23 (A)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For (B)false christs and (C)false prophets will arise and (D)perform great signs and wonders, (E)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, (F)I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, (G)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 (H)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be (I)the coming of the Son of Man. 28 (J)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 “Immediately after (K)the tribulation of those days (L)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (M)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then (N)will appear in heaven (O)the sign of the Son of Man, and then (P)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and (Q)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (R)with power and great glory. 31 And (S)he will send out his angels with a loud (T)trumpet call, and they will (U)gather (V)his elect from (W)the four winds, (X)from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 “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. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, (Y)at the very gates. 34 (Z)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AA)Heaven and earth will pass away, but (AB)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

36 “But concerning that day and hour (AC)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, (AD)nor the Son,[a] (AE)but the Father only. 37 (AF)For as were the days of Noah, (AG)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 (AH)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AI)marrying and giving in marriage, until (AJ)the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, (AK)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 (AL)Two women will be grinding (AM)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, (AN)stay awake, for you do not know on what day (AO)your Lord is coming. 43 (AP)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night (AQ)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be (AR)ready, for (AS)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is (AT)the faithful and (AU)wise servant,[b] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 (AV)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, (AW)he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master (AX)is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants[c] and eats and drinks with (AY)drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come (AZ)on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place (BA)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts omit nor the Son
  2. Matthew 24:45 Or bondservant; also verses 46, 48, 50
  3. Matthew 24:49 Or bondservants

23 (A)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [a]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and (B)false prophets will arise and will provide great [b](C)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (D)the [c]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 (E)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the (F)coming of the (G)Son of Man [d]be. 28 (H)Wherever the corpse is, there the [e]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

29 “But immediately after the (I)tribulation of those days (J)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (K)the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (L)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see (M)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (N)He will send forth His angels with (O)a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [f](P)elect from (Q)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so you too, when you see all these things, [g]recognize that [h]He is near, right (R)at the [i]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (S)this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (T)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36 “But (U)about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [j]the (V)coming of the Son of Man will be (W)just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (X)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that (Y)Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [k]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the (Z)coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one [l]will be taken and one [m]will be left. 41 (AA)Two women will be grinding at the [n](AB)mill; one [o]will be taken and one [p]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

42 “Therefore (AC)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [q]be sure of this, that (AD)if the head of the house had known (AE)at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason (AF)you must be ready as well; for (AG)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45 (AH)Who then is the (AI)faithful and (AJ)sensible slave whom his [r]master (AK)put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [s]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that (AL)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [t]master [u]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; 50 then the [v]master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and he will [w]cut him in two and assign [x]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be (AM)weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:23 I.e., Messiah
  2. Matthew 24:24 I.e., confirming miracles
  3. Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
  4. Matthew 24:27 I.e., be visible everywhere
  5. Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
  6. Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
  7. Matthew 24:33 Or know
  8. Matthew 24:33 Or it
  9. Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
  10. Matthew 24:37 Lit just like the days...so will be
  11. Matthew 24:39 Lit know
  12. Matthew 24:40 Lit is
  13. Matthew 24:40 Lit is
  14. Matthew 24:41 I.e., handmill
  15. Matthew 24:41 Lit is
  16. Matthew 24:41 Lit is
  17. Matthew 24:43 Lit know that
  18. Matthew 24:45 Or lord
  19. Matthew 24:46 Or lord
  20. Matthew 24:48 Or lord
  21. Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
  22. Matthew 24:50 Or lord
  23. Matthew 24:51 Possibly referring to other extreme punishment
  24. Matthew 24:51 Lit his portion with

23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.(A) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(B) 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(C) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(D) of the Son of Man.(E) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(F)

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.’[a](G)

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[b] will mourn(H) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,(I) with power and great glory.[c] 31 And he will send his angels(J) with a loud trumpet call,(K) 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[d] is near, right at the door.(L) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(M) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(N)

The Day and Hour Unknown(O)(P)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[e] but only the Father.(Q) 37 As it was in the days of Noah,(R) 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,(S) 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.(T) 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.(U) 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.(V)

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.(W) 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,(X) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,(Y) 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,(Z) 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.(AA) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.(AB) 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.(AC) 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.(AD)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  2. Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
  3. Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
  4. Matthew 24:33 Or he
  5. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.

23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man[a] comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.[b]

29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,

the sun will be darkened,
    the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.[c]

30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world[e]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation[f] will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[g] Only the Father knows.

37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Footnotes

  1. 24:27 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  2. 24:28 Greek Wherever the carcass is, the vultures gather.
  3. 24:29 See Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10.
  4. 24:30 See Dan 7:13.
  5. 24:31 Greek from the four winds.
  6. 24:34 Or this age, or this nation.
  7. 24:36 Some manuscripts do not include or the Son himself.