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Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
33 Moses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying:
2 The Lord came from Mount Sinai.
From Edom, he gave light
to his people,
and his glory was shining
from Mount Paran.
Thousands of his warriors
were with him, and fire
was at his right hand.[a]
3 (A) The Lord loves the tribes
of Israel,[b]
and he protects his people.
They listen to his words
and worship at his feet.
* 4 I called a meeting
of the tribes of Israel[c]
and gave you God's Law.
5 Then you and your leaders
made the Lord your king.
6 Tribe of Reuben, you will live,
even though your tribe
will always be small.[d]
7 The Lord will listen to you,
tribe of Judah, as you beg
to come safely home.
You fought your enemies alone;[e]
now the Lord will help you.
8 (B) At Massah and Meribah Spring,[f]
the Lord tested you,
tribe of Levi.
You were faithful,[g]
and so the priesthood[h] belongs
to the Levi tribe.
9 Protecting Israel's agreement
with the Lord
was more important to you
than the life of your father
or mother,
or brothers or sisters,
or your own children.[i]
10 You teach God's laws to Israel,[j]
and at the place of worship
you offer sacrifices
and burn incense.
11 I pray that the Lord will bless
everything you do,
and make you strong enough
to crush your enemies.
12 The Lord Most High[k] loves you,
tribe of Benjamin.
He will live among your hills
and protect you.
13 Descendants of Joseph,
the Lord will bless you
with precious water
from deep wells
and with dew from the sky.
14 Month by month, your fruit
will ripen in the sunshine.
15 You will have a rich harvest
from the slopes
of the ancient hills.
16 The Lord who appeared
in the burning bush
wants to give you the best
the land can produce,
and it will be a princely crown
on Joseph's head.
17 The armies of Ephraim
and Manasseh
are majestic and fierce
like a bull or a wild ox.
They will run their spears
through faraway nations.
18 Be happy, Zebulun,
as your boats set sail;
be happy, Issachar,
in your tents.
19 The sea will make you wealthy,
and from the sandy beach
you will get treasure.[l]
So invite the other tribes[m]
to celebrate with you
and offer sacrifices to God.
20 Tribe of Gad,
the Lord will bless you
with more land.
So shout his praises!
Your tribe is like a lion
ripping up its victim.
21 Your leaders met together
and chose the best land
for your tribe,
but you obeyed the Lord
and helped the other tribes.[n]
22 Tribe of Dan,
you are like a lion cub,
startled by a snake.[o]
23 The Lord is pleased with you,
people of Naphtali.
He will bless you
and give you the land
to the west and the south.[p]
24 The Lord's greatest blessing
is for you, tribe of Asher.
You will be the favorite
of all the other tribes.
You will be rich with olive oil
25 and have strong town gates
with bronze and iron bolts.
Your people will be powerful
for as long as they live.
26 Israel,[q] no other god
is like ours—
the clouds are his chariot
as he rides across the skies
to come and help us.
27 The eternal God
is our hiding place;
he carries us in his arms.
When God tells you
to destroy your enemies,
he will make them run.
28 Israel, you will live in safety;
your enemies will be gone.[r]
The dew will fall from the sky,
and you will have plenty
of grain and wine.
29 The Lord has rescued you
and given you more blessings
than any other nation.
He protects you like a shield
and is your majestic sword.
Your enemies will bow in fear,
and you will trample
on their backs.
Turn Back to God
13 About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices. 2 Jesus replied:
Do you think that these people were worse sinners than everyone else in Galilee just because of what happened to them? 3 Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also be killed. 4 What about those 18 people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem? 5 Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also die.
A Story about a Fig Tree
6 Jesus then told them this story:
A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any. 7 So he said to the gardener, “For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?”
8 The gardener answered, “Master, leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow. 9 Maybe it will have figs on it next year. If it doesn't, you can have it cut down.”
Healing a Woman on the Sabbath
10 One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. 12 When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, “You are now well.” 13 He placed his hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.
14 (A) The man in charge of the synagogue was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, “Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord replied, “Are you trying to fool someone? Won't any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? 16 This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for 18 years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?” 17 Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.
A Mustard Seed and Yeast
(Matthew 13.31-33; Mark 4.30-32)
18 Jesus said, “What is God's kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 It is like what happens when someone plants a mustard seed in a garden. The seed grows as big as a tree, and birds nest in its branches.”
20 Then Jesus said, “What can I compare God's kingdom with? 21 It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast into three batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.”
65 Finally the Lord woke up,
like a soldier
startled from a drunken sleep.
66 God scattered his enemies
and made them ashamed
forever.
67 Then the Lord decided
not to make his home
with Joseph's descendants
in Ephraim.[a]
68 Instead he chose the tribe
of Judah,
and he chose Mount Zion,
the place he loves.
69 There he built his temple
as lofty as the mountains
and as solid as the earth
he made to last forever.
70 (A) The Lord God chose David
to be his servant and took him
from tending sheep
71 and from caring for lambs.
Then God made him the leader
of Israel, his own nation.
72 David treated the people fairly
and guided them with wisdom.
25 Worry is a heavy burden,
but a kind word
always brings cheer.
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