Matthew 24

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The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 And again Jesus ospoke to them in parables, saying, pThe kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave qa wedding feast for his son, and rsent his servants1 to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. sAgain he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my tdinner, umy oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast. But vthey paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, wtreated them shamefully, and xkilled them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and ydestroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not zworthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. 10 And those servants went out into the roads and bgathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there ca man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, dFriend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, Bind him hand and foot and ecast him into the outer darkness. In that place ethere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are fcalled, but few are fchosen.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 gThen the Pharisees went and plotted how hto entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent itheir disciples to him, along with jthe Herodians, saying, Teacher, kwe know that you are true and teach lthe way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for myou are not swayed by appearances.2 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay ntaxes to oCaesar, or not? 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, Why pput me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax. And they brought him a denarius.3 20 And Jesus said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? 21 They said, Caesar’s. Then he said to them, qTherefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they rleft him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 The same day sSadducees came to him, twho say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, Teacher, Moses said, uIf a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.

29 But Jesus answered them, You are wrong, vbecause you know neither the Scriptures nor wthe power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither xmarry nor xare given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, yhave you not read what was said to you by God: 32 zI am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. 33 And when the crowd heard it, athey were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 bBut when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced cthe Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 dAnd one of them, ea lawyer, asked him a question fto test him. 36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? 37 And he said to him, gYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And ha second is like it: iYou shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 jOn these two commandments depend kall the Law and the Prophets.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 lNow while the Pharisees mwere gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, What do you think about nthe Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him, nThe son of David. 43 He said to them, How is it then that David, oin the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44  pThe Lord said to my Lord,

Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet?

45 If then David calls him Lord, qhow is he his son? 46 rAnd no one was able to answer him a word, snor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus tsaid to the crowds and to his disciples, uThe scribes and the Pharisees vsit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, wbut not the works they do. xFor they preach, but do not practice. yThey tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,1 and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. tThey do all their deeds zto be seen by others. For they make atheir phylacteries broad and btheir fringes long, and they clove the place of honor at feasts and dthe best seats in the synagogues and dgreetings in ethe marketplaces and being called frabbi2 by others. gBut you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are hall brothers.3 iAnd call no man your father on earth, for jyou have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, kthe Christ. 11 lThe greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 mWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 But woe nto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you oshut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you pneither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.4 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single qproselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a rchild of shell5 as yourselves.

16 Woe to tyou, ublind guides, who say, vIf anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or wthe temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by xthe gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath. 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ythe altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by zhim who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by aheaven swears by bthe throne of God and by chim who sits upon it.

23 dWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For eyou tithe mint and dill and fcumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: gjustice and mercy and faithfulness. hThese you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ia camel!

25 jWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For kyou clean the outside of lthe cup and the plate, but inside they are full of mgreed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of lthe cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 nWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like owhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and pall uncleanness. 28 So you also qoutwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of rhypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 sWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets. 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are tsons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 uFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, vyou brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to whell? 34 xTherefore yI send you zprophets and wise men and ascribes, bsome of whom you will kill and crucify, and bsome you will cflog in your synagogues and dpersecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all ethe righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous fAbel to the blood of gZechariah the son of Barachiah,6 whom you murdered between hthe sanctuary and ithe altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, jall these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 kO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that lkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have mgathered nyour children together oas a hen gathers her brood punder her wings, and qyou were not willing! 38 See, ryour house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, sBlessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 tJesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, uthere will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

Signs of the End of the Age

As he sat on vthe Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him wprivately, saying, Tell us, xwhen will these things be, and what will be the sign of your ycoming and of zthe end of the age? And Jesus answered them, aSee that no one leads you astray. For bmany will come in my name, saying, I am cthe Christ, and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you dare not alarmed, for this emust take place, but the end is not yet. For fnation will rise against nation, and gkingdom against kingdom, and there will be hfamines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of ithe birth pains.

Then jthey will deliver you up kto tribulation and lput you to death, and myou will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away1 and nbetray one another and hate one another. 11 And many ofalse prophets will arise pand lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, qthe love of many will grow cold. 13 rBut the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom swill be proclaimed throughout the whole world tas a testimony uto all nations, and vthen the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

15 So when you see the abomination of desolation wspoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in xthe holy place (ylet the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 zLet the one who is on athe housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And balas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be cgreat tribulation, dsuch as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ethe sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 fThen if anyone says to you, Look, here is the Christ! or There he is! do not believe it. 24 For gfalse christs and hfalse prophets will arise and iperform great signs and wonders, hso as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, jI have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, Look, khe is in the wilderness, do not go out. If they say, Look, he is in the inner rooms, do not believe it. 27 lFor as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be mthe coming of the Son of Man. 28 nWherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 Immediately after othe tribulation of those days pthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and qthe stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then rwill appear in heaven sthe sign of the Son of Man, and then tall the tribes of the earth will mourn, and uthey will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven vwith power and great glory. 31 And whe will send out his angels with a loud xtrumpet call, and they will ygather zhis elect from athe four winds, bfrom one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, cat the very gates. 34 dTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 eHeaven and earth will pass away, but fmy words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

36 But concerning that day and hour gno one knows, not even the angels of heaven, hnor the Son,2 ibut the Father only. 37 jFor as were the days of Noah, kso will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 jFor as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, lmarrying and giving in marriage, until mthe day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, kso will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 nTwo women will be grinding oat the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, pstay awake, for you do not know on what day qyour Lord is coming. 43 rBut know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night sthe thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be tready, for uthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 Who then is vthe faithful and wwise servant,3 whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 xBlessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, yhe will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, My master zis delayed, 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants4 and eats and drinks with adrunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come bon a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place cthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like dten virgins who took their lamps1 and went to meet ethe bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wwise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom fwas delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But gat midnight there was a cry, Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and htrimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and ithose who were ready went in with him to jthe marriage feast, and kthe door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, lLord, lord, open to us. 12 lBut he answered, Truly, I say to you, mI do not know you. 13 nWatch therefore, for you oknow neither the day nor the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

14 pFor qit will be like a man rgoing on a journey, who called his servants3 and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five stalents,4 to another two, to another one, tto each according to his ability. Then he rwent away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and udug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now vafter a long time the master of those servants came and wsettled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more. 21 His master said to him, Well done, good and xfaithful servant.5 yYou have been faithful over a little; zI will set you over much. Enter into athe joy of your master. 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more. 23 His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be ba hard man, reaping cwhere you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, dyou have what is yours. 26 But his master answered him, You ewicked and eslothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 fFor to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And gcast hthe worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place gthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Final Judgment

31 iWhen the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, jthen he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him kwill be gathered lall the nations, and mhe will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates nthe sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then othe King will say to pthose on his right, Come, you qwho are blessed by my Father, rinherit sthe kingdom tprepared for you ufrom the foundation of the world. 35 For vI was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you wgave me drink, xI was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 vI was naked and you clothed me, yI was sick and you zvisited me, aI was in prison and you came to me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 And bthe King will answer them, cTruly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these dmy brothers,6 you did it to me.

41 Then he will say to those on his left, eDepart from me, you fcursed, into gthe eternal fire prepared for hthe devil and his angels. 42 For iI was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? 45 Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, jyou did not do it to me. 46 And these will go away kinto eternal punishment, but the righteous kinto leternal life.

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, mYou know that after two days nthe Passover is coming, and othe Son of Man pwill be delivered up to be crucified.

qThen the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in rthe palace of the high priest, whose name was sCaiaphas, tand plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, Not during the feast, ulest there be an uproar among the people.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

vNow when Jesus was at wBethany in the house of Simon the leper,1 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and xgiven to the poor. 10 But yJesus, aware of this, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For zyou always have the poor with you, but ayou will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it bto prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever cthis gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told din memory of her.

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 eThen one of the twelve, whose name was fJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, What will you give me if I deliver him over to you? And they gpaid him hthirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity ito betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 jNow on kthe first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover? 18 He said, Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, lThe Teacher says, mMy time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 nWhen it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.2 21 And as they were eating, ohe said, Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, Is it I, Lord? 23 He answered, pHe who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes qas it is written of him, but rwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! sIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born. 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, Is it I, tRabbi? He said to him, uYou have said so.

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 vNow as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and wafter blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; xthis is my body. 27 And he took a cup, and when he yhad given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, 28 for xthis is my zblood of the3 covenant, which is poured out for amany bfor the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you cin my Father’s kingdom.

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

30 dAnd when they had sung a hymn, ethey went out to fthe Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, I will gstrike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 32 But after I am raised up, hI will go before you to Galilee. 33 iPeter answered him, Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. 34 jJesus said to him, Truly, I tell you, this very night, kbefore the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. 35 lPeter said to him, Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you! And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 mThen Jesus went with them eto a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, Sit here, while I go over there and pray. 37 And taking with him nPeter and othe two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, pMy soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and qwatch4 with me. 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face rand prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let sthis cup pass from me; tnevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 qWatch and upray that you vmay not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, wyour will be done. 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for xtheir eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ythe third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, Sleep and take your rest later on.5 See, zthe hour is at hand, and athe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 bWhile he was still speaking, cJudas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The one I will kiss is the man; seize him. 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, Greetings, dRabbi! And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, eFriend, fdo what you came to do.6 Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his gsword and struck the servant7 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its place. For hall who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 iDo you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me jmore than twelve klegions of angels? 54 lBut how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day mI sat in the temple nteaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But lall this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. oThen all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

57 pThen qthose who had seized Jesus led him to rCaiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And sPeter was following him at a distance, as far as rthe courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with tthe guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council8 uwere seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, vthough many false witnesses came forward. At last wtwo came forward 61 and said, This man said, xI am able to ydestroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days. 62 And the high priest stood up and said, Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?9 63 zBut Jesus remained silent. aAnd the high priest said to him, bI adjure you by cthe living God, dtell us if you are ethe Christ, fthe Son of God. 64 Jesus said to him, gYou have said so. But I tell you, from now on hyou will see the Son of Man iseated at the right hand of Power and hcoming on the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest jtore his robes and said, kHe has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment? They answered, lHe deserves death. 67 Then mthey spit in his face nand ostruck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, Prophesy to us, you pChrist! Who is it that struck you?

Peter Denies Jesus

69 qNow Peter was sitting outside rin the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, You also were with Jesus the Galilean. 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you mean. 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, This man was with Jesus sof Nazareth. 72 And again he denied it with an oath: I do not know the man. 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, Certainly you too are one of them, for tyour accent betrays you. 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, uBefore the rooster crows, you will vdeny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.