Moses’s Blessings

33 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.(A) He said:

The Lord came from Sinai
and appeared to them from Seir;(B)
he shone on them from Mount Paran(C)
and came with ten thousand holy ones,[a]
with lightning[b] from his right hand[c] for them.(D)
Indeed he loves the people.[d](E)
All your[e] holy ones are in your hand,
and they assemble[f] at your feet.
Each receives your words.
Moses gave us instruction,
a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
So he became King in Jeshurun[g](F)
when the leaders of the people gathered
with the tribes of Israel.

Let Reuben live and not die
though his people become few.(G)

He said this about Judah:

Lord, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people.
He fights for his cause[h] with his own hands,
but may you be a help against his foes.

He said about Levi:

Your Thummim and Urim(H) belong to your faithful one;[i]
you tested him at Massah
and contended with him at the Waters of Meribah.(I)
He said about his father and mother,
“I do not regard them.”
He disregarded his brothers
and didn’t acknowledge his sons,
for they kept your word
and maintained your covenant.(J)
10 They will teach your ordinances to Jacob
and your instruction to Israel;(K)
they will set incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Lord, bless his possessions,[j]
and accept the work of his hands.
Break the back[k] of his adversaries and enemies,
so that they cannot rise again.

12 He said about Benjamin:

The Lord’s beloved rests[l] securely on him.
He[m] shields him all day long,
and he rests on his shoulders.[n]

13 He said about Joseph:

May his land be blessed by the Lord
with the dew of heaven’s bounty
and the watery depths that lie beneath;(L)
14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun
and the abundant yield of the seasons;
15 with the best products of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the eternal hills;(M)
16 with the choice gifts of the land
and everything in it;
and with the favor of him
who appeared[o] in the burning bush.(N)
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince of his brothers.(O)
17 His firstborn bull has[p] splendor,
and horns like[q] those of a wild ox;
he gores all the peoples with them
to the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and such are the thousands of Manasseh.

18 He said about Zebulun:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They summon the peoples to a mountain;
there they offer acceptable sacrifices.
For they draw from the wealth of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.(P)

20 He said about Gad:

The one who enlarges Gad’s territory
will be blessed.
He lies down like a lion
and tears off an arm or even a head.(Q)
21 He chose the best part for himself,
because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him.
He came with the leaders of the people;
he carried out the Lord’s justice
and his ordinances for Israel.(R)

22 He said about Dan:

Dan is a young lion,
leaping out of Bashan.(S)

23 He said about Naphtali:

Naphtali, enjoying approval,
full of the Lord’s blessing,
take[r] possession to the west and the south.

24 He said about Asher:

May Asher[s] be the most blessed of the sons;
may he be the most favored among his brothers
and dip his foot in olive oil.(T)
25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,
and your strength last as long as you live.

26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens to your aid,
the clouds in his majesty.(U)
27 The God of old is your dwelling place,(V)
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He drives out the enemy before you
and commands, “Destroy!”
28 So Israel dwells securely;(W)
Jacob lives untroubled[t](X)
in a land of grain and new wine;
even his skies drip with dew.(Y)
29 How happy you are, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord?
He is the shield that protects you,
the sword you boast in.
Your enemies will cringe before you,(Z)
and you will tread on their backs.[u](AA)

Moses’s Death

34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah,(AB) which faces Jericho, and the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean[v] Sea, the Negev, and the plain in the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. The Lord then said to him, “This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’(AC) I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

So Moses the servant of the Lord(AD) died there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s word. He buried him[w] in the valley(AE) in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is.(AF) Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days.(AG) Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.(AH)

Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom(AI) because Moses had laid his hands on him.(AJ) So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.(AK) 10 No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.(AL) 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land— 12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.(AM)

Footnotes

  1. 33:2 LXX reads Mount Paran with ten thousands from Kadesh
  2. 33:2 Or fiery law; Hb obscure
  3. 33:2 Or ones, from his southland to the mountain slopes
  4. 33:3 Or peoples
  5. 33:3 Lit his, or its
  6. 33:3 Hb obscure
  7. 33:5 = Upright One, referring to Israel, also in v. 26
  8. 33:7 Or He contends for them
  9. 33:8 DSS, LXX read Give to Levi your Thummim, your Urim to your favored one
  10. 33:11 Or abilities
  11. 33:11 Or waist
  12. 33:12 Or Let the Lord’s beloved rest
  13. 33:12 LXX reads The Most High
  14. 33:12 Or and he dwells among his mountain slopes
  15. 33:16 Lit dwelt
  16. 33:17 Some DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg read A firstborn bull—he has
  17. 33:17 Lit and his horns are
  18. 33:23 Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read he will take
  19. 33:24 = Happy or Blessed; Gn 30:13
  20. 33:28 Text emended; MT reads Jacob’s fountain is alone
  21. 33:29 Or high places
  22. 34:2 Lit Western
  23. 34:6 Or he was buried

Psalm 91

The Protection of the Most High

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.(A)

I will say[a] concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust:(B)
He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,(C)
from the destructive plague.
He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.(D)
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.(E)
You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,(F)
the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.(G)
Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.(H)
You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.(I)

Because you have made the Lord—my refuge,(J)
the Most High—your dwelling place,(K)
10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.(L)
11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.(M)
12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.(N)
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.(O)

14 Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.(P)
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.(Q)
16 I will satisfy him with a long life(R)
and show him my salvation.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 91:1–2 LXX, Syr, Jer read Almighty, saying, or Almighty, he will say

Encouragement of Joshua

After the death of Moses(A) the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun,(B) Moses’s assistant: “Moses my servant is dead.(C) Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan(D) to the land I am giving the Israelites. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads,(E) just as I promised Moses. Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon(F) to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites(G)—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.(H) No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.(I) I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.(J)

“Be strong and courageous,(K) for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance.(L) Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you.(M) Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth;(N) you are to meditate on[a] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.(O) Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?(P) Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua Prepares the People

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”(Q)

12 Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh,(R) 13 “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’(S) 14 Your wives, dependents, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your best soldiers must cross over in battle formation[b] ahead of your brothers and help them 15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as he has given you, and they too possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance(T) and take possession of what Moses the Lord’s servant(U) gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”

16 They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly the Lord your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.(V) 18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!” (W)

Spies Sent to Jericho

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies(X) from the Acacia Grove,[c] saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab,(Y) and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.” Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house,(Z) for they came to investigate the entire land.”

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them.(AA) So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. At nightfall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!” But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them(AB) among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof. The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the city gate was shut.

The Promise to Rahab

Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land(AC) and that the terror of you has fallen on us,(AD) and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.[d](AE) 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,(AF) and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed(AG) across the Jordan. 11 When we heard this, we lost heart,(AH) and everyone’s courage failed[e] because of you,(AI) for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.(AJ) 12 Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you.(AK) Give me a sure sign[f] 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”

14 The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city. 16 “Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.”

17 The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear, 18 unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house. 19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault,(AL) and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be our fault. 20 And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.”

21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.

22 So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not find them. 23 Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them. 24 They told Joshua, “The Lord has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”[g]

Footnotes

  1. 1:8 Or to recite
  2. 1:14 Or over armed
  3. 2:1 Or from Shittim
  4. 2:9 Or land panics at your approach
  5. 2:11 Lit and spirit no longer remained in anyone
  6. 2:12 Or a sign of truth
  7. 2:24 Or land also panics at our approach

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