Luke 21

He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. He also saw a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these gave their gifts from their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.” As some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and dedicated gifts, he said, “As for these things you see, days will come when not one stone will be left upon another that will not be torn down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when they are about to take place?” He said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be terrified. For these things must happen first, but the end will not come immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues. There will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be an opportunity for you to bear witness. So settle it in your hearts not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. Through your endurance, gain your lives. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, those inside the city must leave, and those in the countryside must not enter it, for these are days of vengeance, so that all that is written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and those nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, perplexed at the roaring of the sea and its surging. People will faint from fear and expectation of what is coming upon the inhabited world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they begin to sprout, you see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Watch yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with overindulgence, drunkenness, and the worries of life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.” By day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and stayed on the mountain called the Mount of Olives. All the people came to him early in the morning to hear him in the temple.

Rights and attribution