b The end come. The end of the Jewish state in Judea. This event took place with the destruction of Jerusalem about forty years after the crucifixion of our Lord.

c Abomination of desolation, &c. See Dan. ix. 25, 27, and xii. II. The abomination of desolation here mentioned was probably the Roman armies, composed of heathen idolators, who had the images of idols painted on their banners, and who burnt the temple, spread ravage and desolation through the Holy Land, and put an end to the Jewish government,

d Let him understand, that this re

lates to the fulfilment of Daniel's prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Or, when ye shall see the Roman armies, the abomination of desolation to the

Jews, standing in the Holy Land, or in the sacred temple of Jerusalem itself; then let them which are in Judea, &c.

false prophets.

20 But pray ye that your flight be not into the winter, neither on the sabbath-day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever

shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be saved,e but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that (if it were possible) they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told before.

you

Of Christ's coming

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken :

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes h of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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

32 ¶ Now, learn a parable of the fig-tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.

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

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe

b Tribes of the earth, tribes of the Jews, or of the Jewish earth.

to judgment, &

were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 ¶ Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43 But know this, that if the good man 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 up.

44 Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.

47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

1 The parable of the ten virgins, 14 and of the talents. 31 Also the description of the last judgment.

THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

and of the talents.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered, and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15 And unto one he gave five talents, a to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two,

18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

a Talent. A talent is thought to be worth 830 dollars.

Of the faithful and

19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20 And so he that had received five talents came, and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold, I have gained besides them five talents more.

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

22 He also that had received two talents came, and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents besides them.

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24 Then he which had received the one talent came, and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed:

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou

unfaithful servants.

knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed;

27 Thou oughtest, therefore, to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. b

28 Take, therefore, the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was

b Usury, interest.

me; me;

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or, when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink :

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister c unto thee?

e Minister, to wait on, to serve, assist.

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.

1

CHAP. XXVI.

The rulers conspire against Christ; 14 Judas selleth him. 17 Christ eateth the passover.

AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings he said unto his disciples,

2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, a and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

3 Then assembled together the chief priests, & the scribes, and the elders b of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

5 But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

a The Passover was a feast of the Jews, instituted in commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. See Exod. xii. Numb. ix. and xxviii. 16. Deut. xvi.

b Elders, Senators. The seventy who composed the Sanhedrim, or chief council of the Jews.