BLB: NLT

From the Blue Letter Bible

New Living Translation

Mat 24:1	As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.
Mat 24:2	But he told them, "Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!"
Mat 24:3	Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, "When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world[fn1]?"
Mat 24:4	Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you.
Mat 24:5	For many will come in my name, saying, `I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
Mat 24:6	And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
Mat 24:7	The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
Mat 24:8	But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.
Mat 24:9	"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.
Mat 24:10	And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
Mat 24:11	And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.
Mat 24:12	Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
Mat 24:13	But those who endure to the end will be saved.
Mat 24:14	And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.
Mat 24:15	"The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[fn2] standing in the Holy Place"-reader, pay attention!
Mat 24:16	"Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
Mat 24:17	A person outside the house[fn3] must not go inside to pack.
Mat 24:18	A person in the field must not return even to get a coat.
Mat 24:19	How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days.
Mat 24:20	And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
Mat 24:21	For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.
Mat 24:22	In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.
Mat 24:23	"Then if anyone tells you, `Look, here is the Messiah,' or `There he is,' don't pay any attention.
Mat 24:24	For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
Mat 24:25	See, I have warned you.
Mat 24:26	"So if someone tells you, `Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, `Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!
Mat 24:27	For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
Mat 24:28	Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.[fn4]
Mat 24:29	"Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.[fn5]
Mat 24:30	And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[fn6]
Mat 24:31	And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
Mat 24:32	"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near.
Mat 24:33	Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.
Mat 24:34	I assure you, this generation[fn7] will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.
Mat 24:35	Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.
Mat 24:36	"However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[fn8] Only the Father knows.
Mat 24:37	"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.
Mat 24:38	In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
Mat 24:39	People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
Mat 24:40	"Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.
Mat 24:41	Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
Mat 24:42	So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming.
Mat 24:43	"Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into.
Mat 24:44	You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected.
Mat 24:45	"Who is a faithful, sensible servant, to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his household and feeding his family?
Mat 24:46	If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
Mat 24:47	I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
Mat 24:48	But if the servant is evil and thinks, `My master won't be back for a while,'
Mat 24:49	and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk-
Mat 24:50	well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected.
Mat 24:51	He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Footnotes:
24:3	Or the age.
24:15	Greek the abomination of desolation. See Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
24:17	Greek on the roof.
24:28	Greek Wherever the carcass is, the vultures gather.
24:29	See Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10.
24:30	See Dan 7:13.
24:34	Or this age, or this nation.
24:36	Some manuscripts omit the phrase or the Son himself.

Matthew 24
Prior Book Prior Chapter		Next Chapter Next Book

Copyright Information

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

Return to Bible Text