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Therefore, behold, I send forth to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye will kill and crucify, and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city 35 to city. That on you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple and the 36 altar. Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

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Jerusalem! Jerusalem! that killeth the prophets, and stoneth those sent to her; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I 39 say to you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say: Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

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XXIV. AND Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him, to show 2 him the buildings of the temple. And he answering said to them: See ye not all these things? Verily I say to 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 the Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us,

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V. 37. In some ancient copies: sent to thee

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when will these things be, and what is the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? And 4 Jesus answered and said to them: Take heed, lest any one lead you astray. For many shall come in 5 my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead astray many. And ye shall hear of wars, and ru- 6 mors of wars. Take heed, be not troubled; for all must come to pass; but not yet is the end! For 7 nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. But all these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up unto affliction, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall deliver 10 up one another, and shall hate one another. And 11 many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And because iniquity abounds, the love of 12 the many shall become cold. But he that has endured 13 to the end, the same shall be saved. And this good 14 news of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a testimony to all nations; and then shall come the end.

When therefore ye see the abomination of desola 15. tion, spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth mark!) then let those in Judea flee to the mountains; 16.

V. 6. In some ancient copies: for it must come to pass,

17 he that is upon the house, let him not come down to 18 take the things out of his house; and he that is in

the field, let him not turn back to take his garments. 19 But woe to them that are with child, and to them 20 that give suck in those days! And pray that 21 your flight be not in winter, nor on a sabbath. For then shall be great affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no nor 22 shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the chosen, 23 those days shall be shortened. Then if any one say

to you, Lo, here is the Christ, or here, believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false proph

ets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as, 25 if possible, to lead even the chosen astray. Behold, I have told you before.

26 If therefore they say to you: Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth; behold, he is in the secret 27 chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning comes forth from the east, and shines even unto the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

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And immediately, after the affliction 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 shaken. 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man

in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

And he will send his angels with a great sound of 31 a trumpet, and they shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: When its 32 branch is already become tender, and puts forth leaves, ye know that summer is near. So also ye, when ye 33 see all these things, know that it is near, at the door.

Verily I say to you, this generation shall not, 34 pass till all these things are done. Heaven and 35 earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even 36 the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as 37 the days of Noah, so shall be also the coming of the Son of man. For as they were in the days be- 38 fore the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and 39 took all away; so shall be also the coming of the Son of man. Then shall there be two men in the 40 field, one is taken, and one is left; two women 41 grinding at the mill, one is taken, and one is left.

V. 30. Or, of the land

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Watch therefore; for ye know not in what day 43 your Lord comes. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through 44 Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man comes.

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Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord set over his household, to give them their 46 food in due season? Happy that servant, whom his 47 lord when he comes shall find so doing! Verily I say to you, that he will set him over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, 49 My lord delays his coming; and shall begin to beat

his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the 50 drunken ; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for it, and in an hour when 51 he is not aware; and will cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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XXV. THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and 2 went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them 3 were wise, and five foolish. They that were foolish 4 took their lamps, and took no oil with them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered

V. 42. In many ancient copies; in what hour.