Day 424 of 730

¹As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!"

²And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down."

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, Jacob, John, and Andrew asked him privately,

⁴"Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?"

⁵And Jesus began to say to them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.

⁶Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and will lead many astray.

⁷"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These things are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them.

¹⁰The Good News must first be preached to all the nations.

¹¹When they lead you away and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

¹²"Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.

¹³You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

¹⁴But when you see the abomination of desolation, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,

¹⁵and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house.

¹⁶Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak.

¹⁷But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days!

¹⁸And pray that it won't be in the winter.

¹⁹For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be.

²⁰Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days.

²¹Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'Look, there!' do not believe it.

²²For there will arise false messiahs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones.

²³But you watch. "I have told you all things beforehand.

²⁴But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light,

²⁵the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

²⁷Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

²⁸"Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near;

²⁹even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors.

³⁰Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.

³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³²But of that day or the hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

³³Watch, keep alert; for you do not know when the time is.

³⁴"It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.

³⁵Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming -- at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning;

³⁶lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping.

³⁷What I tell you, I tell all: Watch."

¹If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, let Israel now say,

²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us;

³then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;

⁴then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;

⁵then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.

⁶Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.

⁷Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

¹The king's heart is in the Lord's hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.

³To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

⁴A high look, and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit; and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty.

⁶Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right.

⁸The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

¹¹When the mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom. When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked, and brings the wicked to ruin.

¹³Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifies anger; and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.

¹⁵It is joy to the righteous to do justice; but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶The man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall rest in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; the treacherous for the upright.

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swallows it up.

²¹He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength of its confidence.

²³Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

²⁴The proud and haughty man, "scoffer" is his name; he works in the arrogance of pride.

²⁵The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶There are those who covet greedily all day long; but the righteous give and do not withhold.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

²⁸A false witness will perish, and a man who listens speaks to eternity.

²⁹A wicked man hardens his face; but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with the Lord.