Passage results

Listen to this passage
View commentary related to this passage

Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

   My sons, I am Jacob,

   your father Israel.

    ²Come, gather around,

   as I tell your future.

    ³Reuben, you are my oldest,

   born at the peak of my powers;

   you were an honored leader.

    ⁴Uncontrollable as a flood,

   you slept with my wife

   and disgraced my bed.

   And so you no longer deserve

   the place of honor.

    ⁵Simeon and Levi,

   you are brothers,

   each a gruesome sword.

    ⁶I never want to take part

   in your plans or deeds.

   You slaughtered people

   in your anger,

   and you crippled cattle

   for no reason.

    ⁷Now I place a curse on you

   because of

   your fierce anger.

   Your descendants

   will be scattered

   among the tribes of Israel.

    ⁸Judah, you will be praised

   by your brothers;

   they will bow down to you,

   as you defeat your enemies.

    ⁹My son, you are a lion

   ready to eat your victim!

   You are terribly fierce;

   no one will bother you.

    ¹⁰You will have power and rule

   until nations obey you ^[a] and come bringing gifts.

    ¹¹You will tie your donkey

   to a choice grapevine

   and wash your clothes

   in wine from those grapes.

    ¹²Your eyes are darker than wine,

   your teeth whiter than milk.

    ¹³Zebulun, you will settle

   along the seashore

   and provide safe harbors

   as far north as Sidon.

    ¹⁴Issachar, you are a strong donkey

   resting in the meadows. ^{[b] 15}You found them so pleasant

   that you worked too hard

   and became a slave.

    ¹⁶Dan, ^[c] you are the tribe that will bring justice

   to Israel.

    ¹⁷You are a snake that bites

   the heel of a horse,

   making its rider fall.

    ¹⁸Our LORD, I am waiting

   for you to save us.

    ¹⁹Gad, ^[d] you will be attacked, then attack your attackers.

    ²⁰Asher, you will eat food

   fancy enough for a king.

    ²¹Naphtali, you are a wild deer

   with lovely fawns. ^{[e] 22}Joseph, you are a fruitful vine

   growing near a stream

   and climbing a wall. ^{[f] 23}Enemies attacked with arrows,

   refusing to show mercy.

    ²⁴But you stood your ground,

   swiftly shooting back

   with the help of Jacob's God,

   the All-Powerful One--

   his name is the Shepherd,

   Israel's mighty rock. ^{[g] 25}Your help came from the God

   your father worshiped,

   from God All-Powerful.

   God will bless you with rain

   and streams from the earth;

   he will bless you

   with many descendants.

    ²⁶My son, the blessings I give

   are better than the promise

   of ancient mountains

   or eternal hills. ^[h] Joseph, I pray these blessings

   will come to you,

   because you are the leader

   of your brothers.

    ²⁷Benjamin, you are a fierce wolf,

   destroying your enemies

   morning and evening.

    ²⁸These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is how Jacob gave each of them their proper blessings.

Jacob's Death

   Soon I will die, and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there, and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too. ³²Both the cave and the land that goes with it were bought from the Hittites.

    ³³When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed and died.

Genesis 50

    ²Joseph gave orders for Jacob's body to be embalmed, ³and it took the usual forty days.

   The Egyptians mourned seventy days for Jacob. ⁴When the time of mourning was over, Joseph said to the Egyptian leaders, "If you consider me your friend, please speak to the king ^[i] for me. ⁵Just before my father died, he made me promise to bury him in his burial cave in Canaan. If the king will give me permission to go, I will come back here." ⁶The king answered, "Go to Canaan and keep your promise to your father."

    ^7-9When Joseph left Goshen with his brothers, his relatives, and his father's relatives to bury Jacob, many of the king's highest officials and even his military chariots and cavalry went along. The Israelites left behind only their children, their cattle, and their sheep and goats.

    ¹⁰After crossing the Jordan River and reaching Atad's threshing place, Joseph had everyone mourn and weep seven days for his father. ¹¹The Canaanites saw this and said, "The Egyptians are in great sorrow." Then they named the place "Egypt in Sorrow." ^{[j] 12}So Jacob's sons did just as their father had instructed. ¹³They took him to Canaan and buried him in Machpelah Cave, the burial place Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite.

    ¹⁴After the funeral, Joseph, his brothers, and everyone else returned to Egypt.

Joseph's Promise to His Brothers

    ¹⁶So they sent this message to Joseph:

   Before our father died, ¹⁷he told us, "You did some cruel and terrible things to Joseph, but you must ask him to forgive you."

   Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped.

   When Joseph heard this, he started crying.

    ¹⁸Right then, Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, "We are your slaves."

    ¹⁹But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid! I have no right to change what God has decided. ²⁰You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing. ²¹Don't be afraid! I will take care of you and your children." After Joseph said this, his brothers felt much better.

Joseph's Death

    ²⁶So Joseph died in Egypt at the age of one hundred ten; his body was embalmed and put in a coffin.

Listen to this passage
View commentary related to this passage

Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast

(Mark 4.30-32; Luke 13.18-21)

   The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. ³²Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.

    ³³Jesus also said:

   The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.

The Reason for Teaching with Stories

(Mark 4.33,34)

   to speak my message

   and to explain things

   that have been hidden

   since the creation

   of the world."

Jesus Explains the Story about the Weeds

   The one who scattered the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seeds are the people who belong to the kingdom. The weed seeds are those who belong to the evil one, ³⁹and the one who scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the end of time, and angels are the ones who bring in the harvest.

    ⁴⁰Weeds are gathered and burned. That's how it will be at the end of time. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. ⁴²Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. ⁴³But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!

A Hidden Treasure

A Valuable Pearl

A Fish Net

New and Old Treasures

    ⁵²So he told them, "Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom."

The People of Nazareth Turn against Jesus

(Mark 6.1-6; Luke 4.16-30)

   But Jesus said, "Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their own family." ⁵⁸And because the people did not have any faith, Jesus did not work many miracles there.