^19:43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build¹²⁰ an embankment¹²¹ against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. ^19:44They will demolish you¹²²—you and your children within your walls¹²³—and they will not leave within you one stone¹²⁴ on top of another,¹²⁵ because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”¹²⁶

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Footnotes

120 Jesus now predicted the events that would be fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. The details of the siege have led some to see Luke writing this after Jerusalem’s fall, but the language of the verse is like God’s exilic judgment for covenant unfaithfulness (Hab 2:8; Jer 6:6, 14; 8:13–22; 9:1; Ezek 4:2; 26:8; Isa 29:1–4). Specific details are lacking and the procedures described (build an embankment against you) were standard Roman military tactics.
121 An embankment refers to either wooden barricades or earthworks, or a combination of the two.
122 Grk “They will raze you to the ground.” The singular pronoun you refers to the city of Jerusalem personified.
123 Grk “your children within you.” The phrase “[your] walls” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the city of Jerusalem, metaphorically pictured as an individual, is spoken of here.
124 (Not) one stone on top of another is an idiom for total destruction.
125 Grk “leave stone on stone.”
126 Grk “the time of your visitation.” To clarify what this refers to, the words “from God” are supplied at the end of the verse, although they do not occur in the Greek text. You did not recognize the time of your visitation refers to the time God came to visit them. They had missed the Messiah; see Luke 1:68–79.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

For the days will come on you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.”

NLTNew Living Translation

Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For days will come upon you and your enemies will put up an embankment against you, and will surround you and press you hard from all directions. And they will raze you to the ground, you and your children within you, and will not leave a stone upon a stone within you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

KJV 1900King James Version

For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

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