Deuteronomy 33 - 34

The Blessing of Moses

Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 And he said,

“Yahweh came from Sinai,

And He dawned on them from Seir;

He shone forth from Mount Paran,

And He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones;

At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.

Indeed, He loves the people;

All Your holy ones are in Your hand,

And they followed in Your steps;

Everyone is bearing up Your words.

Moses commanded us with a law,

A possession for the assembly of Jacob.

And He was king in Jeshurun,

When the heads of the people were gathered,

The tribes of Israel together.

“May Reuben live and not die,

Nor his men be few.”

7 And this regarding Judah; so he said,

“Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah,

And bring him to his people.

With his hands he contended for them,

And may You be a help against his adversaries.”

8 Of Levi he said,

“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your holy one,

Whom You tested at Massah,

With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;

Who said of his father and his mother,

‘I did not consider them’;

And he did not recognize his brothers,

Nor did he know his own sons,

For they kept Your word,

And they observed Your covenant.

They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob,

And Your law to Israel.

They shall put incense before You,

And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

O Yahweh, bless his substance,

And accept the work of his hands;

Crush the loins of those who rise up against him,

And those who hate him, so that they will not rise again.”

12 Of Benjamin he said,

“May the beloved of Yahweh dwell in security by Him,

Who shields him all the day,

And he dwells between His shoulders.”

13 Of Joseph he said,

“Blessed of Yahweh be his land,

With the choice things of heaven, with the dew,

And from the deep lying beneath,

And with the choice produce of the sun,

And with the choice yield of the months,

And with the best things of the ancient mountains,

And with the choice things of the everlasting hills,

And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness,

And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.

Let it come to the head of Joseph,

And to the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

As the firstborn of his ox, splendor is his,

And his horns are the horns of the wild ox;

With them he will push the peoples,

All at once, to the ends of the earth.

And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18 Of Zebulun he said,

“Be glad, Zebulun, in your going forth,

And, Issachar, in your tents.

They will call peoples to the mountain;

There they will offer righteous sacrifices;

For they will draw out the abundance of the seas,

And the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20 Of Gad he said,

“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;

He lies down as a lion,

And tears the arm, also the top of the head.

Then he provided the first part for himself,

For there the ruler’s portion was reserved;

And he came with the heads of the people;

He did the righteousness of Yahweh,

And His judgments with Israel.”

22 Of Dan he said,

“Dan is a lion’s whelp,

That leaps forth from Bashan.”

23 Of Naphtali he said,

“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,

And full of the blessing of Yahweh,

Take possession of the sea and the south.”

24 Of Asher he said,

“More blessed than sons is Asher;

May he be favored by his brothers,

And may he dip his foot in oil.

Your locks will be iron and bronze,

And according to your days, so your fortitude will be.

“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,

Who rides the heavens to your help,

And through the skies in His majesty.

The eternal God is a dwelling place,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

And He drove out the enemy from before you,

And said, ‘Destroy!’

So Israel dwells in security,

The fountain of Jacob secluded,

In a land of grain and new wine;

His heavens also drop down dew.

Blessed are you, O Israel;

Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,

Who is the shield of your help

And the sword of your majesty!

So your enemies will cower before you,

And you will tread upon their high places.”

The Death of Moses

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And Yahweh showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then Yahweh said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your seed’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of Yahweh died there in the land of Moab, according to the command of Yahweh. 6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. 7 Now Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated. 8 So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end. 9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 10 And there has not yet arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face, 11 in regard to all the signs and wonders which Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12 and in regard to all the mighty power and in regard to all the great terror which Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

2 Corinthians 11 - 12

Paul Defends His Apostleship

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit which you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you bear this beautifully. 5 For I consider myself in no way inferior to the most-eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am unskilled in word, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things. 7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed the gospel of God to you without charge? 8 I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to minister to you. 9 And when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brothers came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept and will keep myself from being a burden to you. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be found just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. 16 Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. 17 What I am saying, I am not saying according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also. 19 For you, being so wise, are bearing the foolish gladly. 20 For you bear it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face. 21 To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is daring—I speak in foolishness—I am just as daring myself. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s seed? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, in beatings without number, in frequent danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked—a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the desolate places, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brothers. 27 I have been in labor and hardship, in many sleepless nights, in starvation and thirst, often hungry, in cold and without enough clothing. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is made to stumble without my burning concern? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

A Vision of Paradise

It is necessary to boast, though it is not profitable, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5 On behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in weaknesses. 6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.

A Thorn in the Flesh

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions and hardships, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Concern for the Corinthian Church

11 I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most-eminent apostles, even if I am nothing. 12 The signs of a true apostle were worked out among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. 13 For in what respect were you treated as less than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong! 14 Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you. For children ought not to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will most gladly spend and be fully spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself. Nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit. 17 Have I taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you? 18 I encouraged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit—in the very same steps? 19 All this time you think we are defending ourselves to you. We speak in Christ in the sight of God. And all these things, beloved, are for your building up. 20 For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances. 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality which they have practiced.

Psalm 132

Yahweh Has Chosen Zion

A Song of Ascents.

Remember, O Yahweh, on David’s behalf,

All his affliction;

How he swore to Yahweh

And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

“Surely I will not come into my house,

Nor lie in the comfort of my bed;

I will not give sleep to my eyes

Or slumber to my eyelids,

Until I find a place for Yahweh,

A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah,

We found it in the fields of Jaar.

Let us come into His dwelling place;

Let us worship at the footstool of His feet.

Arise, O Yahweh, to Your resting place,

You and the ark of Your strength.

Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,

And let Your holy ones sing for joy.

For the sake of David Your servant,

Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.

Yahweh has sworn to David

A truth from which He will not turn back:

“Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.

If your sons keep My covenant

And My testimony which I will teach them,

Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

For Yahweh has chosen Zion;

He has desired it for His habitation.

“This is My resting place forever;

Here I will inhabit, for I have desired it.

I will abundantly bless her provision;

I will satisfy her needy with bread.

Her priests also I will clothe with salvation,

And her holy ones will sing loudly for joy.

There I will cause the horn of David to spring up;

I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.

His enemies I will clothe with shame,

But upon him, his crown shall blossom.”