Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

13 ^(A)And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^(B)There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ And as he sat on ^(C)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^(D)Peter and James and John and ^(E)Andrew asked him ^(F)privately, ⁴ “Tell us, ^(G)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, ^(H)“See that no one leads you astray. ^6 (I)Many will come in my name, saying, ^(J)‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ^(K)do not be alarmed. This ^(L)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For ^(M)nation will rise against nation, and ^(N)kingdom against kingdom. There will be ^(O)earthquakes in various places; there will be ^(P)famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

^9 (Q)“But ^(R)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^(S)in synagogues, and you will stand before ^(T)governors and ^(U)kings for my sake, ^(V)to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^(W)to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, ^(X)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^(Y)whatever is given you in that hour, ^(Z)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ^12 (AA)And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ^13 (AB)And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(AC)But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴ “But when you see ^(AD)the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (^(AE)let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^15 (AF)Let the one who is on ^(AG)the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷ And ^(AH)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹ For in those days there will be ^(AI)such ^(AJ)tribulation as has not been ^(AK)from the beginning of the creation that ^(AL)God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for ^(AM)the sake of the elect, whom ^(AN)he chose, he shortened the days. ²¹ And ^(AO)then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ^22 (AP)For false christs and false prophets will arise and ^(AQ)perform signs and wonders, ^(AR)to lead astray, if possible, ^(AS)the elect. ²³ But ^(AT)be on guard; ^(AU)I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after ^(AV)that tribulation, ^(AW)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and ^(AX)the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see ^(AY)the Son of Man coming in clouds ^(AZ)with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then ^(BA)he will send out the angels and ^(BB)gather ^(BC)his elect from ^(BD)the four winds, from ^(BE)the ends of the earth ^(BF)to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, ^(BG)at the very gates. ^30 (BH)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^31 (BI)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(BJ)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, ^(BK)no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, ^(BL)nor the Son, ^(BM)but only the Father. ^33 (BN)Be on guard, ^(BO)keep awake.^[a] For you do not know when the time will come. ^34 (BP)It is like a man ^(BQ)going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants^[b] in charge, ^(BR)each with his work, and commands ^(BS)the doorkeeper to stay awake. ^35 (BT)Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, ^(BU)in the evening, or ^(BV)at midnight, or ^(BW)when the rooster crows,^[c] or ^(BX)in the morning— ³⁶ lest ^(BY)he come suddenly and ^(BZ)find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: ^(CA)Stay awake.”

The Judgment of Babylon

13 The oracle concerning ^(A)Babylon which ^(B)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

Daniel's Prayer for His People

9 ^(A)In the first year of ^(B)Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a ^(C)Mede, who was made king over the realm of the ^(D)Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to ^(E)the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

³ Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by ^(F)prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and ^(G)made confession, saying, ^(H)“O Lord, the ^(I)great and awesome God, who ^(J)keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ^5 (K)we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly ^(L)and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. ^6 (M)We have not listened to ^(N)your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to ^(O)our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ⁷ To you, ^(P)O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^(Q)those who are near and ^(R)those who are far away, in ^(S)all the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^(T)the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸ To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^(U)we have sinned against you. ^9 (V)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him ^10 (W)and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^(X)his servants the prophets. ^11 (Y)All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^(Z)refusing to obey your voice. ^(AA)And the curse and oath ^(AB)that are written in the Law of ^(AC)Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^(AD)we have sinned against him. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^(AE)our rulers who ruled us,^[a] by ^(AF)bringing upon us a great calamity. ^(AG)For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. ^13 (AH)As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^(AI)turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. ^14 (AJ)Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^(AK)for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^(AL)we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^(AM)with a mighty hand, and ^(AN)have made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^(AO)we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(AP)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AQ)your holy hill, ^(AR)because for our sins, and for ^(AS)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AT)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AU)a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,^{[b] (AV)}make your face to shine upon ^(AW)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ^18 (AX)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AY)our desolations, and ^(AZ)the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^(BA)Delay not, ^(BB)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(BC)your city and ^(BD)your people are called by your name.”

Gabriel Brings an Answer

^20 (BE)While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for ^(BF)the holy hill of my God, ²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man ^(BG)Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, ^(BH)came to me in swift flight at ^(BI)the time of the evening sacrifice. ^22 (BJ)He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you ^(BK)insight and understanding. ^23 (BL)At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, ^(BM)and I have come to tell it to you, for ^(BN)you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word ^(BO)and understand the vision.

The Seventy Weeks

^24 (BP)“Seventy weeks^[c] are decreed about your people and ^(BQ)your holy city, to finish ^(BR)the transgression, to put an end to sin, ^(BS)and to atone for iniquity, ^(BT)to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and ^(BU)to anoint a most holy place.^{[d] 25 (BV)}Know therefore and understand that ^(BW)from the going out of the word to restore and ^(BX)build Jerusalem to the coming of an ^(BY)anointed one, a ^(BZ)prince, there shall be seven weeks. And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again^[e] with squares and moat, ^(CA)but in a troubled time. ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall ^(CB)be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come ^(CC)shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. ^(CD)Its^[f] end shall come with a flood, ^(CE)and to the end there shall be war. ^(CF)Desolations are decreed. ²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,^[g] and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. ^(CG)And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until ^(CH)the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

The Kings of the South and the North

11 “And as for me, ^(A)in the first year of ^(B)Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

² “And now I will show you ^(C)the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. ³ Then ^(D)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and ^(E)do as he wills. ⁴ And as soon as he has arisen, ^(F)his kingdom shall be broken and divided ^(G)toward the ^(H)four winds of heaven, but ^(I)not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

⁵ “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he ^(J)and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. ⁶ After some years ^(K)they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported^[a] her in those times.

⁷ “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the ^(L)fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. ⁸ He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious ^(M)vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. ⁹ Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.

¹⁰ “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming ^(N)and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his ^(O)fortress. ¹¹ Then the king of the south, ^(P)moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. ^(Q)And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. ¹² And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. ¹³ For the king of the north shall again ^(R)raise a multitude, greater than the first. And ^(S)after some years^[b] he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

¹⁴ “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but ^(T)they shall fail. ¹⁵ Then the king of the north shall come and ^(U)throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. ¹⁶ But he who comes against him shall ^(V)do as he wills, and ^(W)none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in ^(X)the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. ¹⁷ He shall ^(Y)set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom,^[c] but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. ¹⁸ Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed,^[d] he ^(Z)shall turn his insolence back upon him. ¹⁹ Then he shall turn his face back toward the ^(AA)fortresses of his own land, but he shall ^(AB)stumble and fall, ^(AC)and shall not be found.

²⁰ “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an ^(AD)exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. ²¹ In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. ^(AE)He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom ^(AF)by flatteries. ²² Armies shall be ^(AG)utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. ²³ And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. ^24 (AH)Without warning he shall come into ^(AI)the richest parts^[e] of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. ²⁵ And he shall stir up his power and his heart against ^(AJ)the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. ²⁶ Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be ^(AK)swept away, and many shall fall down slain. ²⁷ And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for ^(AL)the end is yet to be at the time appointed. ²⁸ And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.

²⁹ “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. ³⁰ For ships of ^(AM)Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and ^(AN)be enraged and ^(AO)take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. ³¹ Forces from him shall appear and ^(AP)profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And ^(AQ)they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. ³² He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. ^33 (AR)And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. ³⁴ When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, ³⁵ and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, ^(AS)purified, and ^(AT)made white, until ^(AU)the time of the end, ^(AV)for it still awaits the appointed time.

³⁶ “And the king shall ^(AW)do as he wills. ^(AX)He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, ^(AY)and shall speak astonishing things against ^(AZ)the God of gods. ^(BA)He shall prosper ^(BB)till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. ³⁷ He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for ^(BC)he shall magnify himself above all. ³⁸ He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor ^(BD)with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. ³⁹ He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and ^(BE)shall divide the land for a price.^[f]

^40 (BF)“At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack^[g] him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him ^(BG)like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and ^(BH)shall overflow and pass through. ⁴¹ He shall come into ^(BI)the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: ^(BJ)Edom and ^(BK)Moab and the main part of the ^(BL)Ammonites. ⁴² He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. ⁴³ He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the ^(BM)Libyans and the ^(BN)Cushites shall follow in his train. ⁴⁴ But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. ⁴⁵ And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.