Matthew 24
Christian Standard Bible
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple,(A) his disciples(B) came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (C)
4 Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives(D) you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.(E) 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines[a](F) and earthquakes in various places.(G) 8 All these events are the beginning of labor pains.(H)
Persecutions Predicted
9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.(I) 10 Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets(J) will rise up and deceive many. 12 Because lawlessness(K) will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[b] as a testimony to all nations,(L) and then the end will come.(M)
The Great Tribulation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation,[c] spoken of by the prophet Daniel,(N) standing in the holy place”(O) (let the reader understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 A man on the housetop[d] must not come down to get things out of his house,(P) 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great distress,[e](Q) the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. 22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would[f] be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.(R)
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’(S) or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it.(T) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,(U) if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(V) 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[g] will gather.(W)
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the distress(X) of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[h] will mourn;[i] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.(Y) 31 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet,(Z) and they will gather his elect from the four winds,(AA) from one end of the sky to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Learn this lesson(AB) from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize[j] that he[k] is near—at the door.(AC) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.(AD) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away,(AE) but my words will never pass away.(AF)
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son[l] —except the Father alone.(AG) 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.(AH) 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left.(AI) 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day[m] your Lord is coming.(AJ) 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time[n] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.(AK) 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(AL)
Faithful Service to Christ
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant,(AM) whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?(AN) 46 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.(AO) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,(AP) 50 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- 24:7 Other mss add epidemics
- 24:14 Or in all the inhabited earth
- 24:15 Dn 9:27
- 24:17 Or roof
- 24:21 Or tribulation, also in v. 29
- 24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not
- 24:28 Or eagles
- 24:30 Or all the tribes of the land
- 24:30 Lit will beat; that is, beat their chests
- 24:33 Or things, you know
- 24:33 Or it; that is, summer
- 24:36 Other mss omit nor the Son
- 24:42 Other mss read hour; = time
- 24:43 Lit watch; a division of the night in ancient times
Matthew 24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
24 As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.(A) 2 Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”(B)
Signs of the End of the Age
3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.(C) 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’[a] and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines[b] and earthquakes in various places:(D) 8 all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Persecutions Foretold
9 “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.(E) 10 Then many will fall away,[c] and they will betray one another and hate one another.(F) 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.(G) 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(H) 14 And this good news[d] of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.(I)
The Desolating Sacrilege
15 “So when you see the desolating sacrilege, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),(J) 16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 17 the one on the housetop must not go down to take things from the house; 18 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.(K) 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.(L) 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’[e] or ‘There he is!’—do not believe it.(M) 24 For false messiahs[f] and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.(N) 25 Take note, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(O) 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the suffering of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of heaven will be shaken.(P)
30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.(Q) 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(R)
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he[g] is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.(S) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.(T)
The Necessity for Watchfulness
36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[h] but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(U) 38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.(V) 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day[i] your Lord is coming.(W) 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.(X) 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(Y)
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave
45 “Who, then, is the faithful and wise slave whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves[j] their allowance of food at the proper time?(Z) 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.(AA) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.(AB) 48 But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. 51 He will cut him in pieces[k] and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(AC)
Footnotes
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.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.