Mark 13-16

English Standard Version

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

13 ^(A)And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^(B)There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ And as he sat on ^(C)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^(D)Peter and James and John and ^(E)Andrew asked him ^(F)privately, ⁴ “Tell us, ^(G)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, ^(H)“See that no one leads you astray. ^6 (I)Many will come in my name, saying, ^(J)‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ^(K)do not be alarmed. This ^(L)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For ^(M)nation will rise against nation, and ^(N)kingdom against kingdom. There will be ^(O)earthquakes in various places; there will be ^(P)famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

^9 (Q)“But ^(R)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^(S)in synagogues, and you will stand before ^(T)governors and ^(U)kings for my sake, ^(V)to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^(W)to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, ^(X)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^(Y)whatever is given you in that hour, ^(Z)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ^12 (AA)And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ^13 (AB)And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(AC)But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴ “But when you see ^(AD)the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (^(AE)let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^15 (AF)Let the one who is on ^(AG)the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷ And ^(AH)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹ For in those days there will be ^(AI)such ^(AJ)tribulation as has not been ^(AK)from the beginning of the creation that ^(AL)God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for ^(AM)the sake of the elect, whom ^(AN)he chose, he shortened the days. ²¹ And ^(AO)then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ^22 (AP)For false christs and false prophets will arise and ^(AQ)perform signs and wonders, ^(AR)to lead astray, if possible, ^(AS)the elect. ²³ But ^(AT)be on guard; ^(AU)I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after ^(AV)that tribulation, ^(AW)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and ^(AX)the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see ^(AY)the Son of Man coming in clouds ^(AZ)with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then ^(BA)he will send out the angels and ^(BB)gather ^(BC)his elect from ^(BD)the four winds, from ^(BE)the ends of the earth ^(BF)to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “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. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, ^(BG)at the very gates. ^30 (BH)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^31 (BI)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(BJ)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, ^(BK)no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, ^(BL)nor the Son, ^(BM)but only the Father. ^33 (BN)Be on guard, ^(BO)keep awake.^[a] For you do not know when the time will come. ^34 (BP)It is like a man ^(BQ)going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants^[b] in charge, ^(BR)each with his work, and commands ^(BS)the doorkeeper to stay awake. ^35 (BT)Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, ^(BU)in the evening, or ^(BV)at midnight, or ^(BW)when the rooster crows,^[c] or ^(BX)in the morning— ³⁶ lest ^(BY)he come suddenly and ^(BZ)find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: ^(CA)Stay awake.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14 ^(CB)It was now two days before ^(CC)the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes ^(CD)were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, ² for they said, “Not during the feast, ^(CE)lest there be an uproar from the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^3 (CF)And while he was at ^(CG)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^[d] as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴ There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii^[e] and ^(CH)given to the poor.” And they ^(CI)scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ For ^(CJ)you always have the poor with you, and whenever ^(CK)you want, you can do good for them. But ^(CL)you will not always have me. ^8 (CM)She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand ^(CN)for burial. ⁹ And truly, I say to you, wherever ^(CO)the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told ^(CP)in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

^10 (CQ)Then ^(CR)Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, ^(CS)went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. ¹¹ And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to ^(CT)betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^12 (CU)And on ^(CV)the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they ^(CW)sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³ And he sent ^(CX)two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ^(CY)‘The Teacher says, Where is ^(CZ)my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ And he will show you ^(DA)a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” ¹⁶ And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

^17 (DB)And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. ¹⁸ And as they were reclining at table and eating, ^(DC)Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, ^(DD)one who is eating with me.” ¹⁹ They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” ²⁰ He said to them, “It is ^(DE)one of the twelve, ^(DF)one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. ²¹ For the Son of Man goes ^(DG)as it is written of him, but ^(DH)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(DI)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Institution of the Lord's Supper

^22 (DJ)And as they were eating, he took bread, and after ^(DK)blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; ^(DL)this is my body.” ²³ And he took a cup, and when he had ^(DM)given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. ²⁴ And he said to them, ^(DN)“This is my ^(DO)blood of the^[f] covenant, which is poured out for ^(DP)many. ²⁵ Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

^26 (DQ)And when they had sung a hymn, ^(DR)they went out to ^(DS)the Mount of Olives. ²⁷ And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will ^(DT)strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ ²⁸ But after I am raised up, ^(DU)I will go before you to Galilee.” ^29 (DV)Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” ³⁰ And ^(DW)Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before ^(DX)the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” ³¹ But ^(DY)he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^32 (DZ)And they went ^(EA)to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ And he took with him ^(EB)Peter and James and John, and began ^(EC)to be greatly distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And he said to them, ^(ED)“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and ^(EE)watch.”^{[g] 35} And going a little farther, he fell on the ground ^(EF)and prayed that, if it were possible, ^(EG)the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, ^(EH)“Abba, Father, ^(EI)all things are possible for you. Remove ^(EJ)this cup from me. ^(EK)Yet not what I will, but what you will.” ³⁷ And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? ^38 (EL)Watch and ^(EM)pray that you may not ^(EN)enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ And again he went away and prayed, ^(EO)saying the same words. ⁴⁰ And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^(EP)their eyes were very heavy, and ^(EQ)they did not know what to answer him. ⁴¹ And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? ^(ER)It is enough; ^(ES)the hour has come. ^(ET)The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

^43 (EU)And immediately, while he was still speaking, ^(EV)Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵ And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, ^(EW)“Rabbi!” And he ^(EX)kissed him. ⁴⁶ And they laid hands on him and seized him. ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood by drew his ^(EY)sword and struck the servant^[h] of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? ^49 (EZ)Day after day I was with you in the temple ^(FA)teaching, and you did not seize me. But ^(FB)let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” ^50 (FC)And they all left him and fled.

A Young Man Flees

⁵¹ And a young man followed him, with nothing but ^(FD)a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, ⁵² but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus Before the Council

^53 (FE)And ^(FF)they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. ^54 (FG)And ^(FH)Peter had followed him at a distance, ^(FI)right into ^(FJ)the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with ^(FK)the guards and ^(FL)warming himself at the fire. ⁵⁵ Now the chief priests and the whole council^[i] were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. ^56 (FM)For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony ^(FN)did not agree. ⁵⁷ And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, ^58 (FO)“We heard him say, ^(FP)‘I will destroy this temple ^(FQ)that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, ^(FR)not made with hands.’” ⁵⁹ Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. ⁶⁰ And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”^{[j] 61} But ^(FS)he remained silent and made no answer. ^(FT)Again the high priest asked him, “Are you ^(FU)the Christ, the Son of ^(FV)the Blessed?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am, and ^(FW)you will see the Son of Man ^(FX)seated at the right hand of Power, and ^(FY)coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³ And the high priest ^(FZ)tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? ⁶⁴ You have heard ^(GA)his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they ^(GB)all condemned him as ^(GC)deserving death. ^65 (GD)And some began ^(GE)to spit on him and ^(GF)to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him ^(GG)with blows.

Peter Denies Jesus

^66 (GH)And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, ⁶⁷ and seeing Peter ^(GI)warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway^[k] and ^(GJ)the rooster crowed.^{[l] 69} And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰ But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” ⁷¹ But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” ⁷² And immediately the rooster crowed ^(GK)a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ^(GL)“Before the rooster crows twice, you will ^(GM)deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.^[m]

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

15 ^(GN)And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests ^(GO)held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And ^(GP)they bound Jesus and ^(GQ)led him away and ^(GR)delivered him over to ^(GS)Pilate. ^2 (GT)And Pilate asked him, ^(GU)“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, ^(GV)“You have said so.” ³ And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ And Pilate again asked him, ^(GW)“Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” ⁵ But Jesus ^(GX)made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

^6 (GY)Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. ⁷ And among the rebels in prison, who had ^(GZ)committed murder ^(HA)in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. ⁸ And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. ⁹ And he answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he perceived that ^(HB)it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. ¹² And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with ^(HC)the man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” ¹⁴ And Pilate said to them, “Why? ^(HD)What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” ¹⁵ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having ^(HE)scourged^[n] Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^16 (HF)And the soldiers led him away inside ^(HG)the palace (that is, ^(HH)the governor's headquarters),^[o] and they called together the whole ^(HI)battalion.^{[p] 17} And they clothed him in ^(HJ)a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to salute him, ^(HK)“Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ And they were striking his head with a reed and ^(HL)spitting on him and ^(HM)kneeling down in homage to him. ²⁰ And when they had ^(HN)mocked him, they stripped him of ^(HO)the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they ^(HP)led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

^21 (HQ)And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. ^22 (HR)And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). ²³ And they offered him wine mixed with ^(HS)myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him and ^(HT)divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. ²⁵ And ^(HU)it was the third hour^[q] when they crucified him. ²⁶ And the inscription of the charge against him read, ^(HV)“The King of the Jews.” ²⁷ And with him they crucified two ^(HW)robbers, ^(HX)one on his right and one on his left.^{[r] 29} And ^(HY)those who passed by derided him, ^(HZ)wagging their heads and saying, ^(IA)“Aha! ^(IB)You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, ^(IC)“He saved others; ^(ID)he cannot save himself. ³² Let ^(IE)the Christ, ^(IF)the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may ^(IG)see and believe.” ^(IH)Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

The Death of Jesus

³³ And when the sixth hour^[s] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.^{[t] 34} And at the ninth hour Jesus ^(II)cried with a loud voice, ^(IJ)“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” ³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with ^(IK)sour wine, put it on a reed ^(IL)and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷ And Jesus ^(IM)uttered a loud cry and ^(IN)breathed his last. ³⁸ And ^(IO)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ^39 (IP)And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he^[u] breathed his last, he said, ^(IQ)“Truly this man was the Son^[v] of God!”

⁴⁰ There were also ^(IR)women looking on ^(IS)from a distance, among whom were ^(IT)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and ^(IU)Salome. ⁴¹ When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ^(IV)ministered to him, and there were also many other women who ^(IW)came up with him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

^42 (IX)And when evening had come, since it was ^(IY)the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, ^(IZ)a respected member of the council, who ^(JA)was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died.^[w] And summoning ^(JB)the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. ⁴⁵ And when he learned from ^(JC)the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. ⁴⁶ And Joseph^[x] bought ^(JD)a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and ^(JE)laid him in a tomb ^(JF)that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled ^(JG)a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ^47 (JH)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

The Resurrection

16 ^(JI)(JJ)When the Sabbath was past, ^(JK)Mary Magdalene, ^(JL)Mary the mother of James, and ^(JM)Salome ^(JN)bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³ And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away ^(JO)the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—^(JP)it was very large. ⁵ And ^(JQ)entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, ^(JR)dressed in ^(JS)a white robe, and ^(JT)they were alarmed. ⁶ And he said to them, ^(JU)“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter that ^(JV)he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, ^(JW)just as he told you.” ⁸ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

[Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.]^[y]

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

⁹ [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, ^(JX)he appeared first to ^(JY)Mary Magdalene, ^(JZ)from whom he had cast out seven demons. ^10 (KA)She went and told those who had been with him, ^(KB)as they ^(KC)mourned and wept. ¹¹ But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they ^(KD)would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

^12 (KE)After these things ^(KF)he appeared in ^(KG)another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. ^13 (KH)And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

The Great Commission

¹⁴ Afterward ^(KI)he appeared ^(KJ)to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their ^(KK)unbelief and ^(KL)hardness of heart, because ^(KM)they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. ¹⁵ And he said to them, ^(KN)“Go into all the world and ^(KO)proclaim the gospel to ^(KP)the whole creation. ^16 (KQ)Whoever believes and is ^(KR)baptized ^(KS)will be saved, but ^(KT)whoever ^(KU)does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And ^(KV)these signs will accompany those who believe: ^(KW)in my name they will cast out demons; ^(KX)they will speak in new tongues; ^18 (KY)they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; ^(KZ)they will lay their hands ^(LA)on the sick, and they will recover.”

¹⁹ So then the Lord Jesus, ^(LB)after he had spoken to them, ^(LC)was taken up into heaven and ^(LD)sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, while ^(LE)the Lord worked with them and confirmed ^(LF)the message ^(LG)by accompanying signs.]]