The Arrival of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation,

‘the sun will be darkened
    and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,
    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.’[a]

26 And then they will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels, and will gather the[b] elect together from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

The Parable of the Fig Tree

28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch has already become tender and puts forth its[c] leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also you, when you see these things happening, know[d] that he is near, at the door. 30 Truly I say to you that this generation will never pass away until all these things take place! 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Unknown Day and Hour

32 “But concerning that day or hour no one knows—not even the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father. 33 Watch out! Be alert, because you do not know when the time is! 34 It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority—to each one his work—and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert. 35 Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning— 36 lest he arrive suddenly and[e] find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be on the alert!”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Mark 13:25 A quotation from Isa 13:10; 34:4
  2. Mark 13:27 Some manuscripts have “his”
  3. Mark 13:28 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  4. Mark 13:29 Or “you know”
  5. Mark 13:36 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“arrive”) has been translated as a finite verb

24 “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[a](A)

26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds(B) with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.(C)

28 “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. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[b] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation(D) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(E) 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(F)

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.(G) 33 Be on guard! Be alert[c]!(H) You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants(I) in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”(J)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Mark 13:25 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  2. Mark 13:29 Or he
  3. Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts alert and pray

24 “At that time, after the anguish of those days,

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

26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man[b] coming on the clouds with great power and glory.[c] 27 And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world[d]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

28 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generation[e] will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert[f]!

34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 13:24-25 See Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10.
  2. 13:26a “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
  3. 13:26b See Dan 7:13.
  4. 13:27 Greek from the four winds.
  5. 13:30 Or this age, or this nation.
  6. 13:33 Some manuscripts add and pray.