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Theological Justification of the Conquest
9 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications.[a] 2 They include the Anakites,[b] a numerous[c] and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” 3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he[d] has told you. 4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness,[e] that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he[f] made on oath to your ancestors,[g] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn[h] people!
The History of Israel’s Stubbornness
7 Remember—don’t ever forget[i]—how you provoked the Lord your God in the wilderness; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him.[j] 8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there[k] forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger[l] of God, and on them was everything[m] he[n] said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.”[o] 13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn[p] lot! 14 Stand aside[q] and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory,[r] and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”
15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it[s] was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf;[t] you had quickly turned aside from the way he[u] had commanded you! 17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down,[v] and shattered them before your very eyes. 18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger[w] that threatened to destroy you. But he[x] listened to me this time as well. 20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him[y] too. 21 As for your sinful thing[z] that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down,[aa] ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah,[ab] Massah,[ac] and Kibroth Hattaavah.[ad] 23 And when he[ae] sent you from Kadesh Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God[af] and would neither believe nor obey him. 24 You have been rebelling against him[ag] from the very first day I knew you!
Moses’ Plea on Behalf of God’s Reputation
25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights,[ah] for he[ai] had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to him:[aj] O, Sovereign Lord,[ak] do not destroy your people, your valued property[al] that you have powerfully redeemed,[am] whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength.[an] 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 28 Otherwise the people of the land[ao] from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.” 29 They are your people, your valued property,[ap] whom you brought out with great strength and power.[aq]
The Opportunity to Begin Again
10 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark.[ar] 2 I will write on the tablets the same words[as] that were on the first tablets you broke, and you must put them into the ark.” 3 So I made an ark of acacia[at] wood and carved out two stone tablets just like the first ones. Then I went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord[au] then wrote on the tablets the same words,[av] the Ten Commandments,[aw] which he[ax] had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he[ay] gave them to me. 5 Then I turned, went down the mountain, and placed the tablets into the ark I had made—they are still there, just as the Lord commanded me.
Conclusion of the Historical Résumé
6 During those days the Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan[az] to Moserah.[ba] There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah,[bb] and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah,[bc] a place of flowing streams. 8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi[bd] to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings[be] in his name, as they do to this very day. 9 Therefore Levi has no allotment or inheritance[bf] among his brothers;[bg] the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God told him. 10 As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The Lord listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you. 11 Then he[bh] said to me, “Get up, set out leading[bi] the people so they may go and possess[bj] the land I promised to give to their ancestors.”[bk]
An Exhortation to Love Both God and People
12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him,[bl] to obey all his commandments,[bm] to love him, to serve him[bn] with all your mind and being,[bo] 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving[bp] you today for your own good? 14 The heavens—indeed the highest heavens—belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 15 However, only to your ancestors did he[bq] show his loving favor,[br] and he chose you, their descendants,[bs] from all peoples—as is apparent today. 16 Therefore, cleanse[bt] your hearts and stop being so stubborn![bu] 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats[bv] the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, be loyal to him, and take oaths only in his name. 21 He is the one you should praise;[bw] he is your God, the one who has done these great and awesome things for you that you have seen. 22 When your ancestors went down to Egypt, they numbered only seventy, but now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.[bx]
The Parable of the Sower
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus[a] from one town after another,[b] he spoke to them[c] in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow[d] his seed.[e] And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds[f] devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on rock,[g] and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,[h] and they grew up with it and choked[i] it. 8 But[j] other seed fell on good soil and grew,[k] and it produced a hundred times as much grain.”[l] As he said this,[m] he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”[n]
9 Then[o] his disciples asked him what this parable meant.[p] 10 He[q] said, “You have been given[r] the opportunity to know[s] the secrets[t] of the kingdom of God,[u] but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.[v]
11 “Now the parable means[w] this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil[x] comes and takes away the word[y] from their hearts, so that they may not believe[z] and be saved. 13 Those[aa] on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while,[ab] but[ac] in a time of testing[ad] fall away.[ae] 14 As for the seed that[af] fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but[ag] as they go on their way they are choked[ah] by the worries and riches and pleasures of life,[ai] and their fruit does not mature.[aj] 15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing[ak] the word, cling to it[al] with an honest and good[am] heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.[an]
Showing the Light
16 “No one lights[ao] a lamp[ap] and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light.[aq] 17 For nothing is hidden[ar] that will not be revealed,[as] and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. 18 So listen carefully,[at] for whoever has will be given more, but[au] whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has[av] will be taken from him.”
Jesus’ True Family
19 Now Jesus’[aw] mother and his brothers[ax] came to him, but[ay] they could not get near him because of the crowd. 20 So[az] he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 But he replied[ba] to them, “My mother and my brothers are those[bb] who hear the word of God and do it.”[bc]
19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated, and disgraced;
you can see all my enemies.[a]
20 Their insults are painful[b] and make me lose heart;[c]
I look[d] for sympathy, but receive none,[e]
for comforters, but find none.
21 They put bitter poison[f] into my food,
and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink.[g]
22 May their dining table become a trap before them.
May it be a snare for that group of friends.[h]
23 May their eyes be blinded.[i]
Make them shake violently.[j]
24 Pour out your judgment[k] on them.
May your raging anger[l] overtake them.
25 May their camp become desolate,
their tents uninhabited.[m]
26 For they harass[n] the one whom you discipline;[o]
they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish.[p]
27 Hold them accountable for all their sins.[q]
Do not vindicate them.[r]
28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living.[s]
Do not let their names be listed with the godly.[t]
29 I am oppressed and suffering.
O God, deliver and protect me.[u]
30 I will sing praises to God’s name.[v]
I will magnify him as I give him thanks.[w]
31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull
with horns and hooves.
32 The oppressed look on—let them rejoice.
You who seek God,[x] may you be encouraged.[y]
33 For the Lord listens to the needy;
he does not despise his captive people.[z]
34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
along with the seas and everything that swims in them.
35 For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his people[aa] will again live in them and possess Zion.[ab]
36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who are loyal to him[ac] will live in it.[ad]
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