Deuteronomy 33, 34
1 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 Thus he said:
“The Lord came down from Sinai
And appeared to us from Seir;
He hastened from Mount Paran
Along with myriads at Kadesh,
angels with Him at His right hand;
3 And He spared His people
And all the sanctified ones under Your hands;
And these are under You,
And received the law from His words
4 Which Moses commanded us,
A heritage of the congregations of Jacob.
5 And there shall be a Ruler among the beloved people
When the rulers of the people are gathered,
Together with the tribes of Israel.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die,
And let him be many in number.”
7 This he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
And let him visit his people;
His hands will judge for him,
And may You be a help against his enemies.”
8 To Levi he said:
“Give to Levi, to the holy man, his Urim and Thummim,
Him whom they tested with testing,
Whom they reviled at the Water of Contention,
9 Who says to his father and mother, ‘I have not seen you’;
Nor did he know his brothers or his own children;
They guarded Your oracles
And kept Your covenant.
10 They shall manifest Your judgments to Jacob
And Your law to Israel.
They shall lay incense when You are angry
Continually on Your altar.
11 Bless his strength, O Lord,
And accept the works of his hands;
Bring down the loins of those who rise against him
And of those who hate him, so they rise not again.”
12 To Benjamin he said:
“Beloved by the Lord, he shall dwell in hope,
And God shall overshadow him all his days;
And he rested between his shoulders.”
13 To Joseph he said:
“Blessed of the Lord is his land,
Of the seasons of heaven, of the dew
And of the deep springs lying beneath,
14 And in due season of the produce of the solar cycle
And of the conjunction of the months,
15 Both from the top of the ancient mountains
And from the top of the everlasting hills;
16 And in due season of the fullness of the land
And the things acceptable to the One revealed in the Bush.
May these things come ‘upon the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the one glorified among his brothers.’
17 His beauty is like the firstborn of a bull
And his horns like the horns of the unicorn;
With them He will gore nations together
Even to the ends of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 To Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar in his tents.
19 They shall annihilate nations,
And there you will call upon the Lord
And sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness,
For the wealth of the sea shall suckle you,
And the trade of those dwelling by the sea.”
20 To Gad he said:
“Blessed is He who enlarges Gad;
He rested as a lion
And crushed the arm and the head.
21 He saw his firstfruit,
Because the land of the rulers was apportioned there,
When the rulers were gathered together
With the rulers of the people.
The Lord administered righteousness
And His judgments with Israel.”
22 To Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
And he shall leap from Bashan.”
23 To Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali has an abundance of acceptable things,
And let him be full of blessing from the Lord.
He shall inherit the sea and the south.”
24 To Asher he said:
“Blessed is Asher beyond sons,
And let him be acceptable to his brothers.
He shall dip his foot in olive oil.
25 His sandals shall be iron and bronze;
And as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 There is no one like the God of the Beloved,
Who rides upon heaven and who is your help,
And the Magnificent One of the firmament,
27 And the Protection of the rule of God,
And who is under the strength of the everlasting arms.
He will cast out the enemy from before your face,
Saying, ‘Destroy.’
28 Then Israel shall dwell in hope,
Alone in the land of Jacob,
With grain and wine;
And heaven is cloudy with dew for him.
29 Blessed are you, O Israel.
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord.
Your Helper will defend you as with a shield;
And the sword shall be your boast.
Your enemies shall speak falsely to you,
And you shall tread on their neck.”
Moses’ Death on Mount Nebo
1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho; and the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 and all the land of Naphtali, and all the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 and the desert, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your seed.’ I show it to your eyes, but you shall not go in there.”
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab by the word of the Lord. 6 Then He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. 8 Then the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab at the Jordan near Jericho thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the Spirit of understanding, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the sons of Israel heeded him and did as the Lord commanded Moses. 10 Now there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all those great wonders and the mighty hand which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Psalm 65
1 For the End; an ode of a psalm of resurrection.
Shout to God, all the earth;
2 Sing now to His name;
Give glory to His praise.
3 Say to God, “How fearful are Your works;
In the greatness of Your power Your enemies will lie to You;
4 Let all the earth worship You and sing to You;
Let them sing to Your name.”
(Pause)
5 Come and see the works of God;
He is more fearful in His counsels than the sons of men,
6 Who turns the sea into dry land;
They will cross over the river on foot.
There we will be glad in Him,
7 In Him who as Lord shall rule in His power forever;
His eyes will look at the Gentiles;
Let not those who provoke Him be exalted in themselves.
(Pause)
8 Bless our God, you Gentiles,
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who established my soul in life,
And who did not permit my feet to be moved.
10 For You, O God, tested us;
You tried us in the fire, as silver is purified by fire.
11 You brought us into the snare;
You laid affliction on our back.
12 You put men on our heads;
We went through fire and water,
And You led us into a refreshing place.
13 I will go into Your house with whole burnt offerings;
I will pay You the vows
14 My lips uttered,
And my mouth spoke in my affliction;
15 I will offer You whole burnt offerings full of marrow;
With incense and rams,
I will offer oxen with a young he-goat.
(Pause)
16 Come and hear, and I will describe to you,
All who fear God,
What things He did for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And I exalted Him with my tongue.
18 If I regarded wrongdoing in my heart,
Let not the Lord hear me.
19 Therefore God heard me;
He gave heed to the voice of my supplication.
20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me.
Proverbs 13:11–15
11 An evil man does evil things with arrogance,
But those who know themselves are wise.
12 Property hastily gained with lawlessness becomes diminished,
But he who gathers for himself with godliness will be increased;
A righteous man has compassion and lends.
13 A man who begins to give aid heartily is better
Than he who only promises and leads another to hope;
A good desire is a tree of life.
14 He who despises a matter will be despised by it,
But he who fears the commandment, this man is in good health.
15 To a deceitful son there shall be nothing good,
But for a wise servant, his deeds shall be prosperous,
And his way shall be led aright.
Mark 13:24–37
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
25 “the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 “And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
(Matt. 24:32–35; Luke 21:29–33)
28 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
29 “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors!
30 “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
(Matt. 24:36–44; Luke 21:34–36)
32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
34 “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
35 “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—
36 “lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
37 “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”