Mark 13
King James Version
13 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.
19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Mark 13
Amplified Bible
Things to Come
13 As He was coming out of the temple [grounds], one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look what [a]wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”(A) 2 Jesus replied to him, “You see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another which will not be [b]torn down!”
3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew 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 fulfilled?” 5 Jesus began to say to them, “Be careful and see to it that no one misleads you. 6 Many will come in My name [misusing My name or claiming to be the Messiah], saying, ‘I am He!’ and will deceive and mislead many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed (frightened, troubled); these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of the [c]birth pangs [the intolerable anguish and suffering].
9 “But be on your guard; they will turn you over to courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand [as accused] before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 The gospel [that is, the good news regarding the way of salvation] must first be preached to all the [Gentile] nations.(B) 11 When they take you and turn you over [to the court], do not worry beforehand about what to say, but say whatever is given to you [by God] in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit [who will speak through you]. 12 Brother will betray brother to [be put to] death, and a father [will hand over] his child; and children will rise up and take a stand against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but the one who [patiently perseveres empowered by the Holy Spirit and] endures to the end, he will be saved.
14 “But when you see the [d]abomination of desolation standing [in the temple sanctuary] where it ought not to be (let the [e]reader understand) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.(C) 15 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down [to enter the house], or go inside to take anything out of his house; 16 whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 And woe to those women who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Pray that it will not occur in winter, 19 for at that time there will be such tribulation as has not occurred, from the beginning of the creation which God made, until now—and never will [be again]. 20 And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose [for Himself], He shortened the days.(D) 21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it; 22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will provide signs and wonders in order to deceive, if [such a thing were] possible, even the elect [those God has chosen for Himself]. 23 But be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.
The Return of Christ
24 “But in those days, after [the suffering and distress of] that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,(E) 25 and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.(F) 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory [in royal majesty and splendor].(G) 27 And then He will send out the angels, and will gather together His elect [those He has chosen for Himself] from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and it puts out its leaves, you recognize that summer is near.(H) 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, know [for certain] that He is near, right at the door. 30 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth [as now known] will [f]pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 But of that [exact] day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone.
33 “Be on guard and stay constantly alert [g][and pray]; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who when he left home put his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and also ordered the doorkeeper to be continually alert. 35 Therefore, be continually on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 [stay alert,] in case he should come suddenly and unexpectedly and find you asleep and unprepared. 37 What I say to you I say to everyone, ‘Be on the alert [stay awake and be continually cautious]!’”
Footnotes
- Mark 13:1 The massive size and polished surfaces of the fitted stones that formed the temple structure created a magnificent sight (cf Luke 21:5). The refurbishing of the temple was begun by Herod the Great in 20 b.c. and was completed in a.d. 64 by Herod Agrippa II. The rabbis had a saying: “Whoever has not seen the temple of Herod has never seen a beautiful building” (as quoted from the Talmud). They also said that Herod built it of yellow, white, and perhaps blue marble; and that he intended to cover it with gold, but the rabbis advised him not to because it was beautiful just as it was, looking like the waves of the sea.
- Mark 13:2 In a.d. 70, just six years after the temple complex was completed, it was destroyed by the Roman general Titus and his army, who thoroughly devastated Jerusalem.
- Mark 13:8 The Jews used this phrase to describe the unprecedented trouble that would occur prior to Messiah’s advent (as recorded in the Talmud).
- Mark 13:14 I.e. the detestable one who desecrates the temple. See note Matt 24:15.
- Mark 13:14 I.e. the reader of the book of Daniel (cf Matt 24:15). Jesus is indicating that the final fulfillment of this prophecy is yet to come.
- Mark 13:31 See Rev 21:1, “...the first heaven and the first earth passed away....”
- Mark 13:33 One early ms adds “and pray.”
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