Through the Bible – Day 72

Bible text(s)

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.

₃The LORD loves the tribes

of Israel,

and he protects his people.

They listen to his words

and worship at his feet.

_4-5I called a meeting

of the tribes of Israel

and gave you God's Law.

Then you and your leaders

made the LORD your king.

₆Tribe of Reuben, you will live,

even though your tribe

will always be small.

₇The LORD will listen to you,

tribe of Judah, as you beg

to come safely home.

You fought your enemies alone;

now the LORD will help you.

₈At Massah and Meribah Spring,

the LORD tested you,

tribe of Levi.

You were faithful,

and so the priesthood 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.

₁₀You teach God's laws to Israel,

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 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.

So invite the other tribes

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.

₂₂Tribe of Dan,

you are like a lion cub,

startled by a snake.

₂₃The LORD is pleased with you,

people of Naphtali.

He will bless you

and give you the land

to the west and the south.

₂₄The LORD's greatest blessing

is for you, tribe of Asher.

You will be the favourite

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, 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.

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.

Deuteronomy 34

The death of Moses

₁Some time later, Moses left the lowlands of Moab. He went up Mount Pisgah to the peak of Mount Nebo, which is across the River Jordan from Jericho. The LORD showed him all the land as far north as Gilead and the town of Dan. ₂He let Moses see the territories that would soon belong to the tribes of Naphtali, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Judah, as far west as the Mediterranean Sea. ₃The LORD also showed him the land in the south, from the valley near the town of Jericho, known as The City of Palm Trees, down to the town of Zoar.

₄The LORD said, “Moses, this is the land I was talking about when I solemnly promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give land to their descendants. I have let you see it, but you will not cross the Jordan and go in.”

₅And so, Moses the LORD's servant died there in Moab, just as the LORD had said. ₆The LORD buried him in a valley near the town of Beth-Peor, but even today no one knows exactly where. ₇Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyesight was still good, and his body was strong.

₈The people of Israel stayed in the lowlands of Moab, where they mourned and grieved thirty days for Moses, as was their custom.

Joshua becomes the leader of Israel

₉Before Moses died, he had placed his hands on Joshua, and the LORD had given Joshua wisdom. The Israelites paid attention to what Joshua said and obeyed the commands that the LORD had given Moses.

Moses was a great prophet

₁₀There has never again been a prophet in Israel like Moses. The LORD spoke face to face with him ₁₁and sent him to perform powerful miracles in the presence of the king of Egypt and his entire nation. ₁₂No one else has ever had the power to do such great things as Moses did for everyone to see.

Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12CEVOpen in Bible reader

Mark 12

About David's son

₃₅As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the teachers of the Law of Moses say that the Messiah will come from the family of King David? ₃₆The Holy Spirit led David to say,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit at my right side

until I make your enemies

into a footstool for you.’

₃₇If David called the Messiah his Lord, how can the Messiah be his son?”

The large crowd enjoyed listening to Jesus teach.

Jesus condemns the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses

₃₈As Jesus was teaching, he said:

Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes and be greeted in the market. ₃₉They like the front seats in the meeting places and the best seats at banquets. ₄₀But they cheat widows out of their homes and pray long prayers just to show off. They will be punished most of all.

A widow's offering

₄₁Jesus was sitting in the temple near the offering box and watching people put in their gifts. He noticed that many rich people were giving a lot of money. ₄₂Finally, a poor widow came up and put in two coins that were worth only a few pennies. ₄₃Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said:

I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ₄₄Everyone else gave what they didn't need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had. Now she doesn't have a penny to live on.

Mark 12:35-44CEVOpen in Bible reader