Lu. 14. 11. & 18. 14. Lu. 11. 52. Lu. 20. 47. Lu. 11. 42. Lu. 11. 39. ments, and the principal seats in the synagogues, and to be salu7 ted in public places; and to hear men addressing them, cry, 8 Rabbi, Rabbi. But as for you, assume not the title of Rabbi ; 9 for ye have only one teacher, the Messiah: and style no man upon the earth your father; for he alone is your Father who is 10 in heaven; and all ye are brethren. Neither assume the title of 11 leaders, for ye have only one leader, the Messiah. The greatest of you, on the contrary, shall be your servant; for whosoever will 12 exalt himself, shall be humbled; and whosoever will humble himself, shall be exalted. 13 14 15 16 But wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; and will neither enter yourselves, nor permit others that would, to enter. Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye devour the families of widows; nay, and use long prayers for a disguise. This will but aggravate your punishment. Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye traverse sea and land to make one proselyte;* and when he is gained, ye make him a son of hell doubly more than yourselves. Wo unto you, blind guides, who say, 'To swear by the temple bindeth not, but to swear by the gold of the temple is 17 binding.' Foolish and blind! which is more sacred, the gold, 18 or the temple that consecrateth the gold? and, 'To swear by the altar bindeth not; but to swear by the offering that is upon 19 it, is binding.' Foolish and blind! which is more sacred, the 20 offering, or the altar that consecrateth the offering? Whoever, therefore, sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by every 21 thing thereon. And whoever sweareth by the temple, swear22 eth by it, and by Him who dwelleth therein; and whoever sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him who sitteth thereon. 23 Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye pay the tithe of mint, dill, and cummin, and omit the more important articles of the law, justice, humanity, and fidelity. These ye ought to have practised, without omitting those. 24 Blind guides! who strain your liquor to avoid swallowing a gnat; yet swallow a camel. 25 Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye cleanse the outside of those cups and platters, which within 26 are laden with rapine and iniquity. Blind Pharisee, begin with cleansing the inside of the cup and of the platter, if ye would make even the outside clean. 27 Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye A convert to Judaism. resemble whited sepulchres, which without indeed are beautiful, but within are full of corruption, and of dead men's bones. 28 Thus ye also outwardly appear righteous to men; but are inwardly fraught with subtilty and injustice. 29 Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because Lu. 11. 47. ye build the sepulchres of the prophets and adorn the monu30 ments of the righteous, and say, 'Had we lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their accomplices in the 31 slaughter of the prophets.' Thus ye testify against yourselves, that ye are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ah! serpents! offspring of vipers! How can ye escape the punishment of 34 hell? Therefore, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. Lu. 11. 49, Some of them ye will kill and crucify; others ye will scourge 35 in your synagogues, and banish from city to city; so that all the innocent blood shed upon the earth shall be charged upon you, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Ze- Gen. 4. 8. chariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the altar and 36 the sanctuary. Verily I say unto you, all shall be charged upon this generation. 37 2 Cor. 24. 20. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! that killest the prophets, and Lu. 13. 34. stonest them whom God sendeth to thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her 38 chickens under her wings! but ye would not. Quickly shall 39 your habitation be transformed into a desert: for know that ye shall not henceforth see me, until ye say, "Blessed be he who P. 118. 26. cometh in the name of the Lord.' SECTION XIII. THE PROPHECY ON MOUNT OLIVET. XXIV. AS Jesus walked out of the temple, 2 and made him observe the buildings of it. All this ye see; verily I say unto you, one left here upon another. All shall be razed. 3 6 Mar. 13.3. As he sat upon the Mount of Olives, his disciples accosted him privately, saying: Tell us, when will this happen? and Lu. 21. 7. what will be the sign of thy coming, and of the conclusion of 4 this state? Jesus answering, said to them: Take heed that no 5 man seduce you for many will assume my character, saying, 6 I am the Messiah,' and will seduce many. Nay, ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; but take care that ye be not • Jehovah. Mar. 13. 8. ch. 10. 17. Mar. 13. 14. : alarmed for all these things must happen; but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation; and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earth8 quakes in sundry places. Yet these are but the prelude of 9 woes. For they will consign you to torments and to death, 10 and ye shall be hated by all nations on my account. Then many will be insnared, and will betray their fellows, and hate 11 them. And many false prophets will arise, who will seduce 12 many. And because vice will abound, the love of the greater 13 number will cool. But the man who persevereth to the end 14 shall be saved. And this good tidings of the reign shall be published through all the world, for the information of all nations. And then shall come the end. 15 When, therefore, ye shall see, on holy ground, the deso16 lating abomination foretold by the prophet Daniel, (Reader, 17 attend!) then let those in Judea flee to the mountains: let not him who shall be upon the house-top, come down to carry 18 things out of his house; and let not him who shall be in the 19 field, return to take his mantle. But wo unto the women with 20 child, and unto them that give suck in those days. Pray there21 fore that your flight happen not in the winter, nor on the Sab bath; because there shall be then so great tribulation, as hath not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor shall 22 be ever after. For if the time were protracted, no soul could survive; but, for the sake of the elect, the time shall be short. Mar. 13. 21. 23 If any shall say to you then, Lo! the Messiah is here, or 24 he is there,' believe it not for false Messiahs and false prophets will arise, who will perform great wonders and prodigies, 25 so as to seduce, if possible, the elect themselves. Remember Lu. 17. 23. Lu. 17. 37. Mar. 13. 24. Isa. 13. 10. Ezek. 32. 7. I have warned you. Wherefore, if they cry, He is in the de27 sert,' go not out; He is in the closet,' believe it not. For the coming of the Son of Man shall be like the lightning, which, 28 breaking forth from the east, shineth even unto the west. For wheresoever the carcass is, the eagles will be gathered together. 29 Immediately after those days of affliction, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall withhold her light; and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the heavenly powers shall be shaken. 30 Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and all the tribes of the land shall mourn, when they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with great majesty 31 and power. And he will send his messengers with a loudsounding trumpet, who shall assemble his elect from the four quarters of the earth, from one extremity of the world to the other. 32 Lu. 21. 29. Learn now a similitude from the fig-tree. When its branch- Mar. 13. 28. es become tender, and put forth leaves, ye know that summer 33 is nigh. In like manner, when ye shall see all these things; 34 know that he is near, even at the door. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass until all these things happen. 35 Heaven and earth shall fail; but my words shall never fail. 36 But of that day and that hour knoweth none but my Father, no not the heavenly messengers. 37 Now that which happened in Noah's time, will also happen Lu. 17. 26. 38 at the coming of the Son of Man. For as in the days before 38 the flood, even to that day that Noah entered the ark, they were Mar. 13. 32. ch. 25. 13. eating and drinking and marrying, and suspected nothing, until the flood came and swept them all away; so shall it also be at the 40 coming of the Son of Man. Two men shall be in the field; one 41 shall be taken, and one shall escape. Two women shall be Lu. 17. 35. grinding at the mill; one shall be taken, and one shall escape. 42 Watch therefore, since ye know not at what hour Masyour 43 ter will come. Ye are sure that if the householder knew at Lu. 12. 39. what time of the night the thief would come, he would watch, 1Th. 5. 2. 44 and not suffer him to break into his house. Be ye therefore & 16. 15. always prepared; because the Son of Man will come at an hour when ye are not expecting him. 45 Who now is the discreet and faithful servant, whom his master hath set over his household, to dispense to them regu46 larly their allowance? Happy that servant, if his master, at his 47 return, shall find him so employed. Verily I say unto you, he 48 will entrust him with the management of all his estate. But as 49 to the vicious servant, who shall say within himself, My master deferreth his return,' and shall beat his fellow-servants, and feast 50 and carouse with drunkards; the master of that servant will 51 come on a day when he is not expecting him, and at an hour he is not apprized of, and having discarded him, will assign him his portion with the perfidious. Weeping and gnashing of teeth shall be there. XXV. Then may the kingdom of heaven be compared to ten virgins, who went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. 2. Of these, five were prudent, and five foolish. The foolish took 4 their lamps, but carried no oil with them. But the prudent, 5 beside their lamps, carried oil in their vessels. While the bride6 groom tarried, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. And at midnight a cry was raised, 'The bridegroom is coming, go out 7 and meet him.' Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their 8 lamps. And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your 9 oil; for our lamps are going out.' But the prudent answered, saying, 'Lest there be not enough for us and you, go rather to 10 them who sell, and buy for yourselves.' While they went to Rev. 3. 3. ch. 24. 42. Mar. 13. 32. Lu. 19. 20. ch. 13. 12. Mar. 4. 25. Lu. 8. 18. & 19. 26. buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in 11 with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterwards 12 came also the other virgins, saying, Master, master, open unto 13 us.' He answered, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.' Watch therefore, because ye know neither the day nor the hour. 14 For the Son of Man is like one who, intending to travel, 15 called his servants, and committed to them his stock: to one he gave five talents,* to another two, and to another one; to each according to his respective ability; and immediately set out. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with 17 them, and gained other five. Likewise he who had received 18 two, gained other two: whereas he who had received but one, 19 digged a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. After a long time, their master returned and reckoned with them. 20 Then he who had received the five talents came and presented other five, saying, 'Sir, thou deliveredst to me five talents: here they are, and other five which I have gained.' His master 21 answered, Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful in a small matter, I will give thee a more important trust. 22 Partake thou in thy master's joy.' He also who had received 6 the two talents advancing, said, 'Sir, thou deliveredst to me two talents: here they are, and other two which I have gained.' 23 His master answered, Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful in a small matter, I will give thee a more 24 important trust. Partake thou in thy master's joy.' Then came he also who had received the single talent, and said, Sir, I know that thou art a severe man, reaping where thou hast not 25 sown, and gathering where thou hast not scattered; being there fore afraid, I hid thy talent under ground; but now I restore 26 thee thine own.' His master answering, said unto him, Malignant and slothful servant, didst thou know that I reap where I 27 have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered? Shouldst thou not, then, have given my money to the bankers, and at my 28 return I might have received it with interest? Take from him, 29 therefore, the talent, and give it to him who hath ten for to every one that hath, more shall be given, and he shall abound; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be 30 taken: And thrust out this unprofitable servant into darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 31 Now when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, accompanied by all the holy angels, and shall be seated upon his glo32 rious throne; then shall all the nations be assembled before him; and out of them he will separate the good from the bad, as a * A talent thought to be equal to £187. 10s. sterling. |