Matthew 24
New American Standard Bible
Signs of Christ’s Return
24 (A)Jesus (B)left the temple area and was going on His way [a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, (C)not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”
3 And as He was sitting on (D)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of (E)Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “(F)See to it that no one [c]misleads you. 5 For (G)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [d]Christ,’ and they will [e]mislead many people. 6 And you will be hearing of (H)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For (I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be (J)famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 (K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
9 “(L)Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and (M)you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 And at that time many will [f](N)fall away, and they will [g]betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many (O)false prophets will rise up and [h]mislead many people. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, [i]most people’s love will become cold. 13 (P)But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 14 This (Q)gospel of the kingdom (R)shall be preached in the whole [j](S)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Perilous Times
15 “Therefore when you see the (T)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in (U)the holy place—[k](V)let the [l]reader understand— 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [m]Whoever is on (W)the [n]housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. 18 And [o]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But (X)woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 Moreover, pray that [p]when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a (Y)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no [q]life would have been saved; but for (Z)the sake of the [r]elect those days will be cut short. 23 (AA)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [s]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. 24 For false christs and (AB)false prophets will arise and will provide great [t](AC)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (AD)the [u]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 (AE)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the (AF)coming of the (AG)Son of Man [v]be. 28 (AH)Wherever the corpse is, there the [w]vultures will gather.
The Glorious Return
29 “But immediately after the (AI)tribulation of those days (AJ)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (AK)the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (AL)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 (AM)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (AN)He will send forth His angels with (AO)a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His [x](AP)elect from (AQ)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, [y]recognize that [z]He is near, right (AR)at the [aa]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (AS)this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AT)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But (AU)about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [ab]the (AV)coming of the Son of Man will be (AW)just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AX)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that (AY)Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [ac]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the (AZ)coming of the Son of Man be. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field; one [ad]will be taken and one [ae]will be left. 41 (BA)Two women will be grinding at the [af](BB)mill; one [ag]will be taken and one [ah]will be left.
Be Ready for His Coming
42 “Therefore (BC)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [ai]be sure of this, that (BD)if the head of the house had known (BE)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 (BF)you must be ready as well; for (BG)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 “(BH)Who then is the (BI)faithful and (BJ)sensible slave whom his [aj]master (BK)put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ak]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that (BL)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [al]master [am]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 [an]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 [ao]cut him in two and assign [ap]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be (BM)weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:1 Lit and
- Matthew 24:3 Or consummation
- Matthew 24:4 Or deceives
- Matthew 24:5 I.e., Messiah
- Matthew 24:5 Or deceive
- Matthew 24:10 I.e., from the faith
- Matthew 24:10 Or hand over
- Matthew 24:11 Or deceive
- Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of the many
- Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
- Matthew 24:15 Or the reader is to understand
- Matthew 24:15 I.e., the reader of Daniel
- Matthew 24:17 Lit The one who
- Matthew 24:17 Housetops were flat living areas
- Matthew 24:18 Lit the one who
- Matthew 24:20 Lit your flight will not be
- Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
- Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:23 I.e., Messiah
- Matthew 24:24 I.e., confirming miracles
- Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:27 I.e., be visible everywhere
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:33 Or know
- Matthew 24:33 Or it
- Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
- Matthew 24:37 Lit just like the days...so will be
- Matthew 24:39 Lit know
- Matthew 24:40 Lit is
- Matthew 24:40 Lit is
- Matthew 24:41 I.e., handmill
- Matthew 24:41 Lit is
- Matthew 24:41 Lit is
- Matthew 24:43 Lit know that
- Matthew 24:45 Or lord
- Matthew 24:46 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
- Matthew 24:50 Or lord
- Matthew 24:51 Possibly referring to other extreme punishment
- Matthew 24:51 Lit his portion with
Matthew 24
New King James Version
Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple(A)
24 Then (B)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, (C)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(D)
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, (E)the disciples came to Him privately, saying, (F)“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: (G)“Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For (H)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (I)and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of (J)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For (K)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be (L)famines, [b]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 (M)“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 (N)many false prophets will rise up and (O)deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow (P)cold. 13 (Q)But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this (R)gospel of the kingdom (S)will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation(T)
15 (U)“Therefore when you see the (V)‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (W)(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 (X)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 (Y)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; (Z)but for the [c]elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23 (AA)“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For (AB)false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, (AC)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 (AD)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 (AE)For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
The Coming of the Son of Man(AF)
29 (AG)“Immediately after the tribulation of those days (AH)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 (AI)Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, (AJ)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 (AK)And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His [d]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree(AL)
32 “Now learn (AM)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 (AN)that [e]it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, (AO)this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 (AP)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour(AQ)
36 (AR)“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, (AS)but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 (AT)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 (AU)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 (AV)Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming. 43 (AW)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 (AX)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(AY)
45 (AZ)“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [i]in due season? 46 (BA)Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that (BB)he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master (BC)is delaying [j]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 (BD)not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. (BE)There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:6 NU omits all
- Matthew 24:7 NU omits pestilences
- Matthew 24:22 chosen ones’
- Matthew 24:31 chosen ones
- Matthew 24:33 Or He
- Matthew 24:36 NU adds nor the Son
- Matthew 24:42 NU day
- Matthew 24:43 Lit. watch of the night
- Matthew 24:45 at the right time
- Matthew 24:48 NU omits his coming
Matthew 24
Living Bible
24 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples came along and wanted to take him on a tour of the various Temple buildings.
2 But he told them, “All these buildings will be knocked down, with not one stone left on top of another!”
3 “When will this happen?” the disciples asked him later, as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. “What events will signal your return and the end of the world?”[a]
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 For many will come claiming to be the Messiah and will lead many astray. 6 When you hear of wars beginning, this does not signal my return; these must come, but the end is not yet. 7 The nations and kingdoms of the earth will rise against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. 8 But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
9 “Then you will be tortured and killed and hated all over the world because you are mine, 10 and many of you shall fall back into sin and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and lead many astray. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. 13 But those enduring to the end shall be saved.
14 “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come.
15 “So, when you see the horrible thing[b] (told about by Daniel the prophet) standing in a holy place (Note to the reader: You know what is meant!), 16 then those in Judea must flee into the Judean hills. 17 Those on their porches[c] must not even go inside to pack before they flee. 18 Those in the fields should not return to their homes for their clothes.
19 “And woe to pregnant women and to those with babies in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter, or on the Sabbath.[d] 21 For there will be persecution such as the world has never before seen in all its history and will never see again.
22 “In fact, unless those days are shortened, all mankind will perish. But they will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen people.[e]
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘The Messiah has arrived at such and such a place, or has appeared here or there,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false Christs shall arise, and false prophets, and will do wonderful miracles so that if it were possible, even God’s chosen ones[f] would be deceived. 25 See, I have warned you.
26 “So if someone tells you the Messiah has returned and is out in the desert, don’t bother to go and look. Or, that he is hiding at a certain place, don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah,[g] return. 28 And wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the persecution of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give light, and the stars will seem to fall from the heavens,[h] and the powers overshadowing the earth will be convulsed.
30 “And then at last the signal of my coming[i] will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all around the earth. And the nations of the world will see me arrive in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.[j]
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When her branch is tender and the leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is almost here. 33 Just so, when you see all these things beginning to happen, you can know that my return is near,[k] even at the doors. 34 Then at last this age will come to its close.[l]
35 “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever. 36 But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son.[m] Only the Father knows.
37-38 “The world will be at ease[n] —banquets and parties and weddings—just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the Flood; 39 people wouldn’t believe[o] what was going to happen until the Flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be.
40 “Two men will be working together in the fields, and one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be going about their household tasks; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So be prepared, for you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 “Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, 44 so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for my unannounced return.
45 “Are you a wise and faithful servant of the Lord? Have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my children day by day? 46 Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. 47 I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own!
48 “But if you are evil and say to yourself, ‘My Lord won’t be coming for a while,’ 49 and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying and getting drunk, 50 your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, 51 and severely whip you and send you off to the judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:3 world, literally, “age.”
- Matthew 24:15 the horrible thing, literally, “the abomination of desolation.” Daniel, see Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. Note to the reader: You know what is meant, literally, “Let the reader take note.”
- Matthew 24:17 porches, literally, “rooftops,” which, being flat, were used as porches at that time. See Acts 10:9.
- Matthew 24:20 on the Sabbath. The city gates were closed on the Sabbath.
- Matthew 24:22 God’s chosen people, literally, “the elect.”
- Matthew 24:24 God’s chosen ones, literally, “the elect.”
- Matthew 24:27 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 24:29 the stars will seem to fall from the heavens, literally, “the stars shall fall from heaven.” the earth will be convulsed, literally, “the powers of the heavens shall be shaken”; see Ephesians 6:12.
- Matthew 24:30 of my coming, literally, “of the coming of the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 24:31 from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven, literally, “from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
- Matthew 24:33 my return is near, literally, “he is nigh.”
- Matthew 24:34 this age will come to its close, literally, “this generation shall pass away.”
- Matthew 24:36 No, nor even God’s Son, literally, “Neither the Son.” Many ancient manuscripts omit this phrase.
- Matthew 24:37 The world will be at ease, implied.
- Matthew 24:39 wouldn’t believe, literally, “knew not.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.