Genesis 49
Jacob’s Final Words to His Sons
1 Now Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my children; You are hard to bear; You are hardened in your self-will.†
4 Unstable as water in your insolence, You went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; They accomplished their injustice from their free choice.
6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was self-willed; And their wrath, for it was hardened. I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.†
8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down before you.†
9 Judah is a lion’s cub; From being a shoot, my son, you have grown up. He bows down, and slept as a lion and a cub; And who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from his loins, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the expectation of the nations.
11 Binding his colt to a vine, And his donkey’s colt to its branch, He will wash his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are gladdened from the wine, And his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun shall dwell by the seacoast; He shall be near a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
14 “Issachar. desired what was good, Resting between the inheritances;†
15 And seeing his resting place was good And the land was fertile, He set his shoulder to hard work, And became a farmer.
16 “Dan shall judge his own people As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper lying in ambush by the path, That bites the horse’s heels, That its rider may fall backward,
18 Waiting for the Lord’s salvation.
19 “As for Gad, a raider gang shall raid him, But he shall raid them in close pursuit.
20 “As for Asher, his food shall be abundant, And he will furnish dainties for rulers.
21 “Naphtali is a spreading stem, Bestowing beauty by its produce.
22 “Joseph is a grown-up son, A grown-up son that was envied. Oh my youngest son, return to me.
23 They devised evil plans against him and reviled him, And the archers were taking aim at him.
24 But their bows were broken by force, And the sinews of the arms of their hands were enfeebled On account of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob. Thence, he who strengthened Israel
25 Is from the God of your father, And my God has helped you and blessed you With a blessing from heaven above And with a blessing of the earth containing everything. By reason of the blessing of breasts and the womb,
26 He made the blessings of your father and mother Stronger than the blessings of stable mountains and everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph And on the crown of the brothers he led.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he will still be eating, And in the evening he will provide food.”
The Death and Burial of Jacob
28 All these are the twelve sons of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them; and he blessed each one according to his own blessing.
29 Then he charged them and said to them, “I am to be added to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 opposite Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
32 The field and the cave there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”
33 Thus when Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was added to his people.
Psalms 44
1 For the End, concerning things that shall be changed; to the sons of Korah for understanding; an ode concerning the Beloved One. †
2 My heart overflowed with a good word; I tell my works to the King; My tongue is the pen of a swift-writing scribe.
3 You are more beautiful than the sons of men; Grace was poured out on Your lips; Therefore God blessed You forever.
4 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, In Your splendor and Your beauty.
5 And stretch Your bow, and grant prosperity, and reign Because of truth, gentleness, and righteousness, And Your right hand shall guide You wondrously.
6 Your arrows are sharp, O Mighty One (The peoples shall fall under You), In the heart of the King’s enemies.
7 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; Your royal scepter is a scepter of uprightness.
8 You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
9 Myrrh and stacte and cassia pour forth from Your garments, From the ivory palaces from which they gladdened You.
10 There are daughters of kings in Your honor; The queen stood at Your right hand in apparel interwoven with gold, And adorned and embroidered with various colors.
11 Listen, O daughter, behold and incline your ear, And forget your people and your father’s house;
12 For the King desired your beauty, For He is your Lord.
13 And the daughters of Tyre shall worship Him with gifts; The rich among the people shall entreat your favor.
14 All her glory as the King’s daughter is within, Adorned and embroidered with golden tassels.
15 The virgins behind her shall be brought to the King; Her neighbors shall be brought to You;
16 They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing; They shall be led into the temple of the King.
17 In place of your fathers, sons shall be born to you; You shall make them rulers over all the earth.
18 They shall remember your name from generation to generation; Therefore, peoples shall give thanks to you Forever and unto ages of ages.
Psalms 44
1 For the End, concerning things that shall be changed; to the sons of Korah for understanding; an ode concerning the Beloved One. †
2 My heart overflowed with a good word; I tell my works to the King; My tongue is the pen of a swift-writing scribe.
3 You are more beautiful than the sons of men; Grace was poured out on Your lips; Therefore God blessed You forever.
4 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, In Your splendor and Your beauty.
5 And stretch Your bow, and grant prosperity, and reign Because of truth, gentleness, and righteousness, And Your right hand shall guide You wondrously.
6 Your arrows are sharp, O Mighty One (The peoples shall fall under You), In the heart of the King’s enemies.
7 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; Your royal scepter is a scepter of uprightness.
8 You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
9 Myrrh and stacte and cassia pour forth from Your garments, From the ivory palaces from which they gladdened You.
10 There are daughters of kings in Your honor; The queen stood at Your right hand in apparel interwoven with gold, And adorned and embroidered with various colors.
11 Listen, O daughter, behold and incline your ear, And forget your people and your father’s house;
12 For the King desired your beauty, For He is your Lord.
13 And the daughters of Tyre shall worship Him with gifts; The rich among the people shall entreat your favor.
14 All her glory as the King’s daughter is within, Adorned and embroidered with golden tassels.
15 The virgins behind her shall be brought to the King; Her neighbors shall be brought to You;
16 They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing; They shall be led into the temple of the King.
17 In place of your fathers, sons shall be born to you; You shall make them rulers over all the earth.
18 They shall remember your name from generation to generation; Therefore, peoples shall give thanks to you Forever and unto ages of ages.
Proverbs of Solomon 9
Wisdom: Let Us Attend!
7 He who chastises evil men shall receive dishonor to himself, And he who reproves the ungodly man shall be blamed himself.†
8 Do not reprove evil men, so they may not hate you; Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give the opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser; Instruct a righteous man, and he shall continue to receive it.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the counsel of saints is understanding; For to know the law is characteristic of a good mind.
11 For in this manner you will live a long time, And the years of your life shall be increased.
Mark 1
John: Forerunner of Christ
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.†
2 As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.”
3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.†
7 And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus Baptized and Tempted
9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.†
Jesus Preaches: Repent and Believe
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,†
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
The First Four Disciples
16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.†
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.
20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.