Genesis 49; Genesis 50; Matthew 13:31-58

1 Jacob called for his sons and said, "Come here, and let me tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

2 "Gather around and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel.

3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the very first son I had, first in majesty and first in power.

4 You will no longer be first because you were out of control like a flood and you climbed into your father's bed. Then you dishonored it. He climbed up on my couch.

5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

6 Do not let me attend their secret meetings. Do not let me join their assembly. In their anger they murdered men. At their whim they crippled cattle.

7 May their anger be cursed because it's so fierce. May their fury be cursed because it's so cruel. I will divide them among [the sons of] Jacob and scatter them among [the tribes of] Israel.

8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down to you.

9 Judah, you are a lion cub. You have come back from the kill, my son. He lies down and rests like a lion. He is like a lioness. Who dares to disturb him?

10 A scepter will never depart from Judah nor a ruler's staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes and the people obey him.

11 He will tie his donkey to a grapevine, his colt to the best vine. He will wash his clothes in wine, his garments in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine. His teeth are whiter than milk.

13 "Zebulun will live by the coast. He will have ships by the coast. His border will go as far as Sidon.

14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

15 When he sees that his resting place is good and that the land is pleasant, he will bend his back to the burden and will become a slave laborer.

16 "Dan will hand down decisions for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan will be a snake on a road, a viper on a path, that bites a horse's heels so that its rider falls off backwards.

18 "I wait with hope for you to rescue me, O LORD.

19 "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will strike back at their heels.

20 "Asher's food will be rich. He will provide delicacies fit for a king.

21 "Naphtali is a doe set free that has beautiful fawns.

22 "Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree by a spring, with branches climbing over a wall.

23 Archers provoked him, shot at him, and attacked him.

24 But his bow stayed steady, and his arms remained limber because of the help of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 because of the God of your father who helps you, because of the Almighty who gives you blessings from the heavens above, blessings from the deep springs below the ground, blessings from breasts and womb.

26 The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the oldest mountains and the riches of the ancient hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the prince among his brothers.

27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he devours his prey. In the evening he divides the plunder."

28 These are the 12 tribes of Israel and what their father said to them when he gave each of them his special blessing.

29 Then he gave them these instructions, "I am about to join my ancestors in death. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

30 Abraham bought the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre in Canaan, from Ephron the Hittite to use as a tomb.

31 Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there. Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there. I also buried Leah there.

32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites."

33 When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into his bed. He took his last breath and joined his ancestors in death.

1 Joseph threw himself on his father, cried over him, and kissed him.

2 Then Joseph ordered the doctors in his service to embalm his father. So the doctors embalmed Israel.

3 The embalming was completed in the usual time--40 days. The Egyptians mourned for him 70 days.

4 When the time of mourning for Jacob was over, Joseph spoke to the Pharaoh's palace staff. He said, "Please speak directly to Pharaoh. Tell him,

5 'My father made me swear an oath. He said, "I'm about to die. Bury me in the tomb I bought for myself in Canaan." Please let me go there and bury my father; then I'll come back.'"

6 Pharaoh replied, "Go and bury your father, as you have promised him."

7 So Joseph left to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials, the leaders in his palace staff, and all the leaders of Egypt went with him.

8 Joseph's household, his brothers, and his father's household also went with him. (Only their children, their flocks, and their cattle were left in Goshen.)

9 Chariots and horsemen went with him. It was a very large group.

10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is on the east side of the Jordan River, they began a great and solemn ceremony to mourn Jacob's death. Joseph took seven days to mourn his father's death.

11 When the Canaanites living there saw the funeral ceremonies at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "These funeral ceremonies are taken very seriously by the Egyptians." That's why that place on the east side of the Jordan was named Abel Mizraim [Egyptian Funeral Ceremonies].

12 Jacob's sons did for him what he had told them to do.

13 They carried him back to Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre. Abraham had bought this tomb from Ephron the Hittite.

14 After Joseph had buried his father, he went back to Egypt along with his brothers and everyone who had gone there with him to bury his father.

15 Joseph's brothers realized what their father's death could mean. So they thought, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us? What if he decides to pay us back for all the evil we did to him?"

16 They sent a messenger to Joseph to say, "Before your father died, he commanded us,

17 'This is what you should say to Joseph, "I'm begging you to forgive the crime and the sin your brothers committed against you. What they did to you was very evil."' So now, please forgive our crime, because we are servants of your father's God." Joseph cried when he got their message.

18 Then his brothers also came and immediately bowed down in front of him. "We are your slaves!" they said.

19 Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid! I can't take God's place.

20 Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it. This was to keep many people alive, as he is doing now.

21 Don't be afraid! I will provide for you and your children." In this way he reassured them, setting their minds at ease.

22 Joseph and his father's family stayed in Egypt. Joseph lived to be 110 years old.

23 He saw his grandchildren, Ephraim's children. Even the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, were adopted by Joseph at birth.

24 At last Joseph said to his brothers, "I'm about to die. God will definitely take care of you and take you out of this land to the land he swore with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

25 Joseph made Israel's sons swear an oath. He said, "God will definitely take care of you. So be sure to carry my bones back with you."

26 Joseph died when he was 110 years old. His body was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

31 Jesus used another illustration. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field.

32 It's one of the smallest seeds. However, when it has grown, it is taller than the garden plants. It becomes a tree that is large enough for birds to nest in its branches."

33 He used another illustration. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough."

34 Jesus used illustrations to tell the crowds all these things. He did not tell them anything without illustrating it with a story.

35 So what the prophet had said came true: "I will open my mouth to illustrate points. I will tell what has been hidden since the world was made."

36 When Jesus had sent the people away, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain what the illustration of the weeds in the field means."

37 He answered, "The one who plants the good seeds is the Son of Man.

38 The field is the world. The good seeds are those who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one.

39 The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The workers are angels.

40 Just as weeds are gathered and burned, so it will be at the end of time.

41 The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything in his kingdom that causes people to sin and everyone who does evil.

42 The angels will throw them into a blazing furnace. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.

43 Then the people who have God's approval will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. When a man discovered it, he buried it again. He was so delighted with it that he went away, sold everything he had, and bought that field.

45 "Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who was searching for fine pearls.

46 When he found a valuable pearl, he went away, sold everything he had, and bought it.

47 "Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea. It gathered all kinds of fish.

48 When it was full, they pulled it to the shore. Then they sat down, gathered the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away.

49 The same thing will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from people who have God's approval.

50 Then the angels will throw the evil people into a blazing furnace. They will cry and be in extreme pain there.

51 "Have you understood all of this?" "Yes," they answered.

52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure chest."

53 When Jesus had finished these illustrations, he left that place.

54 Jesus went to his hometown and taught the people in the synagogue in a way that amazed them. People were asking, "Where did this man get this wisdom and the power to do these miracles?

55 Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary? Aren't his brothers' names James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

56 And aren't all his sisters here with us? Where, then, did this man get all this?"

57 So they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "The only place a prophet isn't honored is in his hometown and in his own house."

58 He didn't work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.