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Mark 13

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

1 ^aAnd 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? ^bThere will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the Close of the Age

3 And as he sat on ^cthe Mount of Olives opposite the temple ^dPeter and James and John and ^eAndrew asked him ^fprivately, 4 “Tell us ^gwhen 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 ⁱMany 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 ^kdo not be alarmed. This ^lmust take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For ^mnation will rise against nation, and ⁿkingdom against kingdom. There will be ^oearthquakes in various places; there will be ^pfamines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 ^q“But ^rbe on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^sin synagogues, and you will stand before ^tgovernors and ^ukings for my sake ^vto bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^wto all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over ^xdo not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^ywhatever is given you in that hour ^zfor it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 ^aaAnd 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 ^abAnd you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. ^acBut the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

14 “But when you see ^adthe abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be ( ^aelet the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 ^afLet the one who is on ^agthe 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 ^ahalas 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 ^aisuch ^ajtribulation as has not been ^akfrom the beginning of the creation that ^alGod 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 ^amthe sake of the elect, whom ^anhe chose, he shortened the days. 21 And ^aothen if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 ^apFor false christs and false prophets will arise and ^aqperform signs and wonders ^arto lead astray, if possible ^asthe elect. 23 But ^atbe on guard; ^auI have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after ^avthat tribulation ^awthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and ^axthe stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see ^aythe Son of Man coming in clouds ^azwith great power and glory. 27 And then ^bahe will send out the angels and ^bbgather ^bchis elect from ^bdthe four winds, from ^bethe ends of the earth ^bfto 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 ^bgat the very gates. 30 ^bhTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 ^biHeaven and earth will pass away, but ^bjmy words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

32 “But concerning that day or that hour ^bkno one knows, not even the angels in heaven ^blnor the Son ^bmbut only the Father. 33 ^bnBe on guard ^bokeep awake. ^{▼

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Some manuscripts add and pray} For you do not know when the time will come. 34 ^bqIt is like a man ^brgoing on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants ^{▼

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Greek bondservants} in charge ^bteach with his work, and commands ^buthe doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 ^bvTherefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come ^bwin the evening, or ^bxat midnight, or ^bywhen the rooster crows ^{▼

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That is, the third watch of the night, between midnight and 3 a.m.} or ^cain the morning— 36 lest ^cbhe come suddenly and ^ccfind you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: ^cdStay awake.”