Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel

33 Now this is (A)the blessing with which Moses (B)the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said:

(C)“The Lord came from Sinai,
And dawned on them from (D)Seir;
He shone forth from (E)Mount Paran,
And He came with (F)ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand
Came a fiery law for them.
Yes, (G)He loves the people;
(H)All His saints are in Your hand;
They (I)sit down at Your feet;
Everyone (J)receives Your words.
(K)Moses [a]commanded a law for us,
(L)A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
And He was (M)King in (N)Jeshurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.

“Let (O)Reuben live, and not die,
Nor let his men be few.”

And this he said of (P)Judah:

“Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people;
(Q)Let his hands be sufficient for him,
And may You be (R)a help against his enemies.”

And of (S)Levi he said:

(T)Let Your [b]Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one,
(U)Whom You tested at Massah,
And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,
(V)Who says of his father and mother,
‘I have not (W)seen them’;
(X)Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Or know his own children;
For (Y)they have observed Your word
And kept Your covenant.
10 (Z)They shall teach Jacob Your judgments,
And Israel Your law.
They shall put incense before You,
(AA)And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.
11 Bless his substance, Lord,
And (AB)accept the work of his hands;
Strike the loins of those who rise against him,
And of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

12 Of Benjamin he said:

“The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

13 And of Joseph he said:

(AC)“Blessed of the Lord is his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the (AD)dew,
And the deep lying beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
With the precious produce of the months,
15 With the best things of (AE)the ancient mountains,
With the precious things (AF)of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of (AG)Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let the blessing come (AH)‘on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’
17 His glory is like a (AI)firstborn bull,
And his horns like the (AJ)horns of the wild ox;
Together with them
(AK)He shall push the peoples
To the ends of the earth;
(AL)They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18 And of Zebulun he said:

(AM)“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in your tents!
19 They shall (AN)call the peoples to the mountain;
There (AO)they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand.”

20 And of Gad he said:

“Blessed is he who (AP)enlarges Gad;
He dwells as a lion,
And tears the arm and the crown of his head.
21 (AQ)He provided the first part for himself,
Because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there.
(AR)He came with the heads of the people;
He administered the justice of the Lord,
And His judgments with Israel.”

22 And of Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s whelp;
(AS)He shall leap from Bashan.”

23 And of Naphtali he said:

“O Naphtali, (AT)satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the Lord,
(AU)Possess the west and the south.”

24 And of Asher he said:

(AV)“Asher is most blessed of sons;
Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him (AW)dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be (AX)iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.

26 There is (AY)no one like the God of (AZ)Jeshurun,
(BA)Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your (BB)refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
(BC)He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, ‘Destroy!’
28 Then (BD)Israel shall dwell in safety,
(BE)The fountain of Jacob (BF)alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His (BG)heavens shall also drop dew.
29 (BH)Happy are you, O Israel!
(BI)Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
(BJ)The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies (BK)shall submit to you,
And (BL)you shall tread down their [c]high places.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 33:4 charged us with
  2. Deuteronomy 33:8 Lit. Perfections and Your Lights
  3. Deuteronomy 33:29 Places for pagan worship

Journeys in Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and (A)departed to go to Macedonia. Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to (B)Greece and stayed three months. And (C)when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also (D)Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and (E)Gaius of Derbe, and (F)Timothy, and (G)Tychicus and (H)Trophimus of Asia. These men, going ahead, waited for us at (I)Troas. But we sailed away from Philippi after (J)the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them (K)at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Ministering at Troas

Now on (L)the first day of the week, when the disciples came together (M)to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps (N)in the upper room where [a]they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down, (O)fell on him, and embracing him said, (P)“Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” 11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. 12 And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.

From Troas to Miletus

13 Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had [b]given orders, intending himself to go on foot. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. 15 We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for (Q)he was hurrying (R)to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on (S)the Day of Pentecost.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 20:8 NU, M we
  2. Acts 20:13 arranged it

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

48 Then the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying: 49 (A)“Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession; 50 and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be [a]gathered to your people, just as (B)Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; 51 because (C)you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of [b]Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you (D)did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 (E)Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 32:50 Join your ancestors
  2. Deuteronomy 32:51 Lit. Contention at Kadesh

Moses Dies on Mount Nebo

34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab (A)to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the [a]Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, (B)the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, (C)“This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ (D)I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”

(E)So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but (F)no one knows his grave to this day. (G)Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. (H)His [b]eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor [c]diminished. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab (I)thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the (J)spirit of wisdom, for (K)Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 But since then there (L)has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, (M)whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 in all (N)the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 34:2 Mediterranean
  2. Deuteronomy 34:7 eyesight was not weakened
  3. Deuteronomy 34:7 reduced

The Ephesian Elders Exhorted

17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, (A)from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me (B)by the plotting of the Jews; 20 how (C)I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 (D)testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, (E)repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And see, now (F)I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that (G)the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 [a]But (H)none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, (I)so that I may finish my [b]race with joy, (J)and the ministry (K)which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

25 “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am (L)innocent[c] of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not [d]shunned to declare to you (M)the whole counsel of God. 28 (N)Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit (O)has made you overseers, to shepherd the church [e]of God (P)which He purchased (Q)with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure (R)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also (S)from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking [f]perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that (T)for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and (U)to the word of His grace, which is able (V)to build you up and give you (W)an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 [g]Yes, you yourselves know (X)that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, (Y)by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then they all (Z)wept [h]freely, and (AA)fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 20:24 NU But I do not count my life of any value or dear to myself
  2. Acts 20:24 course
  3. Acts 20:26 Lit. clean
  4. Acts 20:27 avoided declaring
  5. Acts 20:28 M of the Lord and God
  6. Acts 20:30 misleading
  7. Acts 20:34 NU, M omit Yes
  8. Acts 20:37 Lit. much

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