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Deuteronomy 33:1-29 (Contemporary English Version)
Deuteronomy 33
Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
1Moses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying:
2The 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]
3The LORD loves the tribes
of Israel, [b]
and he protects his people.
They listen to his words
and worship at his feet.
4I called a meeting
of the tribes of Israel [c]
and gave you God's Law.
5Then you and your leaders
made the LORD your king.
6Tribe of Reuben, you will live,
even though your tribe
will always be small. [d]
7The 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.
8At 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.
9Protecting 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]
10You teach God's laws to Israel, [j]
and at the place of worship
you offer sacrifices
and burn incense.
11I pray that the LORD will bless
everything you do,
and make you strong enough
to crush your enemies.
12The LORD Most High [k]
loves you, tribe of Benjamin.
He will live among your hills
and protect you.
13Descendants of Joseph,
the LORD will bless you
with precious water
from deep wells
and with dew from the sky.
14Month by month, your fruit
will ripen in the sunshine.
15You will have a rich harvest
from the slopes
of the ancient hills.
16The 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.
17The armies of Ephraim
and Manasseh
are majestic and fierce
like a bull or a wild ox.
They will run their spears
through faraway nations.
18Be happy, Zebulun,
as your boats set sail;
be happy, Issachar,
in your tents.
19The 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.
20Tribe of Gad,
the LORD will bless you
with more land.
So shout his praises!
Your tribe is like a lion
ripping up its victim.
21Your leaders met together
and chose the best land
for your tribe,
but you obeyed the LORD
and helped the other tribes. [n]
22Tribe of Dan,
you are like a lion cub,
startled by a snake. [o]
23The LORD is pleased with you,
people of Naphtali.
He will bless you
and give you the land
to the west and the south. [p]
24The 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
25and have strong town gates
with bronze and iron bolts.
Your people will be powerful
for as long as they live.
26Israel, [q] no other god is like ours--
the clouds are his chariot
as he rides across the skies
to come and help us.
27The 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.
28Israel, 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.
29The 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.
Footnotes:
Deuteronomy 33:2 Thousands. . . right hand: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Deuteronomy 33:3 the tribes of Israel: Or " the nations."
Deuteronomy 33:4 Israel: The Hebrew text also uses the name " Jeshurun," a rare name for " Israel."
Deuteronomy 33:6 even though. . . small: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Deuteronomy 33:7 beg. . . alone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Deuteronomy 33:8 Massah and Meribah Spring: See Exodus 17.1-7; Numbers 20.1-13.
Deuteronomy 33:8 the LORD tested you, tribe of Levi. You were faithful: Or " the LORD tested me. I was faithful" or " the LORD tested Aaron and me. We were faithful."
Deuteronomy 33:8 priesthood: The Hebrew text has " your thummim and your urim," objects that were used by priests to get answers from God.
Deuteronomy 33:9 Protecting Israel's agreement. . . your own children: See Exodus 32.25-29.
Deuteronomy 33:10 Israel: See the note at 32.9.
Deuteronomy 33:12 Most High: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Deuteronomy 33:19 sandy beach. . . treasure: Possibly a reference to glass made from sand; glass was rare and very valuable.
Deuteronomy 33:19 other tribes: Or " nations."
Deuteronomy 33:21 tribes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21. The Gad tribe asked for some of the land east of the Jordan River, but promised that their warriors would cross the Jordan and help the other tribes take over the land west of the Jordan (see Numbers 32.1-33; Joshua 4.10-13).
Deuteronomy 33:22 startled by a snake: Or " jumping out from the forest of Bashan."
Deuteronomy 33:23 land to the west and the south: Or " land south as far as Lake Galilee."
Deuteronomy 33:26 Israel: See the note at 33.4.
Deuteronomy 33:28 your enemies will be gone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Luke 12:1-21 (Contemporary English Version)
Luke 12
Warnings
1As thousands of people crowded around Jesus and were stepping on each other, he told his disciples:
Be sure to guard against the dishonest teaching [a] of the Pharisees! It is their way of fooling people. 2Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. 3Whatever you say in the dark will be heard when it is day. Whatever you whisper in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.
The One To Fear
(Matthew 10.28-31)
4My friends, don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but after that, there is nothing else they can do. 5God is the one you must fear. Not only can he take your life, but he can throw you into hell. God is certainly the one you should fear!
6Five sparrows are sold for just two pennies, but God doesn't forget a one of them. 7Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.
Telling Others about Christ
(Matthew 10.32,33; 12.32; 10.19,20)
8If you tell others that you belong to me, the Son of Man will tell God's angels that you are my followers. 9But if you reject me, you will be rejected in front of them. 10If you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven, but if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you cannot be forgiven.
11When you are brought to trial in the Jewish meeting places or before rulers or officials, don't worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. 12At that time the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.
A Rich Fool
13A man in a crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died."
14Jesus answered, "Who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?"
15Then he said to the crowd, "Don't be greedy! Owning a lot of things won't make your life safe."
16So Jesus told them this story:
A rich man's farm produced a big crop, 17and he said to himself, "What can I do? I don't have a place large enough to store everything."
18Later, he said, "Now I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. 19Then I'll say to myself, `You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' "
20But God said to him, "You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?"
21"This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God."
Footnotes:
Luke 12:1 dishonest teaching: The Greek text has " yeast," which is used here of a teaching that is not true (see Matthew 16.6,12).
Psalm 78:65-72 (Contemporary English Version)
65Finally the Lord woke up,
and he shouted
like a drunken soldier.
66God scattered his enemies
and made them ashamed
forever.
67Then the Lord decided
not to make his home
with Joseph's descendants
in Ephraim. [a]
68Instead he chose the tribe
of Judah,
and he chose Mount Zion,
the place he loves.
69There he built his temple
as lofty as the mountains
and as solid as the earth
that he had made
to last forever.
70The Lord God chose David
to be his servant
and took him
from tending sheep
71and from caring for lambs.
Then God made him the leader
of Israel, his own nation.
72David treated the people fairly
and guided them with wisdom.
Footnotes:
Psalm 78:67 with. . . Ephraim: Ephraim was Joseph's youngest son. One of the twelve tribes was named after him, and sometimes the northern kingdom of Israel was also known as Ephraim. The town of Shiloh was in the territory of Ephraim, but the place where God was worshiped was moved from there to Zion (Jerusalem) in the territory of Judah.
Proverbs 12:25 (Contemporary English Version)
25Worry is a heavy burden,
but a kind word
always brings cheer.
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