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
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
Common English Bible
The temple’s fate
24 Now Jesus left the temple and was going away. His disciples came to point out to him the temple buildings. 2 He responded, “Do you see all these things? I assure that no stone will be left on another. Everything will be demolished.”
Beginning of troubles
3 Now while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”
4 Jesus replied, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the Christ.’ They will deceive many people. 6 You will hear about wars and reports of wars. Don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. 7 Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in all sorts of places. 8 But all these things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end. 9 They will arrest you, abuse you, and they will kill you. All nations will hate you on account of my name. 10 At that time many will fall away. They will betray each other and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be delivered. 14 This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.
The great suffering
15 “When you see the disgusting and destructive thing that Daniel talked about standing in the holy place (the reader should understand this), 16 then those in Judea must escape to the mountains. 17 Those on the roof shouldn’t come down to grab things from their houses. 18 Those in the field shouldn’t come back to grab their clothes. 19 How terrible it will be at that time for women who are pregnant and for women who are nursing their children. 20 Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter or on the Sabbath day. 21 There will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see. 22 If that time weren’t shortened, nobody would be rescued. But for the sake of the ones whom God chose, that time will be cut short.
23 “Then if somebody says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Christ,’ or ‘He’s over here,’ don’t believe it. 24 False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen. 25 Look, I’ve told you ahead of time. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Look, he’s in the desert,’ don’t go out. And if they say, ‘Look, he’s in the rooms deep inside the house,’ don’t believe it. 27 Just as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, so it will be with the coming of the Human One.[a] 28 The vultures gather wherever there’s a dead body.
Coming of the Human One
29 “Now immediately after the suffering of that time the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Human One[b] will appear in the sky. At that time all the tribes of the earth will be full of sadness, and they will see the Human One[c] coming in the heavenly clouds[d] with power and great splendor. 31 He will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from one end of the sky to the other.
A lesson from the fig tree
32 “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that the Human One[e] is near, at the door. 34 I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.
Day and hour
36 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 37 As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Human One.[f] 38 In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39 They didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Human One[g] will be like that. 40 At that time there will be two men 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 Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. 43 But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t allow the thief to break into his house. 44 Therefore, you also should be prepared, because the Human One[h] will come at a time you don’t know.
Faithful and unfaithful servants
45 “Who then are the faithful and wise servants whom their master puts in charge of giving food at the right time to those who live in his house? 46 Happy are those servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes. 47 I assure you that he will put them in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose those bad servants should say to themselves, My master won’t come until later. 49 And suppose they began to beat their fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunks? 50 The master of those servants will come on a day when they are not expecting him, at a time they couldn’t predict. 51 He will cut them in pieces and put them in a place with the hypocrites. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:27 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 24:30 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 24:30 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 24:30 Dan 7:13 I suddenly saw one like a human being (Aram kebar enash) coming with the heavenly clouds.
- Matthew 24:33 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 24:37 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 24:39 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 24:44 Or Son of Man
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible