Matthew 24:30–51

^30*Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and all the peoples of earth will weep as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig-Tree

³²“Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin.^{x 34}Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

No One Knows the Day and Hour

³⁶“No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son;^y the Father alone knows. ^37*The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah. ³⁸In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat; ^39*yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes. ⁴⁰At that time two men will be working in a field: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind. ⁴¹Two women will be at a mill grinding meal: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind.

⁴²“Be on your guard, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come. ^43*If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house. ^44*So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant

⁴⁵“Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant? It is the one that his master has placed in charge of the other servants to give them their food at the proper time. ⁴⁶How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home! ⁴⁷Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property. ⁴⁸But if he is a bad servant, he will tell himself that his master will not come back for a long time, ⁴⁹and he will begin to beat his fellow-servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰Then that servant’s master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know. ⁵¹The master will cut him in pieces^z and make him share the fate of the hypocrites. There he will cry and grind his teeth.