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Moses Blesses the People
33 Moses, the man of God, gave this blessing to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] before he died. 2 He said:
“The Lord came from Mount Sinai
and ·rose like the sun [shone forth] from ·Edom [L Seir; C another name for Edom];
he ·showed his greatness [blazed forth] from Mount Paran.
He came with ·thousands of angels [myriads of holy ones]
·from the southern mountains [or marching at his right hand; Ex. 15:17; Judg. 5:4–5; Ps. 68:7–8, 17–18; Hab. 3:3–7].
3 The Lord surely loves his people
and takes care of all ·those who belong to him [his holy/consecrated ones].
They ·bow down [submit; or followed] at his feet,
and they are taught by him.
4 Moses ·gave us [commanded us with] the ·teachings [laws; instructions]
that ·belong to the people [L are the possession of the assembly] of Jacob.
5 The Lord became king ·of Israel [L in Jeshurun; 32:15]
when the leaders of the people gathered,
when the tribes of Israel came together.
6 “Let the people of Reuben live and not die,
but let ·the people [L his numbers] be few [2 Kin. 10:32–34].”
7 Moses said this about the people of Judah:
“Lord, listen to Judah’s ·prayer [L voice];
bring them back to their people.
They ·defend [contend for] themselves with their hands.
Help them fight their enemies!”
8 Moses said this about the people of Levi:
“Lord, your Thummim and Urim [Ex. 28:30] belong
to ·Levi, whom you love [L your loyal one].
Lord, you tested him at Massah
and argued with him at the waters of Meribah [Ex. 17:1–7].
9 He said about his father and mother,
‘I don’t care about them.’
He did not treat his brothers as favorites
or give special favors to his children,
but he protected your word
and guarded your ·agreement [covenant; treaty; Ex. 32:25–29].
10 He teaches your ·laws [judgments] to the people of Jacob
and your ·teachings [laws; instructions] to the people of Israel.
He ·burns [places] incense before you
and makes whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] on your altar.
11 Lord, ·make them strong [L bless his powers];
be pleased with the work ·they do [L of their hand].
·Defeat those who attack them [L Strike the loins of those who rise against them],
and don’t let ·their enemies [L those who hate them] rise up again.”
12 Moses said this about the people of Benjamin:
“The Lord’s loved ones will lie down in safety,
because ·he [or the Most High] protects them all day long.
The ones he loves rest ·with him [L between his shoulders].”
13 Moses said this about the people of Joseph:
“May the Lord bless their land with ·wonderful [or the best fruits from the] dew from heaven,
·with water from the springs [and from the deeps] below,
14 with the best fruits that the sun brings,
and with the best fruits ·that the moon brings [or of the months].
15 Let the ·old [ancient] mountains give the finest crops,
and let the everlasting hills give the best fruits.
16 Let the ·full earth [L earth and its fullness] give the best fruits,
and let the Lord who lived in ·the burning bush [the thorn bush; or Sinai; Ex. 3:2] be pleased.
May ·these blessings [L they] rest on the head of Joseph,
on the forehead of the ·one who was blessed [L prince] among his brothers.
17 Joseph has the majesty of a firstborn bull;
·he is as strong as [L his horns are the horns of] a wild ox [Ex. 27:2].
He will ·stab [gore] other nations with them,
even those ·nations far away [L at the ends of the earth].
These are the ·ten thousands [myriads] of Ephraim,
and these are the thousands of Manasseh [C tribes named after Joseph’s sons].”
18 Moses said this about the people of Zebulun:
“·Be happy [Rejoice] when you go out, Zebulun,
and ·be happy [rejoice] in your tents, Issachar.
19 They will call the people to the mountain,
and there they will offer the ·right [righteous] sacrifices.
They will ·do well from all that is in [L suck the abundance of] the sea,
and from the treasures hidden in the sand on the shore.”
20 Moses said this about the people of Gad:
“·Praise God who gives Gad more land [L Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad]!
Gad lives there like a lion,
who tears off arms and heads.
21 They chose the best land for themselves.
They received a large share, like that given to an officer.
When the leaders of the people ·gathered [or came],
the people of Gad did what the Lord said was ·right [righteous; just],
and they judged Israel fairly.”
22 Moses said this about the people of Dan:
“Dan is like a lion’s cub,
who ·jumps out of [leaps forth from] Bashan [32:14].”
23 Moses said this about the people of Naphtali:
“Naphtali ·enjoys special kindnesses [is deeply favored],
and they are full of the Lord’s blessings.
·Take as your own [or It possesses] the west and south.”
24 Moses said this about the people of Asher:
“Asher is the most blessed of the sons;
let him be his brothers’ favorite.
Let him ·bathe [dip] his feet in olive oil [C symbolizing comfort and luxury].
25 Your ·gates will have locks of [L bolts/bars are] iron and bronze,
and ·you will be strong as long as you live [L your strength will be like your days].
26 “There is no one like the God of ·Israel [L Jeshurun; 32:15],
who rides through the ·skies [heavens] to help you,
who rides on the clouds in his majesty [Ps. 18:7–15; 68:5–7; Dan. 7:13–14; Nah. 1:3; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7].
27 ·The everlasting God is your place of safety [or He humbles the gods of old],
and ·his arms will hold you up forever [or humbles the ancient powers].
He will force your enemy out ahead of you,
saying, ‘Destroy the enemy!’
28 The people of Israel will ·lie down [reside; dwell] in safety.
Jacob’s ·spring [or abode] is theirs alone.
Theirs is a land full of grain and new wine,
where the ·skies [heavens] drop their dew.
29 Israel, you are blessed!
·No one else [L Who…?] is like you,
because you are a people saved by the Lord.
He is your shield and helper,
your glorious sword.
Your enemies will ·be afraid of you [come cringing to you],
and you will ·walk all over [trample] their ·holy places [L high places; or backs].”
Change Your Hearts
13 At that time some people were there who told Jesus that Pilate [C Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea from ad 26 to 36; see 3:1] had killed some people from Galilee while they were worshiping. He mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing to God. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think ·this happened to them [L they suffered these things] because they were more sinful than all others from Galilee? 3 No, I tell you. But unless you ·change your hearts and lives [repent], you will [L all] be destroyed as they were! 4 [L Or] What about those eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were ·more sinful [more guilty; greater offenders] than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you ·change your hearts and lives [repent], you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
6 Jesus told this ·story [parable]: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none. 7 So the man said to his gardener, ‘[L Look,] I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down. Why should it ·waste the ground [take up space]?’ 8 But the servant answered, ‘·Master [Sir], let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some ·fertilizer [manure]. 9 If the tree produces fruit next year, good. But if not, you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 A woman was there who, for eighteen years, had an evil spirit in her that made her ·crippled [disabled]. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are ·free [released; set free] from your ·sickness [disability].” 13 Jesus ·put [laid] his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight and began ·praising [giving glory to] God.
14 The synagogue leader was ·angry [indignant] because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days when one has to work. So come to be healed on one of those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord answered, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you untie your ·work animals [L ox or donkey from the stall] and lead them to drink water on the Sabbath day? 16 This woman that I healed, a daughter of Abraham, has been held by Satan for eighteen years. ·Surely it is not wrong [L Was it not necessary…?] for her to be freed from ·her sickness [L this bond/imprisonment] on a Sabbath day!” 17 When Jesus said this, all of those who were ·criticizing [opposing] him were ashamed, but the entire crowd rejoiced at all the ·wonderful [glorious] things Jesus was doing.
Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast(A)
18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the ·wild birds [L birds of the sky] build nests in its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like ·yeast [leaven] that a woman took and ·hid [mixed] in a large tub [C Greek: three sata; about fifty pounds] of flour until ·it made all the dough rise [L the whole was leavened; Matt. 13:33].”
65 Then the Lord ·got up [awoke] as if he had been asleep;
·he awoke like a man [L like a soldier] who had been ·drunk with [shouting/singing because of] wine.
66 He struck ·down [L back] his enemies
and ·disgraced them forever [L placed on them eternal scorn/reproach].
67 But God rejected the ·family [L tent] of Joseph [C the tribe of Ephraim];
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim [C the most important northern tribe, here representing the house of Saul].
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple], which he loves.
69 And he built his ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place] ·high like the mountains [or like the high heavens].
Like the earth, ·he built it to last [L its foundations are] forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant
and took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending the ·sheep [L ewes]
so he could ·lead the flock, [shepherd] the people of Jacob,
his ·own people [inheritance], the people of Israel.
72 And David ·led [shepherded] them with an ·innocent [blameless] heart
and guided them with skillful hands.
25 ·Worry [Anxiety] ·is a heavy load [leads to depression],
but a ·kind [good] word cheers you up.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.