Luke 21:20-24

The Desolation of Jerusalem

20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.

21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those {inside it} must depart, and those in the fields must not enter into it,

22 because these are days of vengeance, [so that] all the things that are written can be fulfilled.

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 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "in the midst of it"
• [b]. Literally "who have in the womb"
• [c]. *The words "[their babies]" are not in the Greek text but are supplied as a necessary clarification
• [d]. The same Greek word, occurring three times in this verse, can be translated "nations" or "Gentiles" depending on the context