⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(A) There will be famines^(B) and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁸ He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.^{(A) 9} When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.^(A)

The Day and Hour Unknown^(A)(B)

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[a] but only the Father.^{(C) 37} As it was in the days of Noah,^(D) 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,^(E) 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.^{(F) 40} Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.^{(G) 41} Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.^(H)

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.^{(I) 43} But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,^(J) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready,^(K) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

The Day and Hour Unknown

³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.^(A)

³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief^(A) was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready,^(B) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

⁴⁶ 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.^(A) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.