John’s disciples told him about all these things. [ Calling two of them ], he sent them to the Lord [ to ask ], “Are you the one [ who is [ to come ] ], or should we expect someone else?” [ When the men came to Jesus ], they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you [ to ask ], ‘Are you the one [ who is [ to come ] ], or should we expect someone else?’” At that very time, Jesus cured many [ who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits ], and gave sight to many [ who were blind ].
So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John [ what you have seen and heard ]: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those [ who have leprosy ] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone [ who does not stumble on account of me ].” [ After John’s messengers left ], Jesus began [ to speak to the crowd about John ]: “[ What ] did you go out into the wilderness [ to see ]? A reed [ swayed by the wind ]? [ If not ], [ what ] did you go out [ to see ]? A man [ dressed in fine clothes ]? No, those [ who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury ] are in palaces. But [ what ] did you go out [ to see ]? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more [ than (you see) a prophet ]. This is the one [ about whom it is written ]:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, [ who will prepare your way before you ].’ I tell you, among those [ born of women ] there is no one greater [ than John (is) ]; yet the one [ who is least in the kingdom of God ] is greater [ than he (is) ].” (All the people, even the tax collectors, [ when they heard Jesus’ words ], acknowledged [ that God’s way was right ], [ because they had been baptized by John ]. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, [ because they had not been baptized by John ].) Jesus went on [ to say ], “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children [ sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other ]:
“‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came [ neither eating bread nor drinking wine ], and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came [ eating and drinking ], and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and [ turning to them ] he said: “[ If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life ]— such a person cannot be my disciple. And [ whoever does not carry their cross and follow me ] cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants [ to build a tower ]. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost [ to see [ if you have enough money [ to complete it ] ] ]? For [ if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it ], everyone [ who sees it ] will ridicule you, [ saying ],
‘This person began [ to build ] and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider [ whether he is able with ten thousand men [ to oppose the one [ coming against him with twenty thousand ] ]? [ If he is not able ], he will send a delegation [ while the other is still a long way off ] and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you [ who do not give up everything [ you have ] ] cannot be my disciples. “Salt is good, but [ if it loses its saltiness ], how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “[ Whoever has ears [ to hear ] ], let [ them hear ].”
Matthew 24 The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times
Jesus left the temple and was walking away [ when his disciples came up to him [ to call his attention to its buildings ] ]. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” [ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives ], the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of [ your coming ] and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out [ that no one deceives you ]. For many will come in my name, [ claiming ], ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it [ that you are not alarmed ]. Such things must happen, but the end is [ still to come ]. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the [ beginning ] of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over [ to be persecuted and put to death ], and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one [ who stands firm to the end ] will be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So [ when you see [ standing in the holy place ‘the abomination [ that causes desolation ],’ [ spoken of through the prophet Daniel ] ]— let [ the reader understand ]— then let [ those [ who are in Judea ] flee to the mountains ]. Let [ no one on the housetop go down [ to take anything out of the house ] ]. Let [ no one in the field go back [ to get their cloak ] ]. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray [ that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath ]. For then there will be great distress, [ unequaled from the [ beginning ] of the world until now ]— and [ never to be equaled again ].
“[ If those days had not been cut short ], no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. At that time, [ if anyone says to you ], ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders [ to deceive, [ if possible ], even the elect ]. See, I have told you ahead of time. “So [ if anyone tells you ], ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
For [ as [ lightning ][ that comes from the east ] is visible even in the west ], so will be the [ coming ] of the Son of Man. [ Wherever there is a carcass ], there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn [ when they see [ the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory ] ]. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: [ As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out ], you know [ that summer is near ]. Even so, [ when you see all these things ], you know [ that it is near, right at the door ]. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away [ until all these things have happened ]. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.