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21 And the descendants[a] of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh spoke with the heads of the clans[b] of Israel, 22 “Yahweh, God of gods! Yahweh, God of gods knows. And let Israel itself know, if it was in rebellion or treachery against Yahweh, do not spare us this day 23 for building for ourselves an altar to turn away from Yahweh, or if it was to offer burnt offerings,[c] grain offerings,[d] or fellowship offerings on it, may Yahweh himself take vengeance. 24 But in fact, we have done this because of anxiety, because of a reason, saying, ‘In the future your children may say to our children, ‘What is the relationship between you and Yahweh the God of Israel?[e] 25 Yahweh has made the Jordan a border between us and you, the descendants[f] of Reuben and Gad; you have no portion in Yahweh.’ So your children may put an end to our children worshiping[g] Yahweh. 26 So we said, ‘Let us build immediately for ourselves an altar, not for burnt offerings[h] or for sacrifices;[i] 27 instead, it is a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us for performing the serving of Yahweh in his presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings; so that your children may not say in the future to our children, “You have no portion in Yahweh.”’ 28 And we thought, if they say to us and to our children in the future, we can say, ‘Look at this replica of the altar of Yahweh, which our ancestors[j] made, not for burnt offerings[k] or sacrifices;[l] rather, it is a witness between us and you.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against Yahweh, to turn today from following Yahweh, to build an altar for burnt offerings,[m] grain offerings,[n] or sacrifices,[o] instead of the altar of Yahweh our God that is before his tabernacle.”
30 Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the clans[p] of Israel who were with him heard the words that the descendants[q] of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh spoke, and they were satisfied.[r] 31 Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, said to the descendants[s] of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahweh is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against Yahweh. Therefore you have rescued the Israelites[t] from the hand of Yahweh.”
32 And Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, and the leaders returned from the descendants[u] of Reuben and Gad, from the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan to the Israelites,[v] and they gave them their report.[w] 33 The report satisfied the Israelites;[x] they blessed God, and they did not speak of going up for battle against them to destroy the land in which the descendants[y] of Reuben and Gad were living.[z] 34 The descendants[aa] of Reuben and Gad called the altar Witness, “Because,” they said, “it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.”
Joshua’s Farewell Address
23 And it happened, after a long time,[ab] after Yahweh had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and after Joshua was old and well-advanced in years,[ac] 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, their elders, heads, judges, and officials, and he said to them, “I am old and well-advanced in years,[ad] 3 and you have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations for your sake,[ae] for Yahweh your God is fighting for you. 4 Look! I have allotted to you these remaining nations as an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, to the Great Sea[af] in the west.[ag] 5 And Yahweh your God will push them back before you[ah] and drive them out of your sight,[ai] and you will possess their land, just as Yahweh your God promised to you. 6 Be very strong to observe carefully all that is written in the scroll of the law of Moses so as not to turn aside from it, to the right or left, 7 so as not to go among these remaining nations with you; do not profess[aj] the name of their gods, and do not swear by them, serve them, or bow down to them.[ak] 8 But hold fast to Yahweh your God, just as you have done up to this day. 9 Yahweh has driven out before you great and strong nations; and as for you, nobody has withstood[al] you to this day. 10 One of your men put to flight a thousand, for Yahweh your God is fighting for you, just as he promised you. 11 Take utmost care for the sake of your life to love Yahweh your God, 12 for if indeed you turn back and join these remaining nations among you,[am] and you intermarry with them, marrying their women and they yours,[an] 13 know for certain that Yahweh your God will not continue to drive out[ao] these nations from before you; they will be for you a snare and a trap, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that Yahweh your God has given to you.
14 Look! I am about to die,[ap] and you know in all your hearts[aq] and souls[ar] that not one thing failed[as] from all the good things that Yahweh your God promised concerning you; everything has been fulfilled;[at] not one thing failed.[au] 15 But just as all the good things[av] came to you that Yahweh your God promised, so will Yahweh bring to you all the bad things[aw] until he has destroyed you from this good land that Yahweh your God has given to you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded to you, and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, Yahweh’s anger will be kindled[ax] against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land that he has given to you.”
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
27 Now some of the Sadducees—who deny that there is a resurrection[a]—came up and[b] asked him, 28 saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us if someone’s brother dies having a wife, and this man is childless, that his brother should take the wife and father[c] descendants for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and[d] died childless, 30 and the second, 31 and the third took her, and likewise also the seven did not leave children and died. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 Therefore in the resurrection, the woman—whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they are not even able to die any longer, because they are like the angels and are sons of God, because they[e] are sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed in the passage about[f] the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him!” 39 And some of the scribes answered and[g] said, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him anything.
David’s Son and Lord
41 But he said to them, “In what sense do they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[h]
44 David therefore calls him ‘Lord,’ and how is he his son?”
Warning to Beware of the Scribes
45 And while[i] all the people were listening, he said to the disciples,[j] 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets, 47 who devour the houses of widows and pray lengthy prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive more severe condemnation!”
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Loyal love and faithfulness[a] come before your face.[b]
15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout;
O Yahweh, they walk about in the light of your countenance.
16 In your name they rejoice all the day,
and in your righteousness they rise up.
17 For you are the glory of their strength,
and by your favor our horn rises up,[c]
18 because our shield belongs to Yahweh,[d]
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.[e]
19 Formerly you spoke in a vision
to your faithful ones, and said,
“I have bestowed help on a mighty man;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 with whom my hand will be steadfast.
Surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not deceive him,
and no evil man[f] will afflict him.
23 But I will crush his adversaries before him,
and I will strike those who hate him.
24 And so my faithfulness
and my loyal love will be with him,
and in my name his horn will rise up.
25 And I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 I will also make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 Forever I will keep my loyal love for him,
and my covenant will be reliable for him.
29 I will also establish his offspring forever,
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his sons forsake my law
and do not walk in my judgments,
31 if they defile[g] my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with a rod,
and their guilt with wounds.
33 But I will not break off my loyal love from him,
and I will not be false against my faithfulness.
34 I will not defile[h] my covenant,
or alter what proceeded from my lips.
35 Once[i] I have sworn by my holiness,
‘I will surely not lie to David,
36 His offspring will endure[j] forever,
and his throne as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it will be steadfast forever,
and like an enduring witness in the sky.’” Selah
17 A messenger of wickedness will fall into trouble,
but an envoy of the faithful brings healing.
18 Poverty and disgrace belong to him who ignores instruction,
but he who guards reproof will be honored.
19 A desire fulfilled[a] will be sweet to the soul,
but an abomination of fools is turning from evil.
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