Matthew 24:30-31
King James Version
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
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Matthew 24:30-31
Holman Christian Standard Bible
30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn;[b] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.(A) 31 He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet,(B) and they will gather His elect from the four winds,(C) from one end of the sky to the other.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 24:30 Or all the tribes of the land
- Matthew 24:30 Lit will beat; that is, beat their breasts
Matthew 24:30-31
American Standard Version
30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send forth his angels [a]with [b]a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 24:31 Many ancient authorities read with a great trumpet, and they shall gather etc.
- Matthew 24:31 Or, a trumpet of great sound
Matthew 24:30-31
Young's Literal Translation
30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory;
31 and he shall send his messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens unto the ends thereof.
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Matthew 24:30-31
Revised Standard Version
30 then will appear the sign of the Son of man 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; 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.
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Matthew 24
King James Version
24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple complex,(A) His disciples(B) came up and called His attention to the temple buildings. 2 Then He replied to them, “Don’t you see all these things? I assure 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 Then 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 birth pains.(H)
Persecutions Predicted
9 “Then they will hand you over for persecution,[b] and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name.(I) 10 Then many will take offense, 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 delivered.[c] 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[d] as a testimony to all nations.(L) And then the end will come.(M)
The Great Tribulation
15 “So when you see the abomination that causes desolation,[e][f] spoken of by the prophet Daniel,(N) standing in the holy place”(O) (let the reader understand[g]), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 A man on the housetop[h] 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 clothes. 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 tribulation,(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 limited, no one would[i] survive.[j] But those days will be limited because of the elect.(R)
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’(S) or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it!(T) 24 False messiahs[k] 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, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s 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.(V) 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[l] will gather.(W)
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the tribulation(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 celestial powers 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[m] will mourn;[n] 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 “Now learn this parable(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[o] that He[p] is near—at the door!(AC) 34 I assure 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 in heaven, nor the Son[q] —except the Father only.(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[r] until the flood came and swept them all away. So 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 at the mill: one will be taken and one left.(AI) 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day[s] your Lord is coming.(AJ) 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time[t] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.(AK) 44 This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(AL)
Faithful Service to the Messiah
45 “Who then is a faithful and sensible slave,(AM) whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?(AN) 46 That slave whose master finds him working(AO) when he comes will be rewarded. 47 I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,(AP) 50 that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces[u] and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:7 Other mss add epidemics
- Matthew 24:9 Or tribulation, or distress
- Matthew 24:13 Or be saved
- Matthew 24:14 Or in all the inhabited earth
- Matthew 24:15 Or abomination of desolation, or desolating sacrilege
- Matthew 24:15 Dn 9:27
- Matthew 24:15 These are, most likely, Matthew’s words to his readers.
- Matthew 24:17 Or roof
- Matthew 24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not
- Matthew 24:22 Or be saved or delivered
- Matthew 24:24 Or False christs
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:30 Or all the tribes of the land
- Matthew 24:30 Lit will beat; that is, beat their breasts
- Matthew 24:33 Or things, you know
- Matthew 24:33 Or it; that is, summer
- Matthew 24:36 Other mss omit nor the Son
- Matthew 24:39 They didn’t know the day and hour of the coming judgment.
- Matthew 24:42 Other mss read hour; = time
- Matthew 24:43 Lit watch; a division of the night in ancient times
- Matthew 24:51 Lit him in two
Matthew 24
American Standard Version
24 And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy [a]coming, and of [b]the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. 8 But all these things are the beginning of travail. 9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many stumble, and shall [c]deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. 12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold. 13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And [d]this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole [e]world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was [f]spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in [g]the holy place (let him that readeth understand), 16 then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains: 17 let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house: 18 and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak. 19 But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! 20 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath: 21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe [h]it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you beforehand. 26 If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe [i]it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the [j]coming of the Son of man. 28 Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the [k]eagles be gathered together.
29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send forth his angels [l]with [m]a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; 33 even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that [n]he is nigh, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, [o]neither the Son, but the Father only. 37 And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the [p]coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the [q]coming of the Son of man. 40 Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left: 41 two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh. 43 [r]But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be [s]broken through. 44 Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is the faithful and wise [t]servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that [u]servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 48 But if that evil [v]servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth; 49 and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; 50 the lord of that [w]servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, 51 and shall [x]cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:3 Greek presence.
- Matthew 24:3 Or, the consummation of the age
- Matthew 24:10 See 10:4.
- Matthew 24:14 Or, these good tidings
- Matthew 24:14 Greek inhabited earth.
- Matthew 24:15 Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
- Matthew 24:15 Or, a holy place
- Matthew 24:23 Or, him
- Matthew 24:26 Or, them
- Matthew 24:27 Greek presence.
- Matthew 24:28 Or, vultures
- Matthew 24:31 Many ancient authorities read with a great trumpet, and they shall gather etc.
- Matthew 24:31 Or, a trumpet of great sound
- Matthew 24:33 Or, it
- Matthew 24:36 Many authorities, some ancient, omit neither the Son.
- Matthew 24:37 Greek presence.
- Matthew 24:39 Greek presence.
- Matthew 24:43 Or, But this ye know
- Matthew 24:43 Greek digged through.
- Matthew 24:45 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 24:46 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 24:48 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 24:50 Greek bondservant.
- Matthew 24:51 Or, severely scourge him
Matthew 24
Young's Literal Translation
24 And having gone forth, Jesus departed from the temple, and his disciples came near to show him the buildings of the temple,
2 and Jesus said to them, `Do ye not see all these? verily I say to you, There may not be left here a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.'
3 And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?'
4 And Jesus answering said to them, `Take heed that no one may lead you astray,
5 for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall lead many astray,
6 and ye shall begin to hear of wars, and reports of wars; see, be not troubled, for it behoveth all [these] to come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 `For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places;
8 and all these [are] the beginning of sorrows;
9 then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all the nations because of my name;
10 and then shall many be stumbled, and they shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
11 `And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;
12 and because of the abounding of the lawlessness, the love of the many shall become cold;
13 but he who did endure to the end, he shall be saved;
14 and this good news of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world, for a testimony to all the nations; and then shall the end arrive.
15 `Whenever, therefore, ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever is reading let him observe)
16 then those in Judea -- let them flee to the mounts;
17 he on the house-top -- let him not come down to take up any thing out of his house;
18 and he in the field -- let him not turn back to take his garments.
19 `And wo to those with child, and to those giving suck in those days;
20 and pray ye that your flight may not be in winter, nor on a sabbath;
21 for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be.
22 And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.
23 `Then if any one may say to you, Lo, here [is] the Christ! or here! ye may not believe;
24 for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, also the chosen.
25 Lo, I did tell you beforehand.
26 `If therefore they may say to you, Lo, in the wilderness he is, ye may not go forth; lo, in the inner chambers, ye may not believe;
27 for as the lightning doth come forth from the east, and doth appear unto the west, so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;
28 for wherever the carcase may be, there shall the eagles be gathered together.
29 `And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken;
30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory;
31 and he shall send his messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens unto the ends thereof.
32 `And from the fig-tree learn ye the simile: When already its branch may have become tender, and the leaves it may put forth, ye know that summer [is] nigh,
33 so also ye, when ye may see all these, ye know that it is nigh -- at the doors.
34 Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.
35 The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 `And concerning that day and the hour no one hath known -- not even the messengers of the heavens -- except my Father only;
37 and as the days of Noah -- so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man;
38 for as they were, in the days before the flood, eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, till the day Noah entered into the ark,
39 and they did not know till the flood came and took all away; so shall be also the presence of the Son of Man.
40 Then two men shall be in the field, the one is received, and the one is left;
41 two women shall be grinding in the mill, one is received, and one is left.
42 `Watch ye therefore, because ye have not known in what hour your Lord doth come;
43 and this know, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief doth come, he had watched, and not suffered his house to be broken through;
44 because of this also ye, become ye ready, because in what hour ye do not think, the Son of Man doth come.
45 `Who, then, is the servant, faithful and wise, whom his lord did set over his household, to give them the nourishment in season?
46 Happy that servant, whom his lord, having come, shall find doing so;
47 verily I say to you, that over all his substance he will set him.
48 `And, if that evil servant may say in his heart, My Lord doth delay to come,
49 and may begin to beat the fellow-servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken,
50 the lord of that servant will arrive in a day when he doth not expect, and in an hour of which he doth not know,
51 and will cut him off, and his portion with the hypocrites will appoint; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.
Matthew 24
Revised Standard Version
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
24 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 As he sat 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 close of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ 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 and earthquakes in various places: 8 all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.
Persecutions Foretold
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away,[a] and betray one another, and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
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), 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 what is in his house; 18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. 19 And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 Then if any one says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Lo, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 28 Wherever the body is, there the eagles[b] will be gathered together.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; 30 then will appear the sign of the Son of man 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; 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.
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 is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
The Necessity for Watchfulness
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[c] but the Father only. 37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, 51 and will punish[d] him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:10 Or stumble
- Matthew 24:28 Or vultures
- Matthew 24:36 Other ancient authorities omit nor the Son
- Matthew 24:51 Or cut him in pieces
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.