March 25

Matthew 28:11-20

The Report of the Guard

[11] While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. [12] And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers [13] and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ [14] And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” [15] So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

The Great Commission

[16] Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17] And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Romans 16

Personal Greetings

[1] I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, [2] that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

[3] Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, [4] who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. [5] Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. [6] Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. [7] Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. [8] Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. [9] Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. [10] Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. [11] Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. [12] Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. [13] Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. [14] Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. [15] Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. [16] Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Final Instructions and Greetings

[17] I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. [18] For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. [19] For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. [20] The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

[21] Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

[22] I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.

[23] Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

Doxology

[25] Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages [26] but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—[27] to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Psalm 71

Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent

    [1] In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;

        let me never be put to shame! 

    [2] In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

        incline your ear to me, and save me! 

    [3] Be to me a rock of refuge,

        to which I may continually come;

    you have given the command to save me,

        for you are my rock and my fortress.

    [4] Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

        from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. 

    [5] For you, O Lord, are my hope,

        my trust, O LORD, from my youth. 

    [6] Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

        you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.

    My praise is continually of you.

    [7] I have been as a portent to many,

        but you are my strong refuge. 

    [8] My mouth is filled with your praise,

        and with your glory all the day. 

    [9] Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

        forsake me not when my strength is spent. 

    [10] For my enemies speak concerning me;

        those who watch for my life consult together 

    [11] and say, “God has forsaken him;

        pursue and seize him,

        for there is none to deliver him.”

    [12] O God, be not far from me;

        O my God, make haste to help me! 

    [13] May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;

        with scorn and disgrace may they be covered

        who seek my hurt. 

    [14] But I will hope continually

        and will praise you yet more and more. 

    [15] My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

        of your deeds of salvation all the day,

        for their number is past my knowledge. 

    [16] With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;

        I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

    [17] O God, from my youth you have taught me,

        and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. 

    [18] So even to old age and gray hairs,

        O God, do not forsake me,

    until I proclaim your might to another generation,

        your power to all those to come. 

    [19] Your righteousness, O God,

        reaches the high heavens.

    You who have done great things,

        O God, who is like you? 

    [20] You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

        will revive me again;

    from the depths of the earth

        you will bring me up again. 

    [21] You will increase my greatness

        and comfort me again.

    [22] I will also praise you with the harp

        for your faithfulness, O my God;

    I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

        O Holy One of Israel. 

    [23] My lips will shout for joy,

        when I sing praises to you;

        my soul also, which you have redeemed. 

    [24] And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,

    for they have been put to shame and disappointed

        who sought to do me hurt.

Deuteronomy 33

Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel

[1] This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. [2] He said, 

    “The LORD came from Sinai

        and dawned from Seir upon us;

        he shone forth from Mount Paran;

    he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,

        with flaming fire at his right hand. 

    [3] Yes, he loved his people,

        all his holy ones were in his hand;

    so they followed in your steps,

        receiving direction from you, 

    [4] when Moses commanded us a law,

        as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 

    [5] Thus the LORD became king in Jeshurun,

        when the heads of the people were gathered,

        all the tribes of Israel together.

    [6] “Let Reuben live, and not die,

        but let his men be few.”

    [7] And this he said of Judah: 

    “Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah,

        and bring him in to his people.

    With your hands contend for him,

        and be a help against his adversaries.”

    [8] And of Levi he said, 

    “Give to Levi your Thummim,

        and your Urim to your godly one,

    whom you tested at Massah,

        with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah; 

    [9] who said of his father and mother,

        ‘I regard them not’;

    he disowned his brothers

        and ignored his children.

    For they observed your word

        and kept your covenant. 

    [10] They shall teach Jacob your rules

        and Israel your law;

    they shall put incense before you

        and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 

    [11] Bless, O LORD, his substance,

        and accept the work of his hands;

    crush the loins of his adversaries,

        of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

    [12] Of Benjamin he said, 

    “The beloved of the LORD dwells in safety.

    The High God surrounds him all day long,

        and dwells between his shoulders.”

    [13] And of Joseph he said, 

    “Blessed by the LORD be his land,

        with the choicest gifts of heaven above,

        and of the deep that crouches beneath, 

    [14] with the choicest fruits of the sun

        and the rich yield of the months, 

    [15] with the finest produce of the ancient mountains

        and the abundance of the everlasting hills, 

    [16] with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness

        and the favor of him who dwells in the bush.

    May these rest on the head of Joseph,

        on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers. 

    [17] A firstborn bull—he has majesty,

        and his horns are the horns of a wild ox;

    with them he shall gore the peoples,

        all of them, to the ends of the earth;

    they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

        and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

    [18] And of Zebulun he said, 

    “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

        and Issachar, in your tents. 

    [19] They shall call peoples to their mountain;

        there they offer right sacrifices;

    for they draw from the abundance of the seas

        and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

    [20] And of Gad he said, 

    “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!

        Gad crouches like a lion;

        he tears off arm and scalp. 

    [21] He chose the best of the land for himself,

        for there a commander’s portion was reserved;

    and he came with the heads of the people,

        with Israel he executed the justice of the LORD,

        and his judgments for Israel.”

    [22] And of Dan he said, 

    “Dan is a lion’s cub

        that leaps from Bashan.”

    [23] And of Naphtali he said, 

    “O Naphtali, sated with favor,

        and full of the blessing of the LORD,

        possess the lake and the south.”

    [24] And of Asher he said, 

    “Most blessed of sons be Asher;

        let him be the favorite of his brothers,

        and let him dip his foot in oil. 

    [25] Your bars shall be iron and bronze,

        and as your days, so shall your strength be.

    [26] “There is none like God, O Jeshurun,

        who rides through the heavens to your help,

        through the skies in his majesty. 

    [27] The eternal God is your dwelling place,

        and underneath are the everlasting arms.

    And he thrust out the enemy before you

        and said, ‘Destroy.’ 

    [28] So Israel lived in safety,

        Jacob lived alone,

    in a land of grain and wine,

        whose heavens drop down dew. 

    [29] Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,

        a people saved by the LORD,

    the shield of your help,

        and the sword of your triumph!

    Your enemies shall come fawning to you,

        and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Deuteronomy 34

The Death of Moses

[1] Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, [2] all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, [3] the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. [4] And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” [5] So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, [6] and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. [7] Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. [8] And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

[9] And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. [10] And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, [11] none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, [12] and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Beggar at the Foot of the Cross of Jesus

Yes I am a beggar

I plead for mercy

I crave forgiveness knowing I don't deserve it

Hebrews 4:16

[16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

1 John 1:9

[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Awareness of you being lost on the road to Hell and separated from Holy God for eternity

Romans 10:8-13

[8] But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); [9] because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. [11] For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. [13] For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Surrender to mercy given by God through Christ as a gift to you

Ephesians 2:8-9

[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Repentance - running away from sin turning to a new life in Christ

Acts 3:19-21

[19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, [20] that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, [21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Salvation - forgiveness before God made possible by Christ (Who paid your debt)

Colossians 2:13-14

[13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Sanctification - becoming holy through Christ Jesus

Hebrews 10:4-10

[4] For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

[5] Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 

    “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

        but a body have you prepared for me; 

    [6] in burnt offerings and sin offerings

        you have taken no pleasure. 

    [7] Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

        as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

    [8] When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), [9] then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. [10] And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Justification by the blood of Christ Jesus

Galatians 2:16

[16] yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Restoration by the power of Christ Jesus 

Philippians 2:5-8

[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Believing God raised Christ Jesus from the dead 

1 Peter 1:3

Born Again to a Living Hope

[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Faith in Father God Whom gave this power of salvation to Christ to bestow on His Church

Titus 3:4-6

[4] But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, [5] he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, [6] whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Faith in Christ Jesus to save you from Hell

Colossians 1:15-20

The Preeminence of Christ

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Faith in the certain return of Christ to repay those who refuse to be obedient 

Revelation 22:11-13

[11] Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

[12] “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. [13] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Jesus Became Sin for You

PRAY OVER THIS

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21

 

PONDER THIS

There was a cup Jesus drank from. What was in that cup? Imagine if you put all of your sin in a cup, then passed that cup to the billions of people who are alive on the face of the Earth and let them put their sin in. Then, you go back through time from Adam and Eve up until the day the trumpet shall sound and time shall be no more, and let every person put their sin in that cup. That is the cup Jesus took. He took that filthy cup, and He drank it down. He did not become a sinner, but He became sin.

When I read about Gethsemane, I want to weep. The very Son of God, with black dirt and red blood on His face, was praying, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus knew when He took that cup, when He took the full weight of sin on Himself, God would have to treat Jesus as God treats sin, because Jesus was the substitute. God “did not spare His own Son” (Romans 8:32). Jesus knew that He, who had been in the bosom of the Father from all eternity, would become the object of the Father’s wrath. He would be separated from God the Father. This is what took place so you and I could have unity with our heavenly Father. What a beautiful and costly gift.

How do you feel when you consider all Jesus went through so you could be reconciled to God?

Do you treat unity with God as something valuable? Why or why not?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for someone you know who has not received this precious gift from God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Ministry and the Fear of Man

“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:8)

A great obstacle to serving the Lord, especially among the young, is the fear of rejection and opposition.

All kinds of thoughts enter the mind about how some people might not like the way we act or speak. People might disagree or be offended. I might make a mistake and get criticized.

The fear of man is a great hindrance to ministry.

So God says, Don’t fear, because I will be with you and I will deliver you. God’s presence and approval is more valuable than all the accolades of men. And God says that, in and through all your troubles, I will deliver you. You will triumph in the end. You will be more than a conqueror.

And the same thing is promised to all of us in Christ Jesus today:

“[God] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5–6)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

So God said to young Jeremiah, and God says to young people today whom he is calling to serve him — and to the rest of us — “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’” — or I’m too old, or I’m too anything (Jeremiah 1:7). Why?

Because your life is rooted in the unshakable, sovereign purposes of God. You have been chosen and consecrated and formed and appointed for a great purpose.

Because God’s authority, not your own, is behind your serving and your speaking.

And because God himself will be with you to deliver you in all your trials.

John Piper 

March 24

Matthew 28:1-10

The Resurrection

[1] Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. [2] And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3] His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. [4] And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. [5] But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. [7] Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” [8] So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. [9] And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Romans 15:14-33

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

[14] I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. [15] But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God [16] to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. [17] In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. [18] For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, [19] by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, [21] but as it is written, 

    “Those who have never been told of him will see,

        and those who have never heard will understand.”

    Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

[22] This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. [23] But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, [24] I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. [25] At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. [26] For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. [27] For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. [28] When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. [29] I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

[30] I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, [31] that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, [32] so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. [33] May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Psalm 70

O LORD, Do Not Delay

To the choirmaster. Of David, for the memorial offering.

    [1] Make haste, O God, to deliver me!

        O LORD, make haste to help me! 

    [2] Let them be put to shame and confusion

        who seek my life!

    Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor

        who delight in my hurt! 

    [3] Let them turn back because of their shame

        who say, “Aha, Aha!”

    [4] May all who seek you

        rejoice and be glad in you!

    May those who love your salvation

        say evermore, “God is great!” 

    [5] But I am poor and needy;

        hasten to me, O God!

    You are my help and my deliverer;

        O LORD, do not delay!

Deuteronomy 32

    [1] “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,

        and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 

    [2] May my teaching drop as the rain,

        my speech distill as the dew,

    like gentle rain upon the tender grass,

        and like showers upon the herb. 

    [3] For I will proclaim the name of the LORD;

        ascribe greatness to our God!

    [4] “The Rock, his work is perfect,

        for all his ways are justice.

    A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,

        just and upright is he. 

    [5] They have dealt corruptly with him;

        they are no longer his children because they are blemished;

        they are a crooked and twisted generation. 

    [6] Do you thus repay the LORD,

        you foolish and senseless people?

    Is not he your father, who created you,

        who made you and established you? 

    [7] Remember the days of old;

        consider the years of many generations;

    ask your father, and he will show you,

        your elders, and they will tell you. 

    [8] When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,

        when he divided mankind,

    he fixed the borders of the peoples

        according to the number of the sons of God. 

    [9] But the LORD’s portion is his people,

        Jacob his allotted heritage.

    [10] “He found him in a desert land,

        and in the howling waste of the wilderness;

    he encircled him, he cared for him,

        he kept him as the apple of his eye. 

    [11] Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,

        that flutters over its young,

    spreading out its wings, catching them,

        bearing them on its pinions, 

    [12] the LORD alone guided him,

        no foreign god was with him. 

    [13] He made him ride on the high places of the land,

        and he ate the produce of the field,

    and he suckled him with honey out of the rock,

        and oil out of the flinty rock. 

    [14] Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,

        with fat of lambs,

    rams of Bashan and goats,

        with the very finest of the wheat—

        and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.

    [15] “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked;

        you grew fat, stout, and sleek;

    then he forsook God who made him

        and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. 

    [16] They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;

        with abominations they provoked him to anger. 

    [17] They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,

        to gods they had never known,

    to new gods that had come recently,

        whom your fathers had never dreaded. 

    [18] You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,

        and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

    [19] “The LORD saw it and spurned them,

        because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. 

    [20] And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them;

        I will see what their end will be,

    for they are a perverse generation,

        children in whom is no faithfulness. 

    [21] They have made me jealous with what is no god;

        they have provoked me to anger with their idols.

    So I will make them jealous with those who are no people;

        I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 

    [22] For a fire is kindled by my anger,

        and it burns to the depths of Sheol,

    devours the earth and its increase,

        and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

    [23] “‘And I will heap disasters upon them;

        I will spend my arrows on them; 

    [24] they shall be wasted with hunger,

        and devoured by plague

        and poisonous pestilence;

    I will send the teeth of beasts against them,

        with the venom of things that crawl in the dust. 

    [25] Outdoors the sword shall bereave,

        and indoors terror,

    for young man and woman alike,

        the nursing child with the man of gray hairs. 

    [26] I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces;

        I will wipe them from human memory,” 

    [27] had I not feared provocation by the enemy,

        lest their adversaries should misunderstand,

    lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant,

        it was not the LORD who did all this.”’

    [28] “For they are a nation void of counsel,

        and there is no understanding in them. 

    [29] If they were wise, they would understand this;

        they would discern their latter end! 

    [30] How could one have chased a thousand,

        and two have put ten thousand to flight,

    unless their Rock had sold them,

        and the LORD had given them up? 

    [31] For their rock is not as our Rock;

        our enemies are by themselves. 

    [32] For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom

        and from the fields of Gomorrah;

    their grapes are grapes of poison;

        their clusters are bitter; 

    [33] their wine is the poison of serpents

        and the cruel venom of asps.

    [34] “‘Is not this laid up in store with me,

        sealed up in my treasuries? 

    [35] Vengeance is mine, and recompense,

        for the time when their foot shall slip;

    for the day of their calamity is at hand,

        and their doom comes swiftly.’ 

    [36] For the LORD will vindicate his people

        and have compassion on his servants,

    when he sees that their power is gone

        and there is none remaining, bond or free. 

    [37] Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods,

        the rock in which they took refuge, 

    [38] who ate the fat of their sacrifices

        and drank the wine of their drink offering?

    Let them rise up and help you;

        let them be your protection!

    [39] “‘See now that I, even I, am he,

        and there is no god beside me;

    I kill and I make alive;

        I wound and I heal;

        and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. 

    [40] For I lift up my hand to heaven

        and swear, As I live forever, 

    [41] if I sharpen my flashing sword

        and my hand takes hold on judgment,

    I will take vengeance on my adversaries

        and will repay those who hate me. 

    [42] I will make my arrows drunk with blood,

        and my sword shall devour flesh—

    with the blood of the slain and the captives,

        from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’

    [43] “Rejoice with him, O heavens;

        bow down to him, all gods,

    for he avenges the blood of his children

        and takes vengeance on his adversaries.

    He repays those who hate him

        and cleanses his people’s land.”

    [44] Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. [45] And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, [46] he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. [47] For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Moses’ Death Foretold

[48] That very day the LORD spoke to Moses, [49] “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. [50] And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, [51] because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. [52] For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”