Mark 13:24-14:11

New International Version

²⁴“But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
²⁵the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’^[a]^(A)

²⁶“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds^(B) with great power and glory. ²⁷And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.^(C)

²⁸“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it^[b] is near, right at the door. ³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation^(D) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.^(E) ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.^(F)

The Day and Hour Unknown

³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.^(G) ³³Be on guard! Be alert^[c]!^(H) You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants^(I) in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”^(J)

Jesus Anointed at Bethany^(K)^(L)^(M)

14 Now the Passover^(N) and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.^(O) ²“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

³While he was in Bethany,^(P) reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.^(Q)

⁴Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^[d] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

⁶“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷The poor you will always have with you,^[e] and you can help them any time you want.^(R) But you will not always have me. ⁸She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.^(S) ⁹Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world,^(T) what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,^(U) went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.^(V) ¹¹They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.