8. He said, “Watch out that you are not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them!
9. And when you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be afraid. For these things must happen first, but the end will not come at once.”
10. Then he said to them, “Nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11. There will be great earthquakes, and famines and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven.
12. But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
13. This will be a time for you to serve as witnesses.
14. Therefore be resolved not to rehearse ahead of time how to make your defense.
15. For I will give you the words along with the wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.
16. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will have some of you put to death.
17. You will be hated by everyone because of my name.
18. Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
19. By your endurance you will gain your lives.
20. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those who are inside the city must depart. Those who are out in the country must not enter it,
22. because these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
23. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people.
24. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away as captives among all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25. “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth nations will be in distress, anxious over the roaring of the sea and the surging waves.
26. People will be fainting from fear and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.