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Matthew 22-24
New King James Version

The Parable of the Wedding Feast(A)

22 And Jesus answered (B)and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; (C)my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them [a]spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out (D)his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not (E)worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and (F)gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there (G)who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was (H)speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, [b]take him away, and cast him (I)into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 (J)“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?(K)

15 (L)Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. 16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the (M)Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not [c]regard the person of men. 17 Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus [d]perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the tax money.”

So they brought Him a denarius.

20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, (N)“Render[e] therefore to Caesar the things that are (O)Caesar’s, and to God the things that are (P)God’s.” 22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?(Q)

23 (R)The same day the Sadducees, (S)who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 24 saying: “Teacher, (T)Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are [f]mistaken, (U)not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but (V)are like angels [g]of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 (W)‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the multitudes heard this, (X)they were astonished at His teaching.

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?(Y)

34 (Z)But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, (AA)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, (AB)“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: (AC)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (AD)On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?(AE)

41 (AF)While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The (AG)Son of David.”

43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

44 ‘The(AH) Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” 46 (AI)And no one was able to answer Him a word, (AJ)nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees(AK)

23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: (AL)“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you [h]to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for (AM)they say, and do not do. 4 (AN)For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to (AO)be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 (AP)They love the [i]best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 (AQ)But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your [j]Teacher, [k]the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; (AR)for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But (AS)he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 (AT)And whoever exalts himself will be [l]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be [m]exalted.

13 “But (AU)woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [n]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (AV)For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of [o]hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, (AW)blind guides, who say, (AX)‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold (AY)or the temple that [p]sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift (AZ)or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who [q]swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by (BA)Him who [r]dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by (BB)the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (BC)For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and (BD)have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (BE)For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and [s]self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (BF)For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 (BG)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and [t]adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that (BH)you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 (BI)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, (BJ)brood[u] of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 (BK)Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: (BL)some of them you will kill and crucify, and (BM)some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 (BN)that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, (BO)from the blood of righteous Abel to (BP)the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem(BQ)

37 (BR)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets (BS)and stones those who are sent to her! How often (BT)I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks (BU)under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, (BV)‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple(BW)

24 Then (BX)Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, (BY)not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age(BZ)

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, (CA)the disciples came to Him privately, saying, (CB)“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: (CC)“Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For (CD)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (CE)and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of (CF)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [v]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For (CG)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be (CH)famines, [w]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 (CI)“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then (CJ)many false prophets will rise up and (CK)deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow (CL)cold. 13 (CM)But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this (CN)gospel of the kingdom (CO)will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation(CP)

15 (CQ)“Therefore when you see the (CR)‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (CS)(whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But (CT)woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For (CU)then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; (CV)but for the [x]elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

23 (CW)“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For (CX)false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, (CY)if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 (CZ)For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 (DA)For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Coming of the Son of Man(DB)

29 (DC)“Immediately after the tribulation of those days (DD)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 (DE)Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, (DF)and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 (DG)And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His [y]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Parable of the Fig Tree(DH)

32 “Now learn (DI)this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know (DJ)that [z]it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, (DK)this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 (DL)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

No One Knows the Day or Hour(DM)

36 (DN)“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [aa]heaven, (DO)but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 (DP)For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 (DQ)Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 (DR)Watch therefore, for you do not know what [ab]hour your Lord is coming. 43 (DS)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [ac]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 (DT)Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant(DU)

45 (DV)“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [ad]in due season? 46 (DW)Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that (DX)he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master (DY)is delaying [ae]his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is (DZ)not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. (EA)There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 22:6 insolently
  2. Matthew 22:13 NU omits take him away, and
  3. Matthew 22:16 Lit. look at the face of
  4. Matthew 22:18 knew
  5. Matthew 22:21 Pay
  6. Matthew 22:29 deceived
  7. Matthew 22:30 NU omits of God
  8. Matthew 23:3 NU omits to observe
  9. Matthew 23:6 Or place of honor
  10. Matthew 23:8 Leader
  11. Matthew 23:8 NU omits the Christ
  12. Matthew 23:12 put down
  13. Matthew 23:12 lifted up
  14. Matthew 23:14 NU omits v. 14.
  15. Matthew 23:15 Gr. Gehenna
  16. Matthew 23:17 NU sanctified
  17. Matthew 23:20 Swears an oath
  18. Matthew 23:21 M dwelt
  19. Matthew 23:25 M unrighteousness
  20. Matthew 23:29 decorate
  21. Matthew 23:33 offspring
  22. Matthew 24:6 NU omits all
  23. Matthew 24:7 NU omits pestilences
  24. Matthew 24:22 chosen ones’
  25. Matthew 24:31 chosen ones
  26. Matthew 24:33 Or He
  27. Matthew 24:36 NU adds nor the Son
  28. Matthew 24:42 NU day
  29. Matthew 24:43 Lit. watch of the night
  30. Matthew 24:45 at the right time
  31. Matthew 24:48 NU omits his coming
Listen to Matthew 22-24
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Matthew 22-24
New International Version

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet(A)

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like(B) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants(C) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 “Then he sent some more servants(D) and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers(E) and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners(F) and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,(G) and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend(H)?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’(I)

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”(J)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(K)

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.(L) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a](M) to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,(N) and to God what is God’s.”

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.(O)

Marriage at the Resurrection(P)

23 That same day the Sadducees,(Q) who say there is no resurrection,(R) came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.(S) 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures(T) or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;(U) they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[b]?(V) He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.(W)

The Greatest Commandment(X)

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,(Y) the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law,(Z) tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c](AA) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d](AB) 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”(AC)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(AD)

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,”(AE) they replied.

43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’[e](AF)

45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.(AG)

A Warning Against Hypocrisy(AH)(AI)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law(AJ) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.(AK)

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see:(AL) They make their phylacteries[f](AM) wide and the tassels on their garments(AN) long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;(AO) 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.(AP)

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father,(AQ) and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(AR) 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.(AS)

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(AT) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(AU) [14] [g]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,(AV) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell(AW) as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides!(AX) You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’(AY) 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?(AZ) 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?(BA) 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells(BB) in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.(BC)

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth(BD) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.(BE) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides!(BF) You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,(BG) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.(BH) 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,(BI) which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets(BJ) and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.(BK) 32 Go ahead, then, and complete(BL) what your ancestors started!(BM)

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers!(BN) How will you escape being condemned to hell?(BO) 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;(BP) others you will flog in your synagogues(BQ) and pursue from town to town.(BR) 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel(BS) to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,(BT) whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.(BU) 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.(BV)

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,(BW) how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,(BX) and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.(BY) 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[h]”(BZ)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(CA)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(CB) every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(CC) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(CD) and of the end of the age?”(CE)

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(CF) 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(CG) 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(CH) There will be famines(CI) and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(CJ) and put to death,(CK) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(CL) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(CM) will appear and deceive many people.(CN) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(CO) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(CP) will be preached in the whole world(CQ) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place(CR) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[i](CS) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop(CT) go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!(CU) 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.(CV)

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect(CW) those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.(CX) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(CY) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning(CZ) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(DA) of the Son of Man.(DB) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(DC)

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

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

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[k] will mourn(DE) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,(DF) with power and great glory.[l] 31 And he will send his angels(DG) with a loud trumpet call,(DH) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 “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. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[m] is near, right at the door.(DI) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(DJ) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(DK)

The Day and Hour Unknown(DL)(DM)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[n] but only the Father.(DN) 37 As it was in the days of Noah,(DO) so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,(DP) up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.(DQ) 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.(DR) 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.(DS)

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.(DT) 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,(DU) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,(DV) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,(DW) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.(DX) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.(DY) 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.(DZ) 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(EA)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 22:17 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens
  2. Matthew 22:32 Exodus 3:6
  3. Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
  4. Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18
  5. Matthew 22:44 Psalm 110:1
  6. Matthew 23:5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses, worn on forehead and arm
  7. Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
  8. Matthew 23:39 Psalm 118:26
  9. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
  10. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  11. Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
  12. Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
  13. Matthew 24:33 Or he
  14. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.
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