Luke 21:1–38

¹Now as he looked up he saw the rich dropping their gifts into the treasury chests.²Then he saw a certain needy widow drop two small coins of very little value there,³and he said: “I tell ​YOU​ truthfully, This widow, although poor, dropped in more than they all did.⁴For all these dropped in gifts out of their surplus, but this [woman] out of her want dropped in all the means of living she had.”

⁵Later, as certain ones were speaking concerning the temple, how it was adorned with fine stones and dedicated things,⁶he said: “As for these things that ​YOU​ are beholding, the days will come in which not a stone upon a stone will be left here and not be thrown down.”⁷Then they questioned him, saying: “Teacher, when will these things actually be, and what will be the sign when these things are destined to occur?”⁸He said: “Look out that ​YOU​ are not misled; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time has approached.’ Do not go after them.⁹Furthermore, when ​YOU​ hear of wars and disorders, do not be terrified. For these things must occur first, but the end does not [occur] immediately.”

¹⁰Then he went on to say to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;¹¹and there will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another pestilences and food shortages; and there will be fearful sights and from heaven great signs.

¹²“But before all these things people will lay their hands upon ​YOU​ and persecute ​YOU, delivering ​YOU​ up to the synagogues and prisons, ​YOU​ being haled before kings and governors for the sake of my name.¹³It will turn out to ​YOU​ for a witness.¹⁴Therefore settle it in ​YOUR​ hearts not to rehearse beforehand how to make ​YOUR​ defense,¹⁵for I will give ​YOU​ a mouth and wisdom, which all ​YOUR​ opposers together will not be able to resist or dispute.¹⁶Moreover, ​YOU​ will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of ​YOU​ to death;¹⁷and ​YOU​ will be objects of hatred by all people because of my name.¹⁸And yet not a hair of ​YOUR​ heads will by any means perish.¹⁹By endurance on ​YOUR​ part ​YOU​ will acquire ​YOUR​ souls.

²⁰“Furthermore, when ​YOU​ see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near.²¹Then let those in Ju‧de′a begin fleeing to the mountains, and let those in the midst of her withdraw, and let those in the country places not enter into her;²²because these are days for meting out justice, that all the things written may be fulfilled.²³Woe to the pregnant women and the ones suckling a baby in those days! For there will be great necessity upon the land and wrath on this people;²⁴and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.

²⁵“Also, there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and [its] agitation,²⁶while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.²⁷And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.²⁸But as these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift ​YOUR​ heads up, because ​YOUR​ deliverance is getting near.”

²⁹With that he spoke an illustration to them: “Note the fig tree and all the other trees:³⁰When they are already in the bud, by observing it ​YOU​ know for yourselves that now the summer is near.³¹In this way ​YOU​ also, when ​YOU​ see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near.³²Truly I say to ​YOU, This generation will by no means pass away until all things occur.³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

³⁴“But pay attention to yourselves that ​YOUR​ hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon ​YOU³⁵as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth.³⁶Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that ​YOU​ may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”

³⁷So by day he would be teaching in the temple, but by night he would go out and lodge on the mountain called the Mount of Olives.³⁸And all the people would come early in the day to him in the temple to hear him.