Day 407 of 730

¹Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.

²But he answered them, "Do you not see all of these things? Truly I tell you, there will not be left here one stone on another, that will not be thrown down."

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?"

⁴Jesus answered them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.

⁵For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and will lead many astray.

⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for this must happen, but the end is not yet.

⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

⁸But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake.

¹⁰Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another.

¹¹Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray.

¹²Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.

¹³But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

¹⁴This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵"When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

¹⁷Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house.

¹⁸Let him who is in the field not return back to take his coat.

¹⁹But woe to those who are with child and to nursing mothers in those days!

²⁰Pray that your flight will not be in the winter, nor on a Sabbath,

²¹for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.

²²Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the chosen ones, those days will be shortened.

²³"Then if any man tells you, 'Behold, here is the Messiah,' or, 'There,' do not believe it.

²⁴For there will arise false messiahs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

²⁵"Behold, I have told you beforehand.

²⁶If therefore they tell you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; 'Behold, he is in the inner chambers,' do not believe it.

²⁷For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

²⁸For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together.

²⁹But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;

³⁰and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

³¹He will send out his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

³²"Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near.

³³Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

³⁴Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished.

³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³⁶But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

³⁷"As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

³⁸For 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 ship,

³⁹and they did not know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

⁴⁰Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left;

⁴¹two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left.

⁴²Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord comes.

⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁴Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

⁴⁵"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?

⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes.

⁴⁷Truly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has.

⁴⁸But if that evil servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delayed,'

⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards,

⁵⁰the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour when he does not know it,

⁵¹and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

²Let the redeemed by the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

³And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

⁴They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way. They found no city to live in.

⁵Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

⁶Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses,

⁷he led them also by a straight way, that they might go to a city to live in.

⁸Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

⁹For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry soul with good.

¹⁰Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,

¹¹because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.

¹²Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was none to help.

¹³Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds in sunder.

¹⁵Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

¹⁶For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut through bars of iron.

¹⁷Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities.

¹⁸Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses.

²⁰He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves.

²¹Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works to the children of men!

²²Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with singing.

²³Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters;

²⁴These see the Lord's works, and his wonders in the deep.

²⁵For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves.

²⁶They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble.

²⁷They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

²⁸Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress.

²⁹He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still.

³⁰Then they are glad because it is calm, so he brings them to their desired haven.

³¹Let them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, for his wonderful works for the children of men!

³²Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders.

³³He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,

³⁴and a fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

³⁵He turns a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into water springs.

³⁶There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in,

³⁷sow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase.

³⁸He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly. He doesn't allow their livestock to decrease.

³⁹Again, they are diminished and bowed down through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.

⁴⁰He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction, and increases their families like a flock.

⁴²The upright will see it, and be glad. All the wicked will shut their mouths.

⁴³Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of the Lord.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.