The Daily Audio Bible
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Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes
33 Moses, the man of Elohim, blessed the Israelites with this blessing before he died. 2 He said,
“Yahweh came from Sinai.
For his people he rose from Seir like the sun.
He appeared like sunshine from Mount Paran.
He came with tens of thousands of holy ones.
On his right was a raging fire for them.[a]
3 You certainly love your people.
All your holy ones are in your hands.
They bow at your feet
to receive your instructions.[b]
4 Moses gave us these teachings.
They belong to the assembly of Jacob.
5 Yahweh was king of Jeshurun[c]
when the leaders of the people assembled
together with all the tribes of Israel.
6 “May the tribe of Reuben live and not die out,
though their people are few in number.”
7 This is what he said about the tribe of Judah:
“Hear the cry of Judah, O Yahweh,
and bring them to their people.
They must defend themselves.
Help them against their enemies.”
8 About the tribe of Levi he said,
“Your Thummim and Urim[d] belong to your faithful people.
You tested your people at Massah.
You quarreled with them at the oasis of Meribah.
9 They said that they didn’t know their father and mother.
They didn’t recognize their own brothers.
They didn’t acknowledge their own children.
But they obeyed your word
and were faithful to the terms of your promise.[e]
10 They teach Jacob your rules
and give Israel your teachings.
They burn incense for you to smell
and sacrifice burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Yahweh, bless them with strength
and be pleased with the work they do.
Break the backs of those who attack them and hate them
so that they can never get up again.”
12 About the tribe of Benjamin he said,
“Yahweh’s beloved people will live securely with him.
Yahweh will shelter them all day long,
since he, too, lives on the mountain slopes.”
13 About the tribes of Joseph he said,
“May Yahweh bless their land with water,
the best gift heaven can send,
with dew and deep springs below the ground.
14 May Yahweh bless their land with crops,
the best gift the sun can give,
the best produce of each month,
15 the finest fruits from the oldest mountains,
the best from the ancient hills,
16 and the most plentiful crops of the earth.
May Yahweh bless their land with the favor
of the one who was in the burning bush.
May these blessings come to the tribes of Joseph.
May they crown the people who are like princes in Israel.
17 They will be as majestic as a firstborn bull.
Their horns will be like the horns of a wild ox.
They will use them to push away nations
including those at the ends of the earth.
The tens of thousands from the tribe of Ephraim
and the thousands from the tribe of Manasseh will be like this.”
18 About the tribe of Zebulun he said,
“People of Zebulun, enjoy yourselves when you go to war,
and you people of Issachar, enjoy yourselves when you stay at home.
19 They will invite nations to their mountain,
and there they will offer the proper sacrifices.
They will be nourished by the abundance from the seas
and the treasures hidden in the sand.”
20 About the tribe of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who gives the people of Gad more land.
They wait there like a lion.
They can tear off an arm or a head.
21 They chose the best land for themselves.
Indeed, a commander’s piece of land was reserved for them.
They were leaders of the people
and did for Israel what Yahweh considers fair and honorable.”[f]
22 About the tribe of Dan he said,
“The people of Dan are a lion cub.
Out of Bashan they pounce on their enemies.”
23 About the tribe of Naphtali he said,
“The people of Naphtali enjoy Yahweh’s favor
and are filled with Yahweh’s blessings.
They will take possession of the lake and the land south of it.”
24 About the tribe of Asher he said,
“The people of Asher are the most blessed of the sons of Israel.
May they be the Israelites’ favorite tribe
and wash their feet in olive oil.
25 May the locks and bolts of your gates be made of iron and copper.
May your strength last as long as you live.
26 “There’s no one like your Elohim, Jeshurun!
He rides through the heavens to help you.
In majesty he rides through the clouds.
27 The eternal Elohim is your shelter,
and his everlasting arms support you.
He will force your enemies out of your way
and tell you to destroy them.
28 So Israel will live securely.
Jacob’s spring will be left alone
in a land of grain and new wine.
Dew will drip from Israel’s skies.
29 You are blessed, Israel!
Who is like you,
a nation saved by Yahweh?
He is a shield that helps you
and a sword that wins your victories.
Your enemies will come crawling to you,
and you will stomp on their backs.”
Jesus Tells People to Turn to God and Change the Way They Think and Act
13 At that time some people reported to Yeshua about some Galileans whom Pilate had executed while they were sacrificing animals. 2 Yeshua replied to them, “Do you think that this happened to them because they were more sinful than other people from Galilee? 3 No! I can guarantee that they weren’t. But if you don’t turn to God and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die. 4 What about those 18 people who died when the tower at Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more sinful than other people living in Jerusalem? 5 No! I can guarantee that they weren’t. But if you don’t turn to God and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die.”
A Story about a Fruitless Tree
6 Then Yeshua used this illustration: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on the tree but didn’t find any. 7 He said to the gardener, ‘For the last three years I’ve come to look for figs on this fig tree but haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up good soil?’
8 “The gardener replied, ‘Sir, let it stand for one more year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 Maybe next year it’ll have figs. But if not, then cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman
10 Yeshua was teaching in a synagogue on the day of worship. 11 A woman who was possessed by a spirit was there. The spirit had disabled her for 18 years. She was hunched over and couldn’t stand up straight. 12 When Yeshua saw her, he called her to come to him and said, “Woman, you are free from your disability.” 13 He placed his hands on her, and she immediately stood up straight and praised God.
14 The synagogue leader was irritated with Yeshua for healing on the day of worship. The leader told the crowd, “There are six days when work can be done. So come on one of those days to be healed. Don’t come on the day of worship.”
15 The Lord said, “You hypocrites! Don’t each of you free your ox or donkey on the day of worship? Don’t you then take it out of its stall to give it some water to drink? 16 Now, here is a descendant of Abraham. Satan has kept her in this condition for 18 years. Isn’t it right to free her on the day of worship?”
17 As he said this, everyone who opposed him felt ashamed. But the entire crowd was happy about the miraculous things he was doing.
Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast(A)
18 Yeshua asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What can I compare it to? 19 It’s like a mustard seed that someone planted in a garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds nested in its branches.”
20 He asked again, “What can I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It’s like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough.”
65 Then Adonay woke up like one who had been sleeping,
like a warrior sobering up from too much wine.
66 He struck his enemies from behind
and disgraced them forever.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph.
He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which he loved.
69 He built his holy place to be like the high heavens,
like the earth which he made to last for a long time.
70 He chose his servant David.
He took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending the ewes that had lambs
so that David could be the shepherd of the people of Jacob,
of Israel, the people who belonged to Yahweh.
72 With unselfish devotion David became their shepherd.
With skill he guided them.
25 A person’s anxiety will weigh him down,
but an encouraging word makes him joyful.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.