Hear my voice(A) when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.(B)
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!(C)
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face(D) from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;(E)
    you have been my helper.(F)
Do not reject me or forsake(G) me,
    God my Savior.(H)
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way,(I) Lord;
    lead me in a straight path(J)
    because of my oppressors.(K)
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses(L) rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord(M)
    in the land of the living.(N)
14 Wait(O) for the Lord;
    be strong(P) and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

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Jacob Blesses His Sons(A)

49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(B)

“Assemble(C) and listen, sons of Jacob;
    listen to your father Israel.(D)

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“Judah,[a](A) your brothers will praise you;
    your hand will be on the neck(B) of your enemies;
    your father’s sons will bow down to you.(C)
You are a lion’s(D) cub,(E) Judah;(F)
    you return from the prey,(G) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(H)
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[b]
until he to whom it belongs[c] shall come(I)
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(J)
11 He will tether his donkey(K) to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;(L)
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.(M)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.[d](N)

13 “Zebulun(O) will live by the seashore
    and become a haven for ships;
    his border will extend toward Sidon.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
  2. Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
  3. Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  4. Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk

21 “Naphtali(A) is a doe set free
    that bears beautiful fawns.[a](B)

22 “Joseph(C) is a fruitful vine,(D)
    a fruitful vine near a spring,
    whose branches(E) climb over a wall.[b]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(F)
    they shot at him with hostility.(G)
24 But his bow remained steady,(H)
    his strong arms(I) stayed[c] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(J)
    because of the Shepherd,(K) the Rock of Israel,(L)
25 because of your father’s God,(M) who helps(N) you,
    because of the Almighty,[d](O) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
    blessings of the deep springs below,(P)
    blessings of the breast(Q) and womb.(R)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
    than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
    than[e] the bounty of the age-old hills.(S)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(T)
    on the brow of the prince among[f] his brothers.(U)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
  2. Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
  3. Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
  4. Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
  5. Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
  6. Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from

Zechariah’s Song

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit(A) and prophesied:(B)

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(C)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.(D)
69 He has raised up a horn[a](E) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David(F)
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),(G)
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors(H)
    and to remember his holy covenant,(I)
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:(J)
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him(K) without fear(L)
75     in holiness and righteousness(M) before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet(N) of the Most High;(O)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,(P)
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,(Q)
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun(R) will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,(S)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”(T)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king.

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