The Offer of Life or Death

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.(A) 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven(B) to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(C) 13 Nor is it beyond the sea,(D) so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”(E) 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.(F)

15 See, I set before you today life(G) and prosperity,(H) death(I) and destruction.(J) 16 For I command you today to love(K) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live(L) and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.(M) You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you(N) that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.(O) Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love(P) the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life,(Q) and he will give(R) you many years in the land(S) he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Joshua to Succeed Moses

31 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old(T) and I am no longer able to lead you.(U) The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’(V) The Lord your God himself will cross(W) over ahead of you.(X) He will destroy these nations(Y) before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross(Z) over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og,(AA) the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver(AB) them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous.(AC) Do not be afraid or terrified(AD) because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;(AE) he will never leave you(AF) nor forsake(AG) you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said(AH) to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them,(AI) and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;(AJ) he will never leave you nor forsake you.(AK) Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Public Reading of the Law

So Moses wrote(AL) down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried(AM) the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts,(AN) during the Festival of Tabernacles,(AO) 11 when all Israel comes to appear(AP) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose,(AQ) you shall read this law(AR) before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn(AS) to fear(AT) the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children,(AU) who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Israel’s Rebellion Predicted

14 The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death(AV) is near. Call Joshua(AW) and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.(AX)” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.(AY)

15 Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.(AZ) 16 And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors,(BA) and these people will soon prostitute(BB) themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake(BC) me and break the covenant I made with them. 17 And in that day I will become angry(BD) with them and forsake(BE) them; I will hide(BF) my face(BG) from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters(BH) and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’(BI) 18 And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

19 “Now write(BJ) down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness(BK) for me against them. 20 When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors,(BL) and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods(BM) and worship them,(BN) rejecting me and breaking my covenant.(BO) 21 And when many disasters and calamities come on them,(BP) this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do,(BQ) even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” 22 So Moses wrote(BR) down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.

23 The Lord gave this command(BS) to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous,(BT) for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.”

24 After Moses finished writing(BU) in a book the words of this law(BV) from beginning to end, 25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried(BW) the ark of the covenant of the Lord: 26 “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.(BX) 27 For I know how rebellious(BY) and stiff-necked(BZ) you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! 28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them.(CA) 29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt(CB) and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster(CC) will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”

The Parable of the Ten Minas(A)

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God(B) was going to appear at once.(C) 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants(D) and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’(E) his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’(F)

18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’(G)

22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words,(H) you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?(I) 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.(J) 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(K)(L)

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.(M) 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany(N) at the hill called the Mount of Olives,(O) he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.(P) 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks(Q) on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,(R) the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b](S)

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”(T)

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”(U)

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”(V)

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it(W) 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.(X) 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.(Y) They will not leave one stone on another,(Z) because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming(AA) to you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months’ wages.
  2. Luke 19:38 Psalm 118:26

Psalm 48[a]

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Great is the Lord,(A) and most worthy of praise,(B)
    in the city of our God,(C) his holy mountain.(D)

Beautiful(E) in its loftiness,
    the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[b](F) is Mount Zion,(G)
    the city of the Great King.(H)
God is in her citadels;(I)
    he has shown himself to be her fortress.(J)

When the kings joined forces,
    when they advanced together,(K)
they saw her and were astounded;
    they fled in terror.(L)
Trembling seized(M) them there,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(N)
You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(O)
    shattered by an east wind.(P)

As we have heard,
    so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
    in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
    forever.[c](Q)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 48:1 In Hebrew texts 48:1-14 is numbered 48:2-15.
  2. Psalm 48:2 Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
  3. Psalm 48:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

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