Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

49 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may ^(A)tell you what shall befall you ^(B)in the last days:

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Jacob’s Death and Burial

²⁹ Then he charged them and said to them: “I ^(AO)am to be gathered to my people; ^(AP)bury me with my fathers ^(AQ)in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, ^(AR)which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. ^31 (AS)There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, ^(AT)there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. ³² The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” ³³ And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Burial of Jacob

50 Then Joseph ^(A)fell on his father’s face and ^(B)wept over him, and kissed him. ² And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to ^(C)embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians ^(D)mourned^[a] for him seventy days.

⁴ Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to ^(E)the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ^5 (F)‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave ^(G)which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”

⁶ And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.

¹⁰ Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they ^(H)mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. ^(I)He observed seven days of mourning for his father. ¹¹ And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called ^[b]Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

¹² So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. ¹³ For ^(J)his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham ^(K)bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. ¹⁴ And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, ^(L)they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may ^[c]actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” ¹⁶ So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ¹⁷ ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; ^(M)for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of ^(N)the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

¹⁸ Then his brothers also went and ^(O)fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

¹⁹ Joseph said to them, ^(P)“Do not be afraid, ^(Q)for am I in the place of God? ^20 (R)But as for you, you meant evil against me; but ^(S)God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. ²¹ Now therefore, do not be afraid; ^(T)I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke ^[d]kindly to them.

Death of Joseph^(U)

²² So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. ²³ Joseph saw Ephraim’s children ^(V)to the third generation. ^(W)The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, ^(X)were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.

²⁴ And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but ^(Y)God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land ^(Z)of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then ^(AA)Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely ^[e]visit you, and ^(AB)you shall carry up my ^(AC)bones from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

The Glory of the Lord in Creation

To the Chief Musician. ^[a]On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.

Jesus’ Authority Questioned^(A)

20 Now ^(B)it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, ^(C)by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”

³ But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The ^(D)baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”

⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why ^[a]then did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, ^(E)for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers^(F)

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: ^(G)“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to ^[b]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ Now at ^[c]vintage-time he ^(H)sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the ^(I)heir. Come, ^(J)let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ^(K)ours.’ ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and ^(L)killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to ^(M)others.”

And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”

¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

¹⁸ Whoever falls on that stone will be ^(O)broken; but ^(P)on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they ^[d]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?^(Q)

^20 (R)So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.

²¹ Then they asked Him, saying, ^(S)“Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ^[e]“Why do you test Me? ²⁴ Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ And He said to them, ^(T)“Render^[f] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?^(U)

^27 (V)Then some of the Sadducees, ^(W)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸ saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ^[g]took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹ Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven ^[h]also; and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are ^(X)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ nor can they die anymore, for ^(Y)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, ^(Z)being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ^(AA)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for ^(AB)all live to Him.”

³⁹ Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?^(AC)

⁴¹ And He said to them, ^(AD)“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? ⁴² Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; ^(AF)how is He then his Son?”

Beware of the Scribes^(AG)

^45 (AH)Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, ^46 (AI)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, ^(AJ)love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ^47 (AK)who devour widows’ houses, and for a ^(AL)pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”