Genesis 49 - 50, Mark 9-10:16, Psalm 26

Jacob Assembles His Sons

49Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather together that I may tell you what will befall you ^ain the last days.

²“Assemble together and hear, O sons of Jacob;And ^alisten to Israel your father.³“Reuben, you are my firstborn;My might and ^athe beginning of my vigor,¹Preeminent in dignity and ²preeminent in strength.⁴“¹Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,^aBecause you went up to your father’s bed;Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.⁵“^aSimeon and Levi are brothers;Their swords are implements of violence.⁶“^aLet my soul not enter into their council;Let not my glory be united with their assembly;Because in their anger they killed ¹men,And in their self-will they hamstrung ²oxen.⁷“Cursed be their anger, for it is strong;And their wrath, for it is cruel.^aI will divide them amongst Jacob,And scatter them in Israel.⁸“Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you;Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;^aYour father’s sons shall bow down to you.⁹“Judah is a ^alion’s whelp;From the prey, my son, you have gone up.^bHe ¹crouches, he lies down as a lion,And as a lioness, who ²dares rouse him up?¹⁰“^aThe scepter shall not depart from Judah,Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,¹Until Shiloh comes,And ^bto him shall be the obedience of the peoples.¹¹“¹^,^aHe ties his foal to the vine,And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;^bHe washes his garments in wine,And his robes in the blood of grapes.¹²“His eyes are ¹dark from wine,And his teeth ²white from milk.¹³“^aZebulun will dwell at the seashore;And he shall be a shore for ships,And his flank shall be toward Sidon.¹⁴“Issachar is ¹a strong donkey,^aLying down between the ²sheepfolds.¹⁵“And he saw that a resting place was goodAnd that the land was pleasant,So he bowed his shoulder to bear burdens,And became a slave at forced labor.¹⁶“^aDan shall ^brender justice to his people,As one of the tribes of Israel.¹⁷“Dan shall be a serpent in the way,A horned snake in the path,That bites the horse’s heels,So that his rider falls backward.¹⁸“^aFor Your salvation I hope, O Yahweh.¹⁹“^aAs for Gad, ¹raiders shall raid him,But he will raid at their ²heels.²⁰“¹^,^aAs for ^bAsher, his ²food shall be ³rich,And he will yield royal dainties.²¹“^aNaphtali is a doe let loose,He gives beautiful words.²²“^aJoseph is a fruitful ¹bough,A fruitful ²bough by a spring;Its ³branches run over a wall.²³“And the archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him,And they bore a grudge against him;²⁴But his ^abow remained ¹firm,And ²^,^bhis arms were agile,From the hands of the ^cMighty One of Jacob,From there is ^dthe Shepherd, ^ethe Stone of Israel,²⁵From ^athe God of your father who helps you,And ¹^,^bby the ²Almighty who blesses youWith ^cblessings of heaven above,Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.²⁶“The blessings of your fatherHave surpassed the blessings of my ancestorsUp to the ¹utmost bound of ^athe everlasting hills;May they be on the head of Joseph,And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.²⁷“Benjamin is a ¹ravenous wolf;In the morning he devours the prey,And in the evening he divides the spoil.”

Jacob Breathes His Last

²⁸All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. So he blessed them. He blessed them, every one ¹with the blessing appropriate to him. ²⁹Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be ^agathered to my people; ^bbury me with my fathers in the cave that is in ^cthe field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰in the ^acave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial site. ³¹“There they buried ^aAbraham and his wife ^bSarah, there they buried ^cIsaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— ³²the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” ³³So Jacob finished commanding his sons. And he drew his feet into the bed and ^abreathed his last and was ^bgathered to his people.

50Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. ²And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians ^aembalmed Israel. ³Then the forty days to do this were fulfilled, because in this manner the days of embalming are fulfilled. And the Egyptians ^awept for him seventy days.

⁴Then the days of weeping for him were past, and Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, ⁵‘^aMy father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave ^bwhich I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” So now, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” ⁶And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

⁷So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. ⁹There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very ¹immense camp. ¹⁰And they came to the ¹threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they ^alamented there with a very great and ²immense lamentation; and he ³observed seven days of mourning for his father. ¹¹Now the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at ¹the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is an ²immense ³mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named ⁴Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

Jacob’s Burial at Machpelah

¹²Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them. ¹³Indeed, his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in ^athe cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for his possession as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. ¹⁴After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

¹⁵Then Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, and they said, “^aWhat if Joseph bears a grudge against us and returns back to us all the evil which we dealt against him!” ¹⁶So they ¹sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying, ¹⁷‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they dealt evil against you.”’ So now, please forgive the transgression of the slaves of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸Then his brothers also came and ^afell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your slaves.” ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? ²⁰“As for you, ^ayou meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to do ¹what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive. ²¹“So now, do not be afraid; ^aI will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke to their heart.

The Death of Joseph

²²Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived 110 years. ²³And Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were ^aborn on Joseph’s knees. ²⁴And Joseph said to his brothers, “^aI am about to die, but God will surely ¹take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore to ^bAbraham, to ^cIsaac, and to ^dJacob.” ²⁵Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely ¹take care of you, and ^ayou shall carry my bones up from here.” ²⁶So Joseph died at the age of 110 years; and ^athey embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

The Transfiguration

9And Jesus was saying to them, “^aTruly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power.”

²^aAnd six days later, Jesus *took with Him ^bPeter and James and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; ³and ^aHis garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. ⁴And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. ⁵And Peter answered and *said to Jesus, “^aRabbi, it is good for us to be here; ^blet us make three ¹booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. ⁷Then a cloud ¹formed, overshadowing them, and ^aa voice ²came out of the cloud, “^bThis is My beloved Son, ³listen to Him!” ⁸And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

⁹^aAnd as they were coming down from the mountain, He ^bgave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, ¹until the Son of Man rose from the dead. ¹⁰And they ¹seized upon ²that statement, arguing with one another ³what rising from the dead meant. ¹¹And they began asking Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that ^aElijah must come first?” ¹²And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of ^athe Son of Man that ^bHe will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³“But I say to you that Elijah has ¹indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

I Believe, Help My Unbelief

¹⁴^aAnd when they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵And immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were ^aamazed. And as they ran up, they were greeting Him. ¹⁶And He asked them, “What are you arguing with them?” ¹⁷And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; ¹⁸and ¹whenever it seizes him, it ²slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and ³becomes rigid. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” ¹⁹And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” ²⁰And they brought ¹the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²²“And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” ²³And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ ^aAll things are possible to him who believes.” ²⁴Immediately the boy’s father cried out and was saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” ²⁵Now when Jesus saw that ^aa crowd was ¹rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, ²I command you, come out of him and do not enter him ³again.” ²⁶And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he stood up. ²⁸And when He came ^ainto the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

³⁰^aFrom there they went out and were going through Galilee, and He was not wanting anyone to know about it. ³¹For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “^aThe Son of Man is to be ¹delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise again three days later.” ³²But ^athey ¹did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

³³^aAnd they came to Capernaum; and when He ¹was in ^bthe house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the way ^athey had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. ³⁵And sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “^aIf anyone wants to be first, ¹he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶And taking a child, He set him ¹before them. And taking him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷“^aWhoever receives ¹one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

Warnings About Discipleship

³⁸^aJohn said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and ^bwe tried to hinder him because he was not following us.” ³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. ⁴⁰“^aFor he who is not against us is ¹for us. ⁴¹“For ^awhoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

⁴²“^aAnd whoever causes one of these ¹little ones who believe to stumble, it ²would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he ³had been cast into the sea. ⁴³“^aAnd if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into ¹^,^bhell, into the ^cunquenchable fire, ⁴⁴¹[and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] ⁴⁵“And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into ¹^,^ahell, ⁴⁶¹[and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] ⁴⁷“^aAnd if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into ¹^,^bhell, ⁴⁸^awhere their worm does not die, and ^bthe fire is not quenched.

⁴⁹“For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰“Salt is good; but ^aif the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you ¹make it salty again? ^bHave salt in yourselves, and ^cbe at peace with one another.”

Teaching About Divorce

10^aAnd standing up, He *went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered around Him again, and, ^baccording to His custom, He once more began to teach them.

²And some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to ¹divorce a wife. ³And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴And they said, “^aMoses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and ¹send her away.” ⁵But Jesus said to them, “¹^,^aBecause of your hardness of heart he wrote for you this commandment. ⁶“But ^afrom the beginning of creation, God ^bmade them male and female. ⁷“^aFor this reason a man shall leave his father and mother¹, ⁸^aand the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

¹⁰And in the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. ¹¹And He *said to them, “^aWhoever ¹divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; ¹²and ^aif she herself ¹divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children

¹³^aAnd they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; ^afor the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵“Truly I say to you, ^awhoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” ¹⁶And He ^atook them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

Give Justice to Me, O Yahweh

Of David.

^aGive justice to me, O Yahweh, for I have ^bwalked in my integrity,And I have ^ctrusted in Yahweh; ^dI will not waver.²^aTest me, O Yahweh, and try me;^bRefine my ¹mind and my heart.³For Your ^alovingkindness is before my eyes,And I have ^bwalked in Your ¹truth.⁴I do not ^asit with worthless men,And I will not go with ¹^,^bpretenders.⁵I ^ahate the assembly of evildoers,And I will not sit with the wicked.⁶I shall ^awash my hands in innocence,So I will go around ^bYour altar, O Yahweh,⁷In order to proclaim with the voice of ^athanksgivingAnd to recount all Your ¹wondrous deeds.⁸O Yahweh, I ^alove the habitation of Your houseAnd the place ¹where Your ^bglory dwells.⁹^aDo not ¹take my soul away along with sinners,Nor my life with ^bmen of bloodshed,¹⁰In whose hands is a ^awicked scheme,And whose right hand is full of ^bbribes.¹¹But as for me, I shall ^awalk in my integrity;^bRedeem me, and be gracious to me.¹²^aMy foot stands on ^blevel ground;In the ^ccongregations I shall bless Yahweh.