Old/New Testament
Jacob’s Final Blessings
49 After this, Jacob called his sons together and told them, “Assemble yourselves around me[a] so I can tell you all what is going to happen to you in the last days.[b]
2 “Gather together and listen,
you children of Jacob.
Listen to your father Israel.”
On the Future of Reuben
3 “Reuben, you’re my firstborn,
my strength,
and the first fruit of my vitality.
You excel in rank
and excel in power.
4 But you’re as undisciplined as a roaring river,
so eventually you won’t succeed,
because you got in your father’s bed,[c]
defiled it, and then approached my couch.”
On the Future of Simeon and Levi
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their swords are violent weapons.
6 I’ll[d] never join their council;
I’ll never enter their assembly.
In their anger they committed murder
and lamed cattle just for fun.
7 Their anger is cursed,
because it is so fierce,
as is their vehemence,
because it is so cruel.
I will separate them throughout Jacob’s territory[e]
and disperse them throughout Israel.”
On the Future of Judah
8 “Your brothers will praise you, Judah.[f]
Your hand will be at the throat of your enemies,
and your father’s children will bow down to you.
9 Judah is a lion cub.
My son, you have gone up from the prey.
Crouching like a lion,
he lies down,
Like a lioness,
who would dare rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until the one[g] comes, who owns them both,[h]
and to him will belong the allegiance[i] of nations.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine
and his mare’s foal to its thick tendrils,
he will wash his garments in wine
and his robe in the juice of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine
and his teeth whiter than milk.”
On the Future of Zebulun
13 “Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore
and become a safe haven for shipping,
bordering Sidon.”
On the Future of Issachar
14 “Issachar is a strong donkey,
resting between sheepfolds.
15 He observed that his resting place was excellent,
and that the land was pleasant;
he bent down,
picked up his burdens,
and became a slave at forced labor.”
On the Future of Dan
16 “Dan will judge[j] his people
as one of Israel’s tribes.
17 Dan will be a snake on the path,
a viper on the road
that snaps at the heels of horses,
causing their riders to fall off.
18 “Lord, I’m waiting for your salvation.”
On the Future of Gad
19 “Bandits will raid Gad,
but Gad will raid them back.”[k]
On the Future of Asher
20 “Asher’s food will be delicious;
he will be a provider of delicacies fit for royalty.”
On the Future of Naphtali
21 “Naphtali is a free running deer
who produces eloquent literature.”
On the Future of Joseph
22 “Joseph is descended from a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine planted near springs of water.
His branches climb over walls.
23 Even though enemies[l] attacked him,
shooting at him
and pursuing him viciously,
24 nevertheless his bow remained steady
and his arms kept in shape
by the strength of Jacob’s Mighty One,
in the name of the Shepherd,
Israel’s Rock,
25 by your father’s God
who helps you,
by the Almighty
who will keep on blessing you
with blessings from heaven above,
with blessings from the deepest ocean,
with blessing from the breasts and the womb.
26 Your father’s blessings will prove to be stronger
than blessings from the eternal mountains
or bounties from the everlasting hills.
May they come to rest on Joseph’s head,
May they be set upon the brow of the one
who was separated from his own brothers.”
On the Future of Benjamin
27 “Benjamin is vicious like a wolf;
what he kills in the morning
he devours in the evening.”
Jacob Dies and is Buried
28 That’s how Israel blessed these[m] twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father told them when he pronounced his blessing for them, blessing each one with a blessing suitable for them. 29 In his last words, Jacob[n] issued this set of instructions to them all: “I’m about to join[o] our ancestors. Bury me alongside my ancestors in the cave in the field that used to belong to Ephron the Hittite. 30 It’s the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery. 31 It’s where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah. 32 Both the field and the cave that’s in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
33 After concluding this set of instructions to his sons, Jacob[p] tucked his feet up into bed, quit breathing, and was gathered to his ancestors.
Joseph Mourns for His Father
50 Then Joseph embraced his father,[q] cried over him, and kissed him. 2 After this, he issued orders to his physician servants to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. 3 It took 40 days to complete the process, the normal period required for embalming. Meanwhile, the Egyptians mourned for him for 70 days. 4 At the conclusion of the mourning period, Joseph addressed Pharaoh’s household. “If you’re satisfied with me, would you please take this message to Pharaoh for me? Tell him, 5 ‘My father told me, “Look! I’m about to die. Bury me in my grave that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” So please let me travel to bury my father. I’ll be right back.’”
6 “Please go,” Pharaoh replied. “Bury your father, as he asked you to do.”
Joseph Mourns in Canaan
7 So Joseph got up and went to bury his father, accompanied by all of Pharaoh’s servants, all of the elders of Egypt, 8 all of Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. They left behind in the territory of Goshen only their youngest children, their flocks, and their herds. 9 Chariots and horsemen also accompanied Joseph,[r] so there were a lot of people. 10 When they arrived at Atad’s threshing floor, which is located beyond the Jordan River,[s] they held a great and mournful memorial service, during which Joseph[t] spent seven days mourning for his father. 11 As soon as the Canaanites who lived in the land observed the mourning going on at Atad’s threshing floor, they commented “This is a significant time of mourning for the Egyptians.” That’s why the place, which is located beyond the Jordan River,[u] became known as Abel-mizraim.[v]
The Burial at Machpelah
12 And so Israel’s[w] sons did what he had instructed them to do: 13 they carried him to the territory of Canaan and buried him in the cave in Machpelah field near Mamre that Abraham had purchased[x] as a cemetery from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt, along with everyone who had gone with him to attend the burial.
15 Later, after Joseph’s brothers faced the reality of their father’s death, they asked themselves, “What happens if Joseph decides to hold a grudge against us? What if he pays us back in full for all the wrong things we did to him?”
16 So they sent this message to Joseph: 17 “Before he died, your father left some instructions. He told us, ‘Tell Joseph, “Please forgive your brothers’ offenses. I beg you, forgive their sins, because they wronged you.”’ So please forgive the transgression of the servants of your father’s God.”
Joseph wept when they talked to him. 18 So Joseph’s[y] brothers went to visit him, fell prostrate in front of him, and declared, “Look! We’re your servants.”
19 “Don’t be afraid,” Joseph responded. “Am I sitting in God’s place? 20 As far as you’re concerned, you were planning evil against me, but God intended it for good, planning to bring about the present result so that many people would be preserved alive. 21 So don’t be afraid! I’ll take care of you and your little ones.” So Joseph[z] kept on comforting them, speaking to the needs of[aa] their hearts.
Joseph’s Death and Burial
22 Joseph continued to live in Egypt, along with his father’s household, until he was 110 years old. 23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children, as well as the children who had been born to Manasseh’s son Machir, whom he adopted as his own.[ab] 24 Later, Joseph told his brothers, “I’m going to die soon, but God will certainly provide for you and bring you up from this land to the land that he promised with an oath to give[ac] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 25 So Joseph made all of Israel’s other[ad] children make this promise: “Because God is certainly going to take care of you, you are to carry my bones up from here.”
26 Some time later, Joseph died at the age of 110 years, and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
The Parables about a Mustard Seed and Yeast(A)
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom from[a] heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. 32 Although it is the smallest of[b] all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom from[c] heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with[d] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Why Jesus Used Parables(B)
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using[e] a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet[f] when he said,
“I will open my mouth to speak[g] in parables.
I will declare what has been hidden
since the creation of the world.”[h]
Jesus Explains the Parable about the Weeds
36 Then Jesus[i] left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and asked, “Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field.”
37 He answered, “The person who sowed good seed is the Son of Man, 38 while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to[j] the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to[k] the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the Devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the[l] age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness 42 and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.[m] 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let the person who has ears[n] listen!”
The Parable about a Hidden Treasure
44 “The kingdom from[o] heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.”
The Parable about a Valuable Pearl
45 “Again, the kingdom from[p] heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”
The Parable about a Net
47 “Again, the kingdom from[q] heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen[r] hauled it ashore. Then they sat down, sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. 49 That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, 50 and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”[s]
New and Old Treasures
51 “Do you understand all these things?”
They told him, “Yes.”
52 Then he told them, “That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from[t] heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest.”
Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth(C)
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place. 54 He went to his hometown and began teaching the people[u] in their synagogue in such a way that they were amazed and asked, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55 This is the builder’s[v] son, isn’t it? His mother is named Mary, isn’t she? His brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, aren’t they? 56 And his sisters are all with us, aren’t they? So where did this man get all these things?” 57 And they were offended by him.
But Jesus told them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown and in his own home.” 58 He did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.
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