that you can testify before them. 10 First, the good news must be proclaimed to all the nations. 11 When they haul you in and hand you over, don’t worry ahead of time about what to answer or say. Instead, say whatever is given to you at that moment, for you aren’t doing the speaking but the Holy Spirit is. 12 Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to death. A father will turn in his children. Children will rise up against their parents and have them executed. 13 Everyone will hate you because of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved.
14 “When you see the disgusting and destructive thing standing where it shouldn’t be (the reader should understand this), then those in Judea must escape to the mountains. 15 Those on the roof shouldn’t come down or enter their houses to grab anything. 16 Those in the field shouldn’t come back to grab their clothes. 17 How terrible it will be at that time for women who are pregnant and for women who are nursing their children. 18 Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter. 19 In those days there will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see. 20 If the Lord hadn’t shortened that time, no one would be rescued. But for the sake of the chosen ones, the ones whom God chose, he has cut short the time.
21 “Then if someone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 22 False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen. 23 But you, watch out! I’ve told you everything ahead of time.
24 “In those days, after the suffering of that time, the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. 25 The stars will fall from the sky, and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Human One[a] coming in the clouds with great power and splendor. 27 Then he will send the angels and gather together his chosen people from the four corners of the earth, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.
A lesson from the fig tree
28 “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he’s near, at the door. 30 I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.
32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. 34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come,whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!”
Footnotes
- Mark 13:26 Or Son of Man
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.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible