4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.j 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.k 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.l There will be faminesm and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecutedn and put to death,o and you will be hated by all nations because of me.p 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophetsq will appear and deceive many people.r 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.s 14 And this gospel of the kingdomt will be preached in the whole worldu as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy placev ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’a w spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetopx go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!y 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.z

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the electa those days will be shortened.