³³^lBe on guard, ^mkeep awake.¹ For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ⁿIt is like a man ^ogoing on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants² in charge, ^peach with his work, and commands ^qthe doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵^rTherefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, ^sin the evening, or ^sat midnight, or ^twhen the rooster crows,³ or ^uin the morning— ³⁶lest ^vhe come suddenly and ^wfind you asleep. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: ^rStay awake.”

Read in Logos

Footnotes

1Some manuscripts add and pray
2Or bondservants
3That is, the third watch of the night, between midnight and 3 a.m.

Cross references

lver. 5
m Eph. 6:18; Heb. 13:17; [ch. 14:38]
n[Matt. 25:14]
o[ch. 12:1; Matt. 21:33]
p[Rom. 12:6–8]
q Ezek. 44:11; John 10:3; [Luke 12:36]
rch. 14:34–38; Matt. 25:13; 26:41; Luke 12:37; 21:36; Acts 20:31; 1 Cor. 16:13; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Pet. 5:8
sch. 1:32; Luke 12:38
tch. 14:30, 68, 72
u[ch. 6:48; Ex. 14:24]
v[1 Thess. 5:1–6]
wch. 14:40
r[See ver. 35 above]

In other versions

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming.

“It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”

NLTNew Living Translation

And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!

“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Watch out! Be alert, because you do not know when the time is! It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority—to each one his work—and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning—lest he arrive suddenly and find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be on the alert!”

KJV 1900King James Version

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Public Domain