29 Wo to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that buildthe sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just.

30 And say: If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 You serpents, generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell!

84 Therefore behold I send

to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you will put to death and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and perse

cute from city to city:

35 That upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the

a Supra, 3. 7.-b Gen. 4. 8. Heb. 11. 4.

Ver. 29. Build the sepulchres, &c. This is not blained, as if it were in Itself evil to build or adorn the monuments of the prophets: but the hypocrisy of the Pharisees is here taxed; who, whilst they pretended to honour the memory of the prophets, were persecuting even unto death the Lord of

the prophets.

Ver. 35. That upon you may come, &c. Not that they should suffer more than their own sins justly deserved; but that the justice of God should now fall upon them with such a final vengeance, once for all, as might comprise all the different kinds of judgments and punishments, that had at any time before been inflicted for the shedding of blood just.

36 Amen I say to you all these things shall come upon. this generation.

37 d Jerusalem, Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not?

38 Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate.

39 For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

CHAP. XXIV.

Christ foretels the destruction of the temple with the signs that shall come before it, and before the last Judgment. We must always watch.

AND JESUS being come out

the temple, went away. And his disciples came to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And he answering said to them: Do you see all these things! Amen I say to you, there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed.

3 And when he was sitting on mount Olivet, the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the world?

4 And JESUS answering, said

c 2 Par. 24. 22. Luke 18. 34Mark 13. 1.-fLuke 19 4

5 For many will come in my name saying, I am Christ: and they will seduce many.

6 And you shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in places:

8 Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall put you to death: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

10 And then shall many be scandalized and shall betray one another: and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall seduce many.

12 And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold.

18 But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.

14 And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come.

15 When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth, let him understand..

16 Then they that are in

a Ephes. 5. 6. Col. 2. 18.-b Supra, 10. 17. Luke 21. 12. John 16. 20. and 16. 2. c Mark 13. 14. Luke 21. 20d Dan. 9. 27.

17 And he that is on the house-top, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 And he that is in the field, let him not go back to take his coat.

19 And wo to them that are with child, and that give suck in those days.

20 But pray that your flight be not in the winter, or on the sabbath.

21 For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be.

22 And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say to you: Lo here is Christ, or there: do not believe him.

24 For there shall rise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect.

25 Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.

26 If therefore they shall say to you: Behold he is in the desert; go ye not out: Behold he is in the closets, believe it not.

27 For as lightning cometh out of the east, and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the coming of the son of man be. 28 Wheresoever the body

e Acts 1. 12. Mark 13. 21. Luke 17. 23. g Luke 17. 37.

WheresoCHAP. XXIV. Ver. 28. The coming of Christ shall

ever, &c.

29 And immediately after the tribulation 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 moved:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven: and then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty.

31 And he shall send his Angels with a trumpet, and a great voice and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them.

32 And from the fig-tsee learn a parable: when the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh.

33 So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh even at the doors. 34 Amen I say to you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

35 Heaven and earth shall

a Isaias 13. 10. Ezec. 32. 7. Joel 2. 10. and 3. 15. Mark 13. 24. Luke 21. 25.-b Apoc. 1. 7.-c 1 Cor. 15. 52. 1 Thess. 4. 11.-d Mark 13. 31.

be sudden, and manifest to all the world, like lightning: and wheresoever he shall come, thither shall all mankind be gathered to him, as eagles are gathered about a dead body.

Ver. 29. The stars. Or flaming meteors resembling stars.

Ver. 30. The sign, &c. The cross of Christ.

Ver. 35. Shall pass. Because they shall be changed at the end of the world into a new heaven and new earth.

pass.

36 But of that day and hour no one knoweth, no not the Angels of heaven, but the Father alone.

37 And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the son of man be.

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

39 And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away: so also shall the coming of the son of man be.

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

field

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

42 Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come.

43 But this know ye, that if the good man of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.

44 Wherefore be you also. ready, because at what hour you know not the son of man will come.

45 Who thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season?

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

47 Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods.

e Gen. 7. 7. Luke 17.. 26.- Mark 13. 33. Luke 12. 39-g Apoc. 16. 15.

49 And shall begin to strike his fellow-servants, and shall eat, and drink with drunkards:

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not:

51 And shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. a There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

CHAP. XXV.

The parable of the ten virgins, and of the talents: the description of the last Judgment. THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride.

2 And five of them were foolish, and five wise.

3 But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps.

5 And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept.

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

7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.

9 The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Supra, 13. 42. Infra, 25. 30.

11 But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not.

13 Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.

14 For even as a man going into a far country, called his servants, and delivered to them his goods.

15 And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to every one according to his proper ability; and immediately he took his journey.

16 And he that had received the five talents, went his way, and traded with the same, and gained other five.

17 And in like manner he that had received the two gained other two.

18. But he that had received the one, going his way digged into the earth, and hid his lord's money.

19 But after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reckoned with them.

20 And he that had received the five talents coming, brought other five talents, saying: Lord, thou didst deliver to me five talents, behold I have gained other five over and above.

21 His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place

b Mark 13. 33-c Juke 19. 12. 47

22 And he also that kad received the two talents came and said Lord, thou delivered st two talents to me: behold I have gained other two.

23 His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant: because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24 But he that had received the one talent, came and said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not strewed.

25 And being afraid I went and hid thy talent in the earth: behold here thou hast that which is thine.

26 And his lord answering, said to him: Wicked and sloth ful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sow not, and gather where I have not strewed:

27 Thou oughtest therefore to have committed my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with usury.

28 Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it him that hath ten talents.

29 For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: but from him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall be taken away.

30 And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

31 And when the son of man shall come in his majesty, and

a Supra, 13. 12. Mark 4. 25. Luke 8. 18. and 19. 26.

32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:

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

34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:

36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.

37 Then shall the just answe him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink!

88 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?

39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?

40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire

b Isaias 58. 7. Ezec. 18. 7. and 16. -c Eccli. 7. 39.-d Ps. 6. 9. Supra, 7 23. Luke 13 27.