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Social Evils Denounced

2Alas for those who devise wickedness
   and evil deeds^* on their beds!
When the morning dawns, they perform it,
   because it is in their power.
² They covet fields, and seize them;
   houses, and take them away;
they oppress householder and house,
   people and their inheritance.
³ Therefore, thus says the Lord:
Now, I am devising against this family an evil
   from which you cannot remove your necks;
and you shall not walk haughtily,
   for it will be an evil time.
⁴ On that day they shall take up a taunt-song against you,
   and wail with bitter lamentation,
and say, ‘We are utterly ruined;
   the Lord ^* alters the inheritance of my people;
how he removes it from me!
   Among our captors^* he parcels out our fields.’
⁵ Therefore you will have no one to cast the line by lot
   in the assembly of the Lord.

⁶ ‘Do not preach’—thus they preach—
   ‘one should not preach of such things;
   disgrace will not overtake us.’
⁷ Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
   Is the Lord’s patience exhausted?
   Are these his doings?
Do not my words do good
   to one who walks uprightly?
⁸ But you rise up against my people^* as an enemy;
   you strip the robe from the peaceful,^*
from those who pass by trustingly
   with no thought of war.
⁹ The women of my people you drive out
   from their pleasant houses;
from their young children you take away
   my glory for ever.
¹⁰ Arise and go;
   for this is no place to rest,
because of uncleanness that destroys
   with a grievous destruction.^*
11 If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods,
   saying, ‘I will preach to you of wine and strong drink’,
   such a one would be the preacher for this people!

A Promise for the Remnant of Israel

¹² I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob,
   I will gather the survivors of Israel;
I will set them together
   like sheep in a fold,
like a flock in its pasture;
   it will resound with people.
¹³ The one who breaks out will go up before them;
   they will break through and pass the gate,
   going out by it.
Their king will pass on before them,
   the Lord at their head.

¹¹³ I hate the double-minded,
   but I love your law.
¹¹⁴ You are my hiding-place and my shield;
   I hope in your word.
¹¹⁵ Go away from me, you evildoers,
   that I may keep the commandments of my God.
¹¹⁶ Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
   and let me not be put to shame in my hope.
¹¹⁷ Hold me up, that I may be safe
   and have regard for your statutes continually.
¹¹⁸ You spurn all who go astray from your statutes;
   for their cunning is in vain.
¹¹⁹ All the wicked of the earth you count as dross;
   therefore I love your decrees.
¹²⁰ My flesh trembles for fear of you,
   and I am afraid of your judgements.

¹²¹ I have done what is just and right;
   do not leave me to my oppressors.
¹²² Guarantee your servant’s well-being;
   do not let the godless oppress me.
¹²³ My eyes fail from watching for your salvation,
   and for the fulfilment of your righteous promise.
¹²⁴ Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
   and teach me your statutes.
¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me understanding,
   so that I may know your decrees.
¹²⁶ It is time for the Lord to act,
   for your law has been broken.
¹²⁷ Truly I love your commandments
   more than gold, more than fine gold.
¹²⁸ Truly I direct my steps by all your precepts;^*
   I hate every false way.

¹²⁹ Your decrees are wonderful;
   therefore my soul keeps them.
¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light;
   it imparts understanding to the simple.
¹³¹ With open mouth I pant,
   because I long for your commandments.
¹³² Turn to me and be gracious to me,
   as is your custom towards those who love your name.
¹³³ Keep my steps steady according to your promise,
   and never let iniquity have dominion over me.
¹³⁴ Redeem me from human oppression,
   that I may keep your precepts.
¹³⁵ Make your face shine upon your servant,
   and teach me your statutes.
¹³⁶ My eyes shed streams of tears
   because your law is not kept.

¹³⁷ You are righteous, O Lord,
   and your judgements are right.
¹³⁸ You have appointed your decrees in righteousness
   and in all faithfulness.
¹³⁹ My zeal consumes me
   because my foes forget your words.
¹⁴⁰ Your promise is well tried,
   and your servant loves it.
¹⁴¹ I am small and despised,
   yet I do not forget your precepts.
¹⁴² Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
   and your law is the truth.
¹⁴³ Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
   but your commandments are my delight.
¹⁴⁴ Your decrees are righteous for ever;
   give me understanding that I may live.

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

24As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ²Then he asked them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

Signs of the End of the Age

3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ ⁴Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!”^* and they will lead many astray. ⁶And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines^* and earthquakes in various places: ⁸all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Persecutions Foretold

9 ‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰Then many will fall away,^* and they will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹²And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this good news^* of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.

The Desolating Sacrilege

15 ‘So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; ¹⁷someone on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; ¹⁸someone in the field must not turn back to get a coat. ¹⁹Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. ²¹For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²²And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³Then if anyone says to you, “Look! Here is the Messiah!”^* or “There he is!”—do not believe it. ²⁴For false messiahs^* and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵Take note, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶So, if they say to you, “Look! He is in the wilderness”, do not go out. If they say, “Look! He is in the inner rooms”, do not believe it. ²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 ‘Immediately after the suffering of those days
the sun will be darkened,
   and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven,
   and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
³⁰Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³So also, when you see all these things, you know that he^* is near, at the very gates. ³⁴Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Necessity for Watchfulness

36 ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,^* but only the Father. ³⁷For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴²Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day^* your Lord is coming. ⁴³But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave

45 ‘Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves^* their allowance of food at the proper time? ⁴⁶Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. ⁴⁷Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But if that wicked slave says to himself, “My master is delayed”, ⁴⁹and he begins to beat his fellow-slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. ⁵¹He will cut him in pieces^* and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.