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:

“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,
And listen to Israel your father.

“Reuben, you are (C)my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you (D)went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it
He went up to my couch.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of [a]cruelty are in their dwelling place.
(E)Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united (F)to their assembly;
(G)For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they [b]hamstrung an ox.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel!
(H)I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel.

“Judah,(I) you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
(J)Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(K)Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
Judah is (L)a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(M)He [c]bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 (N)The [d]scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor (O)a lawgiver from between his feet,
(P)Until Shiloh comes;
(Q)And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “Zebulun(R) shall dwell by the haven of the sea;
He shall become a haven for ships,
And his border shall (S)adjoin Sidon.

14 “Issachar(T) is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;
15 He saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
He bowed (U)his shoulder to bear a burden,
And became a band of slaves.

16 “Dan(V) shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 (W)Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.
18 (X)I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!

19 “Gad,(Y)[e] a troop shall [f]tramp upon him,
But he shall triumph at last.

20 “Bread from (Z)Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.

21 “Naphtali(AA) is a deer let loose;
He uses beautiful words.

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have (AB)bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.
24 But his (AC)bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were [g]made strong
By the hands of (AD)the Mighty God of Jacob
(AE)(From there (AF)is the Shepherd, (AG)the Stone of Israel),
25 (AH)By the God of your father who will help you,
(AI)And by the Almighty (AJ)who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
(AK)Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
(AL)They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a (AM)ravenous wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
(AN)And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

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 (AU)fell on his father’s face and (AV)wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to (AW)embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians (AX)mourned[h] for him seventy days.

Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to (AY)the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, (AZ)‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave (BA)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.’ ”

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

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, 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. 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 (BB)mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. (BC)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 [i]Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. 13 For (BD)his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham (BE)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, (BF)they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may [j]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; (BG)for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of (BH)the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

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

19 Joseph said to them, (BJ)“Do not be afraid, (BK)for am I in the place of God? 20 (BL)But as for you, you meant evil against me; but (BM)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; (BN)I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke [k]kindly to them.

Death of Joseph(BO)

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 (BP)to the third generation. (BQ)The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, (BR)were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.

24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but (BS)God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land (BT)of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then (BU)Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely [l]visit you, and (BV)you shall carry up my (BW)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.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:5 violence
  2. Genesis 49:6 lamed
  3. Genesis 49:9 couches
  4. Genesis 49:10 A symbol of kingship
  5. Genesis 49:19 Lit. Troop
  6. Genesis 49:19 Lit. raid
  7. Genesis 49:24 Or supple
  8. Genesis 50:3 Lit. wept
  9. Genesis 50:11 Lit. Mourning of Egypt
  10. Genesis 50:15 fully
  11. Genesis 50:21 Lit. to their hearts
  12. Genesis 50:25 give attention to

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)

Now (B)it happened [a]on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing (C)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, (D)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, (E)which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath(F)

(G)Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would (H)heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an (I)accusation against Him. But He (J)knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: (K)Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or [b]to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to [c]the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored [d]as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles(L)

12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in (M)prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; (N)and from them He chose (O)twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, (P)whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas (Q)the son of James, and (R)Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Jesus Heals a Great Multitude(S)

17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples (T)and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude (U)sought to (V)touch Him, for (W)power went out from Him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes(X)

20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

(Y)“Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 (Z)Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be (AA)filled.[e]
(AB)Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall (AC)laugh.
22 (AD)Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they (AE)exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
23 (AF)Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For (AG)in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

24 “But(AH) woe to you (AI)who are rich,
For (AJ)you have received your consolation.
25 (AK)Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.
(AL)Woe to you who laugh now,
For you shall mourn and (AM)weep.
26 (AN)Woe [f]to you when [g]all men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies(AO)

27 (AP)“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 (AQ)bless those who curse you, and (AR)pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 (AS)To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. (AT)And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 (AU)Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 (AV)And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

32 (AW)“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 (AX)And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But (AY)love your enemies, (AZ)do good, and (BA)lend, [h]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and (BB)you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 (BC)Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge(BD)

37 (BE)“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. (BF)Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 (BG)Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your (BH)bosom. For (BI)with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

39 And He spoke a parable to them: (BJ)“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 (BK)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 (BL)And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit(BM)

43 (BN)“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For (BO)every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 (BP)A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil [i]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out (BQ)of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build on the Rock(BR)

46 (BS)“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 (BT)Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was [j]founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it [k]fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 6:1 NU on a Sabbath that He went
  2. Luke 6:9 M to kill
  3. Luke 6:10 NU, M him
  4. Luke 6:10 NU omits as whole as the other
  5. Luke 6:21 satisfied
  6. Luke 6:26 NU, M omit to you
  7. Luke 6:26 M omits all
  8. Luke 6:35 expecting
  9. Luke 6:45 NU omits treasure of his heart
  10. Luke 6:48 NU well built
  11. Luke 6:49 NU collapsed

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