American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him.
Blessed are those {Greek: bondservants.}servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them.
And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their {Or, torches}lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
For the foolish, when they took their {Or, torches}lamps, took no oil with them:
but the wise took oil in their vessels with their {Or, torches}lamps.
Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him.
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their {Or, torches}lamps.
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our {Or, torches}lamps are going out.
But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.
In the mean time, when {Greek: the myriads of.}the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to {Or, say unto his disciples, First of all beware ye}say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
But there is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Wherefore whatsoever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath {Or, authority}power to cast into {Greek: Gehenna.}hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess {Greek: in me.}me before men, {Greek: in him.}him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God.
And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven.
And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say.
And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.
But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: {Or, for even in a man's abundance his life is not from the things which he possesseth}for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits?
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my {Or, life}soul, {Or, life}Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night {Greek: they require thy soul.}is thy {Or, life}soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your {Or, soul}life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
For the {Or, soul}life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment.
Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds!
And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto {Or, his stature}the measure of his life?
If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest?
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
Yet seek ye {Many ancient authorities read the kingdom of God.}his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning;
and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him.
Blessed are those {Greek: bondservants.}servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them.
And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all?
And the Lord said, Who then is {Or, the faithful steward, the wise man whom &c.}the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful.
And that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, who knew his lord's will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes;
but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more.
I came to cast fire upon the earth; and {Or, how would I that it were already kindled!}what do I desire, if it is already kindled?
But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law.
And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass.
And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a {Or, hot wind}scorching heat; and it cometh to pass.
Ye hypocrites, ye know how to {Greek: prove.}interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to {Greek: prove.}interpret this time?
And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the {Greek: exactor.}officer, and the {Greek: exactor.}officer shall cast thee into prison.
I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Who then is the faithful and wise {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that evil {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God,
For our {Or, commonwealth}citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Let not your heart be troubled: {Or, ye believe in God}believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many {Or, abiding-places}mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach.
And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow;
and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:
and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth:
and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them:
and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
He that hath ears {Some ancient authorities add here, and in verse 43, to hear: as in Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8.}, let him hear.
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, {Isaiah 6:9, 10.}By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross,And their ears are dull of hearing,And their eyes they have closed;Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,And hear with their ears,And understand with their heart,And should turn again,And I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
Hear then ye the parable of the sower.
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it;
yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth.
And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the {Or, age}world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field:
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed {Or, darnel}tares also among the wheat, and went away.
But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
And the {Greek: bondservants.}servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?
And he said unto them, An {Greek: A man this is an enemy.}enemy hath done this. And the {Greek: bondservants.}servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three {The word in the Greek denotes the Hebrew seah, a measure containing nearly a peek and a half.}measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, {Psalm 78:2.}I will open my mouth in parables;I will utter things hidden from the foundation {Many ancient authorities omit of the world.}of the world.
Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears {See verse 9.}, let him hear.
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and {Or, for joy thereof}in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls:
and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a {Greek: drag-net.}net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away.
So shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous,
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea.
And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these {Greek: powers.}mighty works?
Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, {Or, Jacob}James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?
And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
And they were {Greek: caused to stumble.}offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.
And he did not many {Greek: powers.}mighty works there because of their unbelief.
They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath {Or, appointed by}set within His own authority.
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white apparel;
who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.
For those days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be.
And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their {Or, torches}lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
And five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
For the foolish, when they took their {Or, torches}lamps, took no oil with them:
and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have {Or, practised}done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.
And this {Or, these good tidings}gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole {Greek: inhabited earth.}world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
And if ye are willing to receive {Or, him}it, this is Elijah, that is to come.
And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers {Or, with}to the children, and the heart of the children {Or, with}to their fathers; lest I come and smite the {Or, land}earth with a {Or, ban Or, devoting to destruction}curse.
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans:
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing.
And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; {Or, and he that hath no sword, let him sell his cloak, and buy one.}and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword.
For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, {Isaiah 53:12.}And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath {Greek: end.}fulfilment.
And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy {Greek: presence.}coming, and of {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
But all these things are the beginning of travail.
Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many stumble, and shall {See chapter 10:4.}deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
And this {Or, these good tidings}gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole {Greek: inhabited earth.}world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was {Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.}spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in {Or, a holy place}the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:
let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house:
and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe {Or, him}it not.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Behold, I have told you beforehand.
If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe {Or, them}it not.
For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the {Or, vultures}eagles be gathered together.
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send forth his angels with {Or, a trumpet of great sound}a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that {Or, it}he is nigh, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, {Many authorities, some ancient, omit neither the Son.}neither the Son, but the Father only.
And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left:
two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Who then is the faithful and wise {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that evil {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
And this {Or, these good tidings}gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole {Greek: inhabited earth.}world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was {Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.}spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in {Or, a holy place}the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:
let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house:
and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe {Or, him}it not.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Behold, I have told you beforehand.
If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe {Or, them}it not.
For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
And I also say unto thee, that thou art {Greek: Petros.}Peter, and upon this {Greek: petra.}rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added {Greek: together.}to them day by day those that {Or, were being saved}were saved.
But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yea and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass.
The {Greek: first.}former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,
until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
to whom he also {Greek: presented.}showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God:
and, {Or, eating with them}being assembled together with them, he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from me:
for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized {Or, with}in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.
They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath {Or, appointed by}set within His own authority.
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold two men stood by them in white apparel;
who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.
Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey off.
And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter and John and {Or, Jacob}James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, {Or, Jacob}James the son of Alphæus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the {Or, brother See Jude 1.}son of {Or, Jacob}James.
These all with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer, {Or, with certain women}with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
And in these days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, and said (and there was a multitude of {Greek: names See Revelation 3:4.}persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty),
Brethren, it was needful that the scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus.
For he was numbered among us, and received his {Or, lot}portion in this ministry.
(Now this man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood.)
For it is written in the book of Psalms, {Psalm 69:25}Let his habitation be made desolate,And let no man dwell therein:and, {Psalm 109:8.}His {Greek: overseership.}office let another take.
Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out {Or, over}among us,
beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.
And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show of these two the one whom thou hast chosen,
to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.
And they gave lots {Or, unto}for them; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
And he called unto him his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all manner of sickness.
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; {Or, Jacob}James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the {See marginal note on chapter 5:46.}publican; {Or, Jacob}James the son of Alphæus, and Thaddæus;
Simon the {Or, Zealot See Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13}Cananæan, and Judas Iscariot, who also {Or, delivered him up}betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans:
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.
Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your {Greek: girdles.}purses;
no wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food.
And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth.
And as ye enter into the house, salute it.
And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and {Or, simple}harmless as doves.
But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you;
yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak.
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against parents, and {Or, put them to death}cause them to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a {Greek: bondservant.}servant above his lord.
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the {Greek: bondservant.}servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house {Greek: Beelzebul.}Beelzebub, how much more them of his household!
Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops.
And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in {Greek: Gehenna.}hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father:
but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Every one therefore who shall confess {Greek: in me.}me before men, {Greek: in him.}him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Think not that I came to {Greek: cast.}send peace on the earth: I came not to {Greek: cast.}send peace, but a sword.
For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law:
and a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.
He that {Or, found}findeth his life shall lose it; and he that {Or, lost}loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward: and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.
And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy {Greek: presence.}coming, and of {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
But all these things are the beginning of travail.
Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many stumble, and shall {See chapter 10:4.}deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
And this {Or, these good tidings}gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole {Greek: inhabited earth.}world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was {Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.}spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in {Or, a holy place}the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:
let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out the things that are in his house:
and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe {Or, him}it not.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Behold, I have told you beforehand.
If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe {Or, them}it not.
For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the {Or, vultures}eagles be gathered together.
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send forth his angels with {Or, a trumpet of great sound}a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that {Or, it}he is nigh, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, {Many authorities, some ancient, omit neither the Son.}neither the Son, but the Father only.
And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left:
two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.
{Or, But this ye know}But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be {Greek: digged through.}broken through.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Who then is the faithful and wise {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
Blessed is that {Greek: bondservant.}servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath.
But if that evil {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings!
And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and {Or, Jacob}James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about to be accomplished?
And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray.
Many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and shall lead many astray.
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled: these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes in divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the beginning of travail.
But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in synagogues shall ye be beaten; and before governors and kings shall ye stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them.
And the {See marginal note on chapter 1:1.}gospel must first be preached unto all the nations.
And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.
And brother shall {See chapter 3:19.}deliver up brother to death, and the father his child; and children shall rise up against parents, and {Or, put them to death}cause them to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
But when ye see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not (let him that readeth understand), then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains:
and let him that is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house:
and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
And pray ye that it be not in the winter.
For those days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be.
And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; or, Lo, there; believe {Or, him}it not:
for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect.
But take ye heed: behold, I have told you all things beforehand.
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And then shall he send forth the angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;
even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that {Or, it}he is nigh, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, until all these things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Take ye heed, watch {Some ancient authorities omit and pray.}and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
It is as when a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and given authority to his {Greek: bondservants.}servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter to watch.
Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning;
lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
But who is there of you, having a {Greek: bondservant.}servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank the {Greek: bondservant.}servant because he did the things that were commanded?
Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable {Greek: bondservants.}servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
And it came to pass, {Or, as he was}as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing {Or, through the mist of &c.}along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:
and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God;
and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
{Or, There were none found…save this stranger.}Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this {Or, alien}stranger?
And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath {Or, saved thee}made thee whole.
And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is {Or, in the mist of you}within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be {Some ancient authorities omit in his day.}in his day.
But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall {Greek: save it alive.}preserve it.
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. {Some ancient authorities add verse 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Matthew 24:40.}
- - -
And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the {Or, vultures}eagles also be gathered together.
And he looked up, {Or, and saw them that…treasury, and they were rich.}and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury.
And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all:
for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings, he said,
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And they asked him, saying, Teacher, when therefore shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass?
And he said, Take heed that ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The time is at hand: go ye not after them.
And when ye shall hear of wars and tumults, be not terrified: for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately.
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven.
But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, {Greek: you being brought.}bringing you before kings and governors for my name's sake.
It shall turn out unto you for a testimony.
Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate beforehand how to answer:
for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay.
But ye shall be {Or, betrayed}delivered up even by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you {Or, shall they put to death}shall they cause to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
And not a hair of your head shall perish.
In your {Or, stedfastness}patience ye shall win your {Or, lives}souls.
But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand.
Then let them that are in Judæa flee unto the mountains; and let them that are in the midst of her depart out; and let not them that are in the country enter therein.
For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the {Or, earth}land, and wrath unto this people.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows;
men {Or, expiring}fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on {Greek: inhabited earth.}the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh.
And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees:
when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh.
Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished.
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare:
for so shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth.
But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
And every day he was teaching in the temple; and every night he went out, and lodged in the mount that is called Olivet.
And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, to hear him.
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,— that ye abound more and more.
For ye know what {Greek: charges.}charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;
that no man {Or, overreach}transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we {Or, told you plainly}forewarned you and testified.
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
and that ye {Greek: be ambitious. See Romans 15:20 margin.}study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep {Greek: through. Or, will God through Jesus}in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the {Greek: presence.}coming of the Son of man.
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,— that ye abound more and more.
For ye know what {Greek: charges.}charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;
that no man {Or, overreach}transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we {Or, told you plainly}forewarned you and testified.
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
and that ye {Greek: be ambitious. See Romans 15:20 margin.}study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep {Greek: through. Or, will God through Jesus}in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.
When Christ, who is {Many ancient authorities read your.}our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.
{Greek: Judas.}Jude, a {Greek: bondservant.}servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of {Or Jacob}James, {Or, to them that are beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ, being called}to them that are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
And {Or, as otherwise read, the valley of my mountains shall be stopped}ye shall flee {Or, to}by the valley of {Or, the}my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and Jehovah my God shall come, and all the holy ones with thee.
Now we beseech you, brethren, {Greek: in behalf of.}touching the {Greek: presence.}coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;
let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of {Many ancient authorities read lawlessness.}sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or {Greek: an object of worship. Acts 17:23.}that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: {Or, only until he that now restraineth be taken &c.}only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord {Some ancient authorities omit Jesus.}Jesus shall {Some ancient authorities read consume.}slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his {Greek: presence.}coming;
even he, whose {Greek: presence.}coming is according to the working of Satan with all {Greek: power and signs and wonders of falsehood.}power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that {Or, are perishing}perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:
that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you {Many ancient authorities read as firstfruits.}from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and {Or, faith}belief of the truth:
whereunto he called you through our {Greek: good tidings: see chapter 1:8.}gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.
even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together {Some ancient authorities read in Christ.}with Christ (by grace have ye been saved),
and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus:
Yet a little while, and the world beholdeth me no more; but ye behold me: because I live, {Or, and ye shall live.}ye shall live also.
For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.
but all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.
And as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
in whom ye also are builded together {Greek: into.}for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing.
On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach.
And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow;
and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:
and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth:
and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them:
and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
He that hath ears {Some ancient authorities add here, and in verse 43, to hear: as in Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8.}, let him hear.
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, {Isaiah 6:9, 10.}By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross,And their ears are dull of hearing,And their eyes they have closed;Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,And hear with their ears,And understand with their heart,And should turn again,And I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
Hear then ye the parable of the sower.
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it;
yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth.
And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the {Or, age}world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field:
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed {Or, darnel}tares also among the wheat, and went away.
But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
And the {Greek: bondservants.}servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?
And he said unto them, An {Greek: A man this is an enemy.}enemy hath done this. And the {Greek: bondservants.}servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three {The word in the Greek denotes the Hebrew seah, a measure containing nearly a peek and a half.}measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, {Psalm 78:2.}I will open my mouth in parables;I will utter things hidden from the foundation {Many ancient authorities omit of the world.}of the world.
Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears {See verse 9.}, let him hear.
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and {Or, for joy thereof}in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls:
and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a {Greek: drag-net.}net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away.
So shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous,
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea.
And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these {Greek: powers.}mighty works?
Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, {Or, Jacob}James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?
And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
And they were {Greek: caused to stumble.}offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.
And he did not many {Greek: powers.}mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,— that ye abound more and more.
For ye know what {Greek: charges.}charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;
that no man {Or, overreach}transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we {Or, told you plainly}forewarned you and testified.
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
and that ye {Greek: be ambitious. See Romans 15:20 margin.}study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep {Greek: through. Or, will God through Jesus}in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
We speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown: yet a wisdom not of this {Or, age: and so in verse 7, 8, but not in verse 12.}world, nor of the rulers of this {Or, age: and so in verse 7, 8, but not in verse 12.}world, who are coming to nought:
But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its {Or, beams}wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me.