Mark 13:14–14:31

The Great Tribulation

¹⁴“When you see the abomination that causes desolation ^destanding where it should not” (let the reader understand ^f), “then those in Judea ^gmust flee to the mountains! ¹⁵A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house. ^h16And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. ⁱ¹⁷Woe ^jto pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! ¹⁸Pray ^kit ^lwon’t happen in winter. ¹⁹For those will be days of tribulation, ^mthe kind that hasn’t been from the beginning ⁿof the world, ^opwhich God created, until now and never will be again! ²⁰Unless the Lord ^qlimited those days, ^rno one would survive. ^sBut He limited those days because of the elect, ^twhom He chose. ^u

²¹“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the ^•Messiah! ^vLook—there!’ do not believe it! ²²For false messiahs ^wand false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders ^xto lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴“But in those days, after that tribulation: ^y

The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not shed its light;

²⁵the stars ^zwill be falling from the sky,

and the celestial powers will be shaken. ^a

²⁶Then they will see the ^•Son of Man ^bcoming ^cin clouds ^dwith great power ^eand glory. ^f27He will send out the angels ^gand gather His elect ^hfrom the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. ⁱ

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁸“Learn ^jthis parable ^kfrom the fig ^ltree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ^m29In the same way, when you see these things happening, know ⁿthat He ^ois near—at the door! ^30•I assure you: ^pThis generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹Heaven and earth ^qwill pass away, ^rbut My words will never pass away. ^s

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³²“Now concerning that day ^tor hour no one knows—neither the angels ^uin heaven nor the Son ^v—except the Father. ^w33Watch! Be alert! ^xFor you don’t know when the time ^yis coming. ^z34It is like ^aa man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his ^•slaves, ^bgave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. ³⁵Therefore be alert, ^csince you don’t know when the master ^dof the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. ³⁶Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. ^e37And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14After ^ftwo days it was the Passover ^gand the Festival ^hof Unleavened Bread. ⁱThe chief priests and the scribes ^jwere looking for a treacherous ^kway to arrest and kill Him. ^l2“Not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be rioting among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

³While ^mHe was in Bethany ⁿat the house of Simon who had a serious skin disease, ^oas He was reclining at the table, ^pa woman came with an alabaster jar of pure and expensive fragrant oil of nard. She broke the jar and poured it on His head. ^q4But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this fragrant oil been wasted? ⁵For this oil might have been sold for more than 300 denarii ^rand given to the poor.” ^sAnd they began to scold her.

⁶Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing ^tfor Me. ⁷You always have the poor ^uwith you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have Me. ^v8She has done what she could; she has anointed My body ^win advance for burial. ^x9•I assure you: ^yWherever the gospel ^zis proclaimed in the whole world, ^awhat this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

¹⁰Then ^bJudas Iscariot, ^cone of the Twelve, ^dwent to the chief priests ^eto hand Him over ^fto them. ¹¹And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him silver. ^ghSo he started looking for a good opportunity to betray ⁱHim.

Preparation for Passover

¹²On ^jthe first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, ^kHis disciples ^lasked Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare the Passover so You may eat it?”

¹³So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher ^msays, “Where is the guest room for Me to eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ ¹⁵He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” ¹⁶So the disciples ⁿwent out, entered the city, and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Betrayal at the Passover

¹⁷When ^oevening came, He arrived with the Twelve. ^p18While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “I assure you: One of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me!”

¹⁹They began to be distressed and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”

²⁰He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread with Me in the bowl. ²¹For the ^•Son of Man ^qwill go just as it is written ^rabout Him, ^sbut woe ^tto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

The First Lord’s Supper

²²As ^uthey were eating, He took bread, ^vblessed and broke ^wit, gave it to them, ^xand said, “Take it; ^ythis is My body.” ^z

²³Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, ^aHe gave it to them, and so they all drank from it. ²⁴He said to them, “This is My blood that establishes the covenant; ^bcit is shed ^dfor many. ^e25I assure you: ^fI will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine ^guntil that day when I drink it in a new ^hway ⁱin the kingdom of God.” ^j26After singing psalms, ^kthey went out to the Mount of Olives. ^l

Peter’s Denial Predicted

²⁷Then ^mJesus said to them, “All of you will run away, ^nobecause it is written: ^p

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep ^qwill be scattered. ^rs

²⁸But after I have been resurrected, ^tI will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ^u

²⁹Peter ^vtold Him, “Even if everyone runs away, I will certainly not!”

³⁰“I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times!” ^w

³¹But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with You, I will never deny You!” And they all said the same thing.