Matthew 24
Worldwide English (New Testament)
24 Jesus left the temple and was going away. His disciples came to him. They wanted to show him the different buildings that were a part of the temple.
2 But Jesus answered them, `Do you see these buildings? I tell you the truth. Not one stone here will be left on top of another stone. They will all be thrown down!'
3 Jesus was sitting on the hill called the Mount of Olives. The disciples came to him alone. They said, `Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign to show you are coming and that it is the end of this world?'
4 Jesus answered them, `Take care. Do not let anyone fool you.
5 Many men will come in my name. They will say, "I am the Christ". They will fool many people.
6 You will hear about wars. You will hear that war is coming. But do not fear. These things must happen, but that is not yet the end.
7 One tribe will fight against another tribe. And one country will fight against another country. The people will have no food to eat. Many people will be sick. The earth will shake in many different places.
8 All these troubles are only the beginning of troubles that will come.
9 `Then people will trouble you and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are true to me.
10 Then many people will stop believing. They will give one another over to trouble. They will hate one another.
11 Many people will come and say they are prophets of God. But they will not be true. They will fool many people.
12 People will do more and more wrong things and many people will stop loving me.
13 But the person who keeps on being true to me until the end, that one will be saved.
14 This good news about the kingdom will be told in all the world. The people in all countries must know about it. And then the end will come.'
15 `Daniel the prophet said that people would put something very bad in the temple.' (Let the one who reads this understand it.)
16 `When that happens, the people in Judea must go quickly to the hills.
17 A person who is on the top of a house must not go down into the house to get things from the house.
18 A person who is working in the fields must not go back home to get his coat.
19 In those days it will be very hard for women who are to have a child. It will be very hard for mothers who have a baby.
20 Ask God that you may not have to go in the cold time of the year or on the Sabbath day.
21 The trouble then will be bigger than any other trouble since God made the world. And there never will be any trouble as big as that.
22 No person would be saved if the Lord did not cut the time of trouble shorter. He will cut it shorter for the sake of his chosen people.
23 `If anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ!" or "There he is!" do not believe it.
24 People will come and say they are the Christ. People will come and say they are prophets. But they are not true. They will show big signs and do wonderful things to fool people. They will fool God's chosen people if they can.
25 Watch! I have told you these things before they happen.
26 So if people say to you, "He is in the wilderness," do not go there. If they say, "He is hiding somewhere," do not believe it.
27 When lightning shines in the east, it can be seen in the west. It will be like that when the Son of Man comes.
28 The big birds that eat meat will all go to the place where the dead body is.'
29 `Right after that time of trouble, the sun will be dark. The moon will not shine. The stars will fall from the sky. And the powers in the sky will be shaken.
30 Then people will see the sign of the Son of Man in the sky. Then all the people of the earth will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky. He will have much power and will be very great.
31 He will send his angels to call with a loud trumpet or horn. They will gather his chosen people from everywhere all over the earth.'
32 `Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its branches begin to grow and the leaves come, then you know it will soon be the warm time of the year.
33 It is the same when you see all these things. You will know that the time is very near, right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth. The people who are living then, will not die before all these things happen.
35 The sky and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.'
36 `But no one knows the day and the hour when the Son of Man will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son do not know. Only the Father knows.
37 When the Son of Man comes, it will be as it was in the time of Noah.
38 In the days before the water covered the earth, people ate and drank. They married and gave their daughters to be married. Then one day Noah went into his house built on a boat.
39 The people did not know until much water came and killed them all. When the Son of Man comes, it will be like that.
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 making flour together. One woman will be taken away and one woman will be left.
42 So watch! You do not know what day your Lord will come.
43 And remember this. The owner of the house does not know at what time of the night a man will come to steal something. If he knew, he would watch and not let the man break into his house.
44 So, be ready! The Son of Man will come at a time when you are not looking for him.
45 `Who is like a wise servant who can be trusted? His master will put him in charge of his other servants. He gives them their food at the right time.
46 The servant who is doing this when his master comes, will be blessed.
47 I tell you the truth. His master will put him in charge of all that he has.
48 But if the servant is bad, he will say to himself, "My master will not come just now."
49 Then he will begin to beat the other servants. He will eat and drink with men who are drunk.
50 The master of that servant will come on a day the servant is not looking for him. He will not know the time he is coming home.
51 The master will punish him and lock him in with people who are not true. People there will cry and grind [make a noise with] their teeth.'
Matthew 24
New King James Version
Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple(A)
24 Then (B)Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, (C)not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age(D)
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, (E)the disciples came to Him privately, saying, (F)“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: (G)“Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For (H)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ (I)and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of (J)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For (K)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be (L)famines, [b]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 (M)“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then (N)many false prophets will rise up and (O)deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow (P)cold. 13 (Q)But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this (R)gospel of the kingdom (S)will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation(T)
15 (U)“Therefore when you see the (V)‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (W)(whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But (X)woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For (Y)then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; (Z)but for the [c]elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23 (AA)“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For (AB)false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, (AC)if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 (AD)For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 (AE)For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
The Coming of the Son of Man(AF)
29 (AG)“Immediately after the tribulation of those days (AH)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 (AI)Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, (AJ)and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 (AK)And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His [d]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree(AL)
32 “Now learn (AM)this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know (AN)that [e]it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, (AO)this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 (AP)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour(AQ)
36 (AR)“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, (AS)but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 (AT)For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 (AU)Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 (AV)Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming. 43 (AW)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 (AX)Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant(AY)
45 (AZ)“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food [i]in due season? 46 (BA)Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that (BB)he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master (BC)is delaying [j]his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is (BD)not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. (BE)There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:6 NU omits all
- Matthew 24:7 NU omits pestilences
- Matthew 24:22 chosen ones’
- Matthew 24:31 chosen ones
- Matthew 24:33 Or He
- Matthew 24:36 NU adds nor the Son
- Matthew 24:42 NU day
- Matthew 24:43 Lit. watch of the night
- Matthew 24:45 at the right time
- Matthew 24:48 NU omits his coming
Matthew 24
English Standard Version
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
24 (A)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, (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 As he sat on (C)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him (D)privately, saying, “Tell us, (E)when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your (F)coming and of (G)the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, (H)“See that no one leads you astray. 5 For (I)many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am (J)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you (K)are not alarmed, for this (L)must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For (M)nation will rise against nation, and (N)kingdom against kingdom, and there will be (O)famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of (P)the birth pains.
9 “Then (Q)they will deliver you up (R)to tribulation and (S)put you to death, and (T)you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away[a] and (U)betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many (V)false prophets will arise (W)and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, (X)the love of many will grow cold. 13 (Y)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom (Z)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world (AA)as a testimony (AB)to all nations, and (AC)then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation (AD)spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in (AE)the holy place ((AF)let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 (AG)Let the one who is on (AH)the 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 (AI)alas 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 (AJ)great tribulation, (AK)such 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 (AL)the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 (AM)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For (AN)false christs and (AO)false prophets will arise and (AP)perform great signs and wonders, (AQ)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, (AR)I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, (AS)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 (AT)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be (AU)the coming of the Son of Man. 28 (AV)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after (AW)the tribulation of those days (AX)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (AY)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then (AZ)will appear in heaven (BA)the sign of the Son of Man, and then (BB)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and (BC)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (BD)with power and great glory. 31 And (BE)he will send out his angels with a loud (BF)trumpet call, and they will (BG)gather (BH)his elect from (BI)the four winds, (BJ)from 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, (BK)at the very gates. 34 (BL)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (BM)Heaven and earth will pass away, but (BN)my words will not pass away.
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour (BO)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, (BP)nor the Son,[b] (BQ)but the Father only. 37 (BR)For as were the days of Noah, (BS)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 (BT)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (BU)marrying and giving in marriage, until (BV)the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, (BW)so 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 (BX)Two women will be grinding (BY)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, (BZ)stay awake, for you do not know on what day (CA)your Lord is coming. 43 (CB)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night (CC)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be (CD)ready, for (CE)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is (CF)the faithful and (CG)wise servant,[c] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 (CH)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, (CI)he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master (CJ)is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants[d] and eats and drinks with (CK)drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come (CL)on 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 (CM)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:10 Or stumble
- Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts omit nor the Son
- Matthew 24:45 Or bondservant; also verses 46, 48, 50
- Matthew 24:49 Or bondservants
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
