Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

48 Some time after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is weaker.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ² When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty^(A) appeared to me at Luz^(B) in the land of Canaan and blessed me. ⁴ He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as an eternal possession^(C) to your future descendants.’^{(D) 5} Your two sons^(E) born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine.^(F) Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do. ⁶ Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. ⁷ When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way,^(G) some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath,” (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”

⁹ And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons God has given me here.”

So Jacob said, “Bring them to me and I will bless them.”^{(H) 10} Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly^[a] see.^(I) Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.^{(J) 11} Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.” ¹² Then Joseph took them from his father’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground.^(K)

Ephraim’s Greater Blessing

¹³ Then Joseph took them both—with his right hand Ephraim toward Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh toward Israel’s right—and brought them to Israel. ¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.^{(L) 15} Then he blessed Joseph and said:

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake^[b] and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, “Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe,^[c] and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”^{[d] 20} So he blessed them that day with these words:

²¹ Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.^{(Q) 22} Over and above what I am giving your brothers, I am giving you the one mountain slope^[e] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and bow.”^(R)

Jacob’s Last Words

49 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.^[f](S)

²⁸ These are the tribes of Israel, 12 in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

Jacob’s Burial Instructions

²⁹ Then he commanded them: “I am about to be gathered to my people.^(AO) Bury me with my fathers^(AP) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.^{(AQ) 30} The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.^{(AR) 31} Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there,^(AS) Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there,^(AT) and I buried Leah there.^{(AU) 32} The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hittites.” ³³ When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and died. He was gathered to his people.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: ² “The kingdom of heaven^(A) may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.^{(B) 3} He sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the banquet,^(C) but they didn’t want to come. ⁴ Again, he sent out other slaves, and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’^(D)

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business. ⁶ And the others seized his slaves, treated them outrageously and killed them. ⁷ The king^[a] was enraged, so he sent out his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city.

⁸ “Then he told his slaves, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.^{(E) 9} Therefore go to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’^{(F) 10} So those slaves went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests.^{[b] 11} But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding.^{(G) 12} So he said to him, ‘Friend,^(H) how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot,^[c] and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”^(I)

God and Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap Him by what He said.^{[d](J) 16} They sent their disciples to Him, with the Herodians.^(K) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You defer to no one, for You don’t show partiality.^{[e](L) 17} Tell us, therefore, what You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar^(M) or not?”

¹⁸ But perceiving their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing Me, hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show Me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought Him a denarius. ²⁰ “Whose image and inscription is this?” He asked them.

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they said to Him.

Then He said to them, “Therefore give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”^{(N) 22} When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

²³ The same day some Sadducees,^(O) who say there is no resurrection, came up to Him and questioned Him:^{(P) 24} “Teacher, Moses said, if a man dies, having no children, his brother is to marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.^{(Q)[f] 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ The same happened to the second also, and the third, and so to all seven.^{[g] 27} Then last of all the woman died. ²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”^[h]

²⁹ Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like^[i] angels in heaven.^{(R) 31} Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: ³² I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?^(S)[j] He^[k] is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

³³ And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

The Primary Commands

³⁴ When^(T) the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. ³⁵ And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him:^{(U) 36} “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”^[l]

³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.^{(V)[m] 38} This is the greatest and most important^[n] command. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.^{(W)[o] 40} All the Law and the Prophets depend^[p] on these two commands.”^(X)

The Question about the Messiah

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were together, Jesus questioned them,^{(Y) 42} “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He?”

“David’s,” they told Him.

⁴³ He asked them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit,^[q] calls Him ‘Lord’^(Z):

⁴⁵ “If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how then can the Messiah be his Son?” ⁴⁶ No one was able to answer Him at all,^[t] and from that day no one dared to question Him anymore.^(AB)