⁸And he said, Watch out that you are not deceived! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them! ⁹And when you hear about wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not be at once.” ¹⁰Then he said to them, “nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes and famines and plagues in various places. There will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven.

Persecution of Disciples Predicted

¹²“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you,^* handing you^* over to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before^* kings and governors because of my name. ¹³This will turn out to you for a time of witness. ¹⁴Therefore make up your minds^b not to prepare in advance to speak in your own defense, ¹⁵for I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all your opponents will not be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶And you will be handed over even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put to death some of you. ¹⁷And you will be hated by all because of my name. ¹⁸Even a hair of your head will never perish! ¹⁹By your patient endurance you will gain your lives.

The Desolation of Jerusalem

²⁰“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. ²¹Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside it^c must depart, and those in the fields must not enter into it, ²²because these are days of vengeance, so that all the things that are written can be fulfilled. ²³Woe to those who are pregnant^d and to those who are nursing their babies^* in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people, ²⁴and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations,^e and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Arrival of the Son of Man

²⁵“And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity from the noise of the sea and its surging, ²⁶people fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.^f ²⁷And then they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloud^g with power and great glory.

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Footnotes

*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here the participle (“be brought before”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
bLiterally “therefore place in your hearts”
cLiterally “in the midst of it”
dLiterally “who have in the womb”
*The words “their babies” are not in the Greek text but are supplied as a necessary clarification
eThe same Greek word, occurring three times in this verse, can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context
fAn allusion to Isa 34:4
gAn allusion to Dan 7:13