1 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 all these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.«

3 Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,

4 »Tell us, when will this be? And what will be the sign when these things are all to be fulfilled?«

5 And Jesus began to say to them: »Take heed that no one deceives you.

6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.

7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them.

10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand what you are to say. But say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

13 And you will be hated by all men for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

14 »When you see ‘the abomination of desolation’ standing where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.

16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his cloak.

17 But woe for those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days!

18 Pray that it may not happen in winter.

19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be.

20 And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, he is there!’ do not believe it.

22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

24 »But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened,and the moon will not give its light;

25 the stars will fall from heaven,and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 And then he will send out his angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28 »Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.

29 So also, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.

30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place.

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

32 »But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

33 Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.

34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

35 Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—

36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!«