24 Jesus left the temple. While he was leaving, his disciples came to him. They began to talk to him about the buildings of the temple. 2 So Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, you can see all these beautiful buildings now. But I tell you this: Enemies will completely destroy them. [ a ] Not even one stone will remain on top of another stone.’
3 After that, Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. While he was alone, his disciples came to him. They said to him, ‘Please tell us when all these things will happen. Also tell us what will show us that you will soon return? What will show us that the world will soon end?’
4 Jesus said, ‘You must be careful! Some people will tell you things that are not true. Do not believe them. 5 Many people will say that they have come on my behalf. They will say, “I am the Messiah.” Many people will believe their false words. 6 You will hear about wars. You will hear reports about wars in other places. But you must not be afraid. Those things must happen first, but it is not yet the end of everything. 7 People in one country will attack the people in another country. Kings and their armies will fight against other kings and their armies. In some places, people will be hungry, with no food. The ground will shake in many different places. 8 All those things will be like the first pains that a mother has before her baby is born.
9 Then people will take hold of you and they will give you pain. They will even kill some of you. People in every country will hate you because you are my disciples. 10 At that time, many people who believe in me will stop believing. They will put some of my disciples in the power of their rulers. They will hate each other. 11 Also at that time, many people will say that they are prophets from God. Their message is false, but many people will believe them. 12 More and more people everywhere will be doing very bad things. Because of this, many people will no longer love each other in the way that they did before. 13 But God will save the person who remains strong until the end. 14 People will tell the good news about God's kingdom to people all over the world. People in every country will hear the true message from God. Then God will cause the world to come to an end.
15 Long ago, God's prophet Daniel wrote in the Bible about something that would happen. He said that one day people would put a disgusting thing that causes trouble in the temple. You will see it in the holy place. (When you read this, you must understand what it means.) 16 At that time, people in Judea must run away to the hills to hide.
17 A person who is on the roof of his house must not go down into his house. [ b ] He must not stop to get anything from his home to take with him. 18 People who are outside in their fields must not go back to their homes. They must not even go to fetch their coats. 19 That will be a bad time for women who are soon to have a baby! It will also be a bad time for those women who have little babies! 20 You must pray to God about this time when you have to run away quickly. Pray that this time of trouble will not happen in winter. Pray that it will not happen on your day of rest. 21 Great troubles will happen to people at that time. Nothing as bad has ever happened before, since the beginning of the world. Nothing as bad will ever happen again. 22 God will cause those days of great trouble to be not so many. If he did not do that, there would be nobody still alive. But God will cause those days to come to an end. He will do that to help the people that he has chosen. 23 At that time, someone may say to you, “Look, here is the Messiah.” Or they may say, “There he is!” When they say that, do not believe them. 24 Some people will say to you, “I am the Messiah!” Other people will say, “I am a prophet from God.” But their words will be false. They will do strange and powerful things for people to see. If possible, they would even deceive the people that God has chosen. 25 So be careful! I have told you about these things before they happen.
26 Some people may say to you, “Look, the Messiah is out there in the wilderness.” But do not go out to see who is there. Some people may say to you, “Look, the Messiah is hiding in that secret room.” You must not believe these people. 27 Lightning shines quickly and it lights up the whole of the sky from one side to the other. It will be like that when the Son of Man returns. 28 If the dead body of an animal is lying somewhere, vultures will come together in that place. [ c ]
29 Then after all these bad things have happened,
“The sun will become dark.
The moon will not shine any more.
Stars will fall out of the sky.
And the powerful things in the sky will shake.” [ d ]
30 Then people will see a powerful thing in the sky. This will show them that the Son of Man is coming. All the families of people in the world will cry because they are very sad. Then they will see the Son of Man. He will be riding on the clouds in the sky. He will have great power and bright glory. 31 People will hear the sound of a loud trumpet. The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will go in every direction. They will bring together all the people that God has chosen from every part of the earth and from every part of the sky.’
32 ‘Here is a lesson for you to learn about the fig tree. When the new branches on the tree start to grow, the leaves appear. Then you know that the summer will come soon. 33 In the same way, you will see all these strange things happening. Then you will know that the Son of Man will come very soon. He will be like someone at the door who is ready to come in. 34 I tell you this: The people who are alive now will not all die until all these things happen. 35 One day, the earth and the sky will have an end. But my words will be there for ever.’
36 Jesus then said, ‘Nobody knows the day or the hour when all these things will happen. Only God the Father knows when they will happen. The angels who are in heaven do not know. Even the Son does not know. 37 Remember what happened when Noah was alive. [ e ] It will be like that when the Son of Man returns to the earth. 38 In Noah's time, in the days before the flood, people were eating their meals every day. Men married women and women married men. They continued to do all these things until the day that Noah went into his big boat. 39 The people did not know what would happen. Then rain fell for a long time and all these people died in the deep water. When the Son of Man returns, it will happen quickly in the same way. 40 At that time, it will be like this: Two men will be working in a field. God will take one man away, but he will leave the other man behind. 41 Two women will be preparing food together in the same place. God will take one of them away, but he will leave the other woman behind.
42 So you must watch carefully! You do not know the day when your Master will come back. 43 You can be sure about this. The master of a house does not know at what time of night a man would come to rob him. If he knew the time, he would watch his house more carefully. He would not let the robber come into his house and take away his things. 44 So you must also be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you are not thinking about it.’
45 Jesus then said, ‘You should be like a wise servant. Be someone that the master can trust. The master will choose a man like that. He will say to him, “Rule over my house and all my other servants. Give everyone their food to eat at the right time.” 46 That servant will be very happy when his master comes home. His master will see that he has done everything well. 47 Yes, I tell you this: The master will give that servant authority to rule over everything in his house. 48 But another servant might be bad. He might say to himself, “My master will not come yet.” 49 Then he begins to hit the other servants. He eats too much and he drinks too much. He meets with other people who become drunk. 50 Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. 51 Then the master will punish him a lot. He will put the servant with those people who do not obey him. The people in that place will cry and they will bite their teeth together.’
24 Jesus left the Temple area and was walking away. But his followers came to him to show him the Temple’s buildings. 2 He asked them, “Are you looking at these buildings? The fact is, they will be destroyed. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another.”
3 Later, Jesus was sitting at a place on the Mount of Olives. The followers came to be alone with him. They said, “Tell us when these things will happen. And what will happen to prepare us for your coming and the end of time?”
4 Jesus answered, “Be careful! Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 Many people will come and use my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah.’ And they will fool many people. 6 You will hear about wars that are being fought. And you will hear stories about other wars beginning. But don’t be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes. 7 Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will be earthquakes in different places. 8 These things are only the beginning of troubles, like the first pains of a woman giving birth.
9 “Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and killed. People all over the world will hate you because you believe in me. 10 During that time many believers will lose their faith. They will turn against each other and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe things that are wrong. 12 There will be so much more evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold. 13 But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News I have shared about God’s kingdom will be told throughout the world. It will be spread to every nation. Then the end will come.
15 “Daniel the prophet spoke about ‘the terrible thing that causes destruction.’ [ a ] You will see this terrible thing standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) 16 “The people in Judea at that time should run away to the mountains. 17 They should run away without wasting time to stop for anything. If they are on the roof of their house, they must not go down to get anything out of the house. 18 If they are in the field, they must not go back to get a coat.
19 “During that time it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have small babies! 20 Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away, 21 because it will be a time of great trouble. There will be more trouble than has ever happened since the beginning of the world. And nothing as bad as that will ever happen again.
22 “But God has decided to make that terrible time short. If it were not made short, no one would continue living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen.
23 “Someone might say to you at that time, ‘Look, there is the Messiah!’ Or someone else might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them. 24 False messiahs and false prophets will come and do great miracles and wonders, [ b ] trying to fool the people God has chosen, if that is possible. 25 Now I have warned you about this before it happens.
26 “Someone might tell you, ‘The Messiah is there in the desert!’ But don’t go into the desert to look for him. Someone else might say, ‘There is the Messiah in that room!’ But don’t believe it. 27 When the Son of Man comes, everyone will see him. It will be like lightning flashing in the sky that can be seen everywhere. 28 It’s like looking for a dead body: You will find it where the vultures are gathering above.
29 “Right after the trouble of those days, this will happen:
‘The sun will become dark,
and the moon will not give light.
The stars will fall from the sky,
and everything in the sky will be changed.’ [ c ]
30 “Then there will be something in the sky that shows the Son of Man is coming. All the people of the world will cry. Everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky. He will come with power and great glory. 31 He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth. They will gather his chosen people from every part of the earth.
32 “The fig tree teaches us a lesson: When its branches become green and soft, and new leaves begin to grow, then you know that summer is very near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time [ d ] is very near, already present. 34 I assure you that all these things will happen while some of the people of this time are still living. 35 The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed, but my words will last forever.
36 “No one knows when that day or time will be. The Son and the angels in heaven don’t know when it will be. Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as what happened during Noah’s time. 38 In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married right up to the day Noah entered the boat. 39 They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them all.
“It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 40 Two men will be working together in the field. One will be taken and the other will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken and the other will be left.
42 “So always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come. 43 What would a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? You know he would be ready and not let the thief break in. 44 So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him.
45 “Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the one the master trusts to do that work? 46 When the master comes and finds that servant doing the work he gave him, it will be a day of blessing for that servant. 47 I can tell you without a doubt, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns.
48 “But what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come back soon? 49 He will begin to beat the other servants. He will eat and drink with others who are drunk. 50 Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not expecting him. 51 Then the master will punish that servant. He will send him away to be with the hypocrites, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; ( B ) every one will be thrown down.”
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, ( C ) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming ( D ) and of the end of the age?” ( E )
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ( F ) 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ( G ) 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. ( H ) There will be famines ( I ) and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted ( J ) and put to death, ( K ) and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ( L ) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets ( M ) will appear and deceive many people. ( N ) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ( O ) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom ( P ) will be preached in the whole world ( Q ) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ( R ) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ [ a ] ( S ) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop ( T ) go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ( U ) 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. ( V )
22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect ( W ) those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ( X ) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders ( Y ) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning ( Z ) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming ( AA ) of the Son of Man. ( AB ) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. ( AC )
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ [ b ] ( AD )
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth [ c ] will mourn ( AE ) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, ( AF ) with power and great glory. [ d ] 31 And he will send his angels ( AG ) with a loud trumpet call, ( AH ) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32 “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. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it [ e ] is near, right at the door. ( AI ) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ( AJ ) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ( AK )
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, [ f ] but only the Father. ( AN ) 37 As it was in the days of Noah, ( AO ) 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, ( AP ) 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. ( AQ ) 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ( AR ) 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. ( AS )
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ( AT ) 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, ( AU ) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, ( AV ) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, ( AW ) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ( AX ) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ( AY ) 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ( AZ ) 50 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. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ( BA )
