The Daily Audio Bible
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33 This is the blessing Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:
2 “The Lord came to us at Mount Sinai,
And dawned upon us from Mount Seir;
He shone from Mount Paran,
Surrounded by ten thousands of holy angels,[a]
And with flaming fire at his right hand.
3 How he loves his people—
His holy ones are in his hands.
They followed in your steps, O Lord.
They have received their directions from you.
4 The laws I have given
Are your precious possession.
5 The Lord became king in Jerusalem,
Elected by a convocation of the leaders of the tribes!
6 Let Reuben live forever
And may his tribe increase!”
7 And Moses said of Judah:
“O Lord, hear the cry of Judah
And unite him with Israel;
Fight for him against his enemies.”
8 Then Moses said concerning the tribe of Levi:
“Give to godly Levi
Your Urim and your Thummim.
You tested Levi at Massah and at Meribah;
9 He obeyed your instructions
and destroyed many sinners,[b]
Even his own children, brothers, fathers, and mothers.
10 The Levites shall teach God’s laws to Israel
And shall work before you at the incense altar
And the altar of burnt offering.
11 O Lord, prosper the Levites
And accept the work they do for you.
Crush those who are their enemies;
Don’t let them rise again.”
12 Concerning the tribe of Benjamin, Moses said:
“He is beloved of God
And lives in safety beside him.
God surrounds him with his loving care,
And preserves him from every harm.”
13 Concerning the tribe of Joseph, he said:
“May his land be blessed by God
With the choicest gifts of heaven
And of the earth that lies below.
14 May he be blessed
With the best of what the sun makes grow;
Growing richly month by month,
15 With the finest of mountain crops
And of the everlasting hills.
16 May he be blessed with the best gifts
Of the earth and its fullness,
And with the favor of God who appeared
In the burning bush.
Let all these blessings come upon Joseph,
The prince among his brothers.
17 He is a young bull in strength and splendor,
With the strong horns of a wild ox
To push against the nations everywhere;
This is my blessing on the multitudes of Ephraim
And the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Moses said:
“Rejoice, O Zebulun, you outdoorsmen,
And Issachar, you lovers of your tents;
19 They shall summon the people
To celebrate their sacrifices with them.
Lo, they taste the riches of the sea
And the treasures of the sand.”
20 Concerning the tribe of Gad, Moses said:
“A blessing upon those who help Gad.
He crouches like a lion,
With savage arm and face and head.
21 He chose the best of the land for himself
Because it is reserved for a leader.
He led the people
Because he carried out God’s penalties for Israel.”
22 Of the tribe of Dan, Moses said:
“Dan is like a lion’s cub
Leaping out from Bashan.”
23 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Moses said:
“O Naphtali, you are satisfied
With all the blessings of the Lord;
The Mediterranean coast and the Negeb
Are your home.”
24 Of the tribe of Asher:
“Asher is a favorite son,
Esteemed above his brothers;
He bathes his feet in oil.
25 May you be protected with strong bolts
Of iron and bronze,
And may your strength match the length of your days!
26 There is none like the God of Jerusalem—
He descends from the heavens
In majestic splendor to help you.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms.
He thrusts out your enemies before you;
It is he who cries, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel dwells safely,
Prospering in a land of corn and wine,
While the gentle rains descend from heaven.
29 What blessings are yours, O Israel!
Who else has been saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and your helper!
He is your excellent sword!
Your enemies shall bow low before you,
And you shall trample on their backs!”
13 About this time he was informed that Pilate had butchered some Jews from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem.
2 “Do you think they were worse sinners than other men from Galilee?” he asked. “Is that why they suffered? 3 Not at all! And don’t you realize that you also will perish unless you leave your evil ways and turn to God?
4 “And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5 Not at all! And you, too, will perish unless you repent.”
6 Then he used this illustration: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if he could find any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally he told his gardener to cut it down. ‘I’ve waited three years and there hasn’t been a single fig!’ he said. ‘Why bother with it any longer? It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’
8 “‘Give it one more chance,’ the gardener answered. ‘Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9 If we get figs next year, fine; if not, I’ll cut it down.’”
10 One Sabbath as he was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a seriously handicapped woman who had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to straighten herself.
12 Calling her over to him Jesus said, “Woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 He touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God!
14 But the local Jewish leader in charge of the synagogue was very angry about it because Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week to work,” he shouted to the crowd. “Those are the days to come for healing, not on the Sabbath!”
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrite! You work on the Sabbath! Don’t you untie your cattle from their stalls on the Sabbath and lead them out for water? 16 And is it wrong for me, just because it is the Sabbath day, to free this Jewish woman from the bondage in which Satan has held her for eighteen years?”
17 This shamed his enemies. And all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.
18 Now he began teaching them again about the Kingdom of God: “What is the Kingdom like?” he asked. “How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a garden; soon it grows into a tall bush and the birds live among its branches.
20-21 “It is like yeast kneaded into dough, which works unseen until it has risen high and light.”
65 Then the Lord rose up as though awakening from sleep, and like a mighty man aroused by wine, 66 he routed his enemies; he drove them back and sent them to eternal shame. 67 But he rejected Joseph’s family, the tribe of Ephraim, 68 and chose the tribe of Judah—and Mount Zion, which he loved. 69 There he built his towering temple, solid and enduring as the heavens and the earth. 70 He chose his servant David, taking him from feeding sheep 71-72 and from following the ewes with lambs; God presented David to his people as their shepherd, and he cared for them with a true heart and skillful hands.
25 Anxious hearts are very heavy, but a word of encouragement does wonders!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.