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Home > Bible > Matthew > Chapter 24
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Matthew Chapter 24

Christ foretells the destruction of the temple, with the signs that shall come before it and before the last judgment. We must always watch.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 And Jesus being come out of the temple, went away. And his disciples came to show him the buildings of the temple. 2 And he answering, said to them: Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you, there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed.

3 And when he was sitting on mount Olivet, the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the consummation of the world? 4 And Jesus answering, said to them: Take heed that no man seduce you. 5 For many will come in my name saying, I am Christ. And they will seduce many. 6 And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass: but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And there shall be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in places. 8 Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall put you to death: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be scandalized and shall betray one another and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise and shall seduce many. 12 And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold. 13 But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations: and then shall the consummation come.

15 When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand. 16 Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains: 17 And he that is on the housetop, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 And he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat. 19 And woe to them that are with child and that give suck in those days.

20 But pray that your flight be not in the winter or on the sabbath. 21 For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be. 22 And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say to you, Lo here is Christ, or there: do not believe him. 24 For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. 25 Behold I have told it to you, beforehand. 26 If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. Behold he is in the closets: believe it not. 27 For as lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. Wheresoever, etc... The coming of Christ shall be sudden, and manifest to all the world, like lightning: and wheresoever he shall come, thither shall all mankind be gathered to him, as eagles are gathered about a dead body.

29 And 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 heaven shall be moved. The stars... Or flaming meteors resembling stars. 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. And then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty. The sign, etc... The cross of Christ. 31 And he shall send his angels with a trumpet and a great voice: and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them.

32 And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh. 33 So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors. 34 Amen I say to you that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass: but my words shall not pass. Shall pass... Because they shall be changed at the end of the world into a new heaven and new earth.

36 But of that day and hour no one knoweth: no, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone. 37 And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For, as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark: 39 And they knew not till the flood came and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then two shall be in the field. One shall be taken and one shall be left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken and one shall be left.

42 Watch ye therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will come. 43 But this know ye, that, if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open. 44 Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come. 45 Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing. 47 Amen I say to you: he shall place him over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming: 49 And shall begin to strike his fellow servants and shall eat and drink with drunkards: 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not and at an hour that he knoweth not: 51 And shall separate him and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Et egressus Jesus de templo, ibat. Et accesserunt discipuli ejus, ut ostenderent ei ædificationes templi. 2 Ipse autem respondens dixit illis: Videtis hæc omnia? amen dico vobis, non relinquetur hic lapis super lapidem, qui non destruatur.

3 Sedente autem eo super montem Oliveti, accesserunt ad eum discipuli secreto, dicentes: Dic nobis, quando hæc erunt? et quod signum adventus tui, et consummationis sæculi? 4 Et respondens Jesus, dixit eis: Videte ne quis vos seducat: 5 multi enim venient in nomine meo, dicentes: Ego sum Christus: et multos seducent. 6 Audituri enim estis prælia, et opiniones præliorum. Videte ne turbemini: oportet enim hæc fieri, sed nondum est finis: 7 consurget enim gens in gentem, et regnum in regnum, et erunt pestilentiæ, et fames, et terræmotus per loca: 8 hæc autem omnia initia sunt dolorum.

9 Tunc tradent vos in tribulationem, et occident vos: et eritis odio omnibus gentibus propter nomen meum. 10 Et tunc scandalizabuntur multi, et invicem tradent, et odio habebunt invicem. 11 Et multi pseudoprophetæ surgent, et seducent multos. 12 Et quoniam abundavit iniquitas, refrigescet caritas multorum: 13 qui autem perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit. 14 Et prædicabitur hoc Evangelium regni in universo orbe, in testimonium omnibus gentibus: et tunc veniet consummatio.

15 Cum ergo videritis abominationem desolationis, quæ dicta est a Daniele propheta, stantem in loco sancto, qui legit, intelligat: 16 tunc qui in Judæa sunt, fugiant ad montes: 17 et qui in tecto, non descendat tollere aliquid de domo sua: 18 et qui in agro, non revertatur tollere tunicam suam. 19 Væ autem prægnantibus et nutrientibus in illis diebus!

20 Orate autem ut non fiat fuga vestra in hieme, vel sabbato: 21 erit enim tunc tribulatio magna, qualis non fuit ab initio mundi usque modo, neque fiet. 22 Et nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro: sed propter electos breviabuntur dies illi. 23 Tunc si quis vobis dixerit: Ecce hic est Christus, aut illic: nolite credere. 24 Surgent enim pseudochristi, et pseudoprophetæ: et dabunt signa magna, et prodigia, ita ut in errorem inducantur (si fieri potest) etiam electi. 25 Ecce prædixi vobis. 26 Si ergo dixerint vobis: Ecce in deserto est, nolite exire; Ecce in penetralibus, nolite credere. 27 Sicut enim fulgur exit ab oriente, et paret usque in occidentem: ita erit et adventus Filii hominis. 28 Ubicumque fuerit corpus, illic congregabuntur et aquilæ.

29 Statim autem post tribulationem dierum illorum sol obscurabitur, et luna non dabit lumen suum, et stellæ cadent de cælo, et virtutes cælorum commovebuntur: 30 et tunc parebit signum Filii hominis in cælo: et tunc plangent omnes tribus terræ: et videbunt Filium hominis venientem in nubibus cæli cum virtute multa et majestate. 31 Et mittet angelos suos cum tuba, et voce magna: et congregabunt electos ejus a quatuor ventis, a summis cælorum usque ad terminos eorum.

32 Ab arbore autem fici discite parabolam: cum jam ramus ejus tener fuerit, et folia nata, scitis quia prope est æstas: 33 ita et vos cum videritis hæc omnia, scitote quia prope est, in januis. 34 Amen dico vobis, quia non præteribit generatio hæc, donec omnia hæc fiant. 35 Cælum et terra transibunt, verba autem mea non præteribunt.

36 De die autem illa et hora nemo scit, neque angeli cælorum, nisi solus Pater. 37 Sicut autem in diebus Noë, ita erit et adventus Filii hominis: 38 sicut enim erant in diebus ante diluvium comedentes et bibentes, nubentes et nuptum tradentes, usque ad eum diem, quo intravit Noë in arcam, 39 et non cognoverunt donec venit diluvium, et tulit omnes: ita erit et adventus Filii hominis. 40 Tunc duo erunt in agro: unus assumetur, et unus relinquetur. 41 Duæ molentes in mola: una assumetur, et una relinquetur.

42 Vigilate ergo, quia nescitis qua hora Dominus vester venturus sit. 43 Illud autem scitote, quoniam si sciret paterfamilias qua hora fur venturus esset, vigilaret utique, et non sineret perfodi domum suam. 44 Ideo et vos estote parati: quia qua nescitis hora Filius hominis venturus est. 45 Quis, putas, est fidelis servus, et prudens, quem constituit dominus suus super familiam suam ut det illis cibum in tempore? 46 Beatus ille servus, quem cum venerit dominus ejus, invenerit sic facientem. 47 Amen dico vobis, quoniam super omnia bona sua constituet eum. 48 Si autem dixerit malus servus ille in corde suo: Moram fecit dominus meus venire: 49 et cœperit percutere conservos suos, manducet autem et bibat cum ebriosis: 50 veniet dominus servi illius in die qua non sperat, et hora qua ignorat: 51 et dividet eum, partemque ejus ponet cum hypocritis: illic erit fletus et stridor dentium.

Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

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