Matthew, 24

1. Jesus left the Temple and as he was walking away, his disciples came to him and boasted about the imposing Temple buildings.

2. But he said, "You see all this? Truly I say to you: not one stone will be left upon another here. All will be thrown down."

3. Later when Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and asked, "Tell us when this will take place. What sign will be given us before your coming and the end of history?"

4. Jesus answered, "Be on your guard and let no one mislead you.

5. Many will come, claiming my title and saying: 'I am the Messiah,' and they will mislead many people.

6. You will hear about war and threats of war, but do not be troubled, for these things must happen, but it is not yet the end.

7. Nations will fight one another, and kingdom oppose kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in several places,

8. but all these are only the beginning: the first pains of childbirth.

9. Then they will arrest you, and they will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you for you bear my name.

10. In those days, many will stumble and fall; they will betray one another and become enemies.

11. False prophets will appear and mislead many people,

12. and because of such great wickedness, love will grow cold in many people.

13. But the one who holds out to the end will be saved.

14. The Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world for all the nations to know; then the end will come.

15. When you see what the prophet Daniel foretold: the idol of the invader set up in the Temple (may the reader understand!),

16. then let those in Judea flee to the mountains.

17. If you are on the housetop, do not come down to take anything with you.

18. If you are in the field, do not turn back to fetch your cloak.

19. How hard it will be for pregnant women and mothers with babies at the breast!

20. Pray that it may not be in winter or on a sabbath that you flee.

21. For there will be great tribulation such as was never known from the beginning of the world until now, and is never to be known again.

22. And if that time were not to be shortened, no one would survive. But God will shorten it for the sake of his chosen ones.

23. Then, if anyone says to you: 'Look! The Messiah is here! He is there!', do not believe it.

24. For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders so great that they would deceive even God's chosen people, if that were possible.

25. See, I have told you everything ahead of time.

26. So, if anyone tells you: 'He is in the desert,' do not go. If they say: 'He is in such a secluded place,' do not believe it.

27. For the coming of the Son of Man will instead be like lightning which flashes from the east even to the west.

28. 'Wherever the body is, the vultures will gather.'

29. For later, after that distress, the sun will grow dark, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the skies, and the whole universe will be shaken.

30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven: as all the nations of the earth beat their breasts, they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with divine power and the fullness of Glory.

31. He will send his angels to sound the trumpet and gather the chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the earth to the other.

32. Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches grow tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.

33. In the same way, when you see all that I have told you, know that the time is near, even at the door.

34. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

35. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36. But as for that Day and that Hour, no one knows when it will come, not even the angels of God nor the Son, but only the Father.

37. At the coming of the Son of Man it will be just as it was in the time of Noah.

38. In those days before the Flood, people were eating and drinking, and marrying, until the day when Noah went into the ark.

39. Yet they did not know what would happen until the flood came and swept them away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

40. Of two men in the field, one will be taken and the other left.

41. Of two women grinding wheat together at the mill, one will be taken and the other left.

42. Stay awake, then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

43. Just think about this: if the owner of the house knew that the thief would come by night around a certain hour, he would stay awake to prevent his house to be broken into.

44. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.

45. Imagine a capable servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time.

46. Fortunate indeed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he comes.

47. Truly, I say to you, his lord will entrust that one with everything he has.

48. Not so with the bad servant who thinks: My master is delayed.

49. And he begins ill-treating his fellow servants while eating and drinking with drunkards.

50. But his master will come on the day he does not know and at the hour he least expects.

51. He will dismiss that servant and deal with him as with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.