Joshua 16, 17, Psalm 148, Jeremiah 8, Matthew 22

Joshua 16, 17,

1 The allotment for Joseph began at the Jordan of Jericho, east of the waters of Jericho, and went up from there through the desert into the hill country of Bethel.
 
2 It went on from Bethel (that is, Luz), crossed over to the territory of the Arkites in Ataroth,
 
3 descended westward to the territory of the Japhletites as far as the region of Lower Beth Horon and on to Gezer, ending at the sea.
 
4 So Manasseh and Ephraim, the descendants of Joseph, received their inheritance.
 
5 This was the territory of Ephraim, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went from Ataroth Addar in the east to Upper Beth Horon
 
6 and continued to the sea. From Micmethath on the north it curved eastward to Taanath Shiloh, passing by it to Janoah on the east.
 
7 Then it went down from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
 
8 From Tappuah the border went west to the Kanah Ravine and ended at the sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Ephraimites, clan by clan.
 
9 It also included all the towns and their villages that were set aside for the Ephraimites within the inheritance of the Manassites.
 
10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.

1 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph's firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh's firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers.
 
2 So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh-the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.
 
3 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
 
4 They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers." So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the LORD's command.
 
5 Manasseh's share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan,
 
6 because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.
 
7 The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Micmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah.
 
8 (Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.)
 
9 Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea.
 
10 On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.
 
11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth ).
 
12 Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region.
 
13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.
 
14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people and the LORD has blessed us abundantly."
 
15 "If you are so numerous," Joshua answered, "and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites."
 
16 The people of Joseph replied, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel."
 
17 But Joshua said to the house of Joseph-to Ephraim and Manasseh-"You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment
 
18 but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out."

Psalm 148,

1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.
 
2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
 
3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.
 
4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
 
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
 
6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.
 
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
 
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
 
9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
 
10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,
 
11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,
 
12 young men and maidens, old men and children.
 
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
 
14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.

Jeremiah 8,

1 " 'At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.
 
2 They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse lying on the ground.
 
3 Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the LORD Almighty.'
 
4 "Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: " 'When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return?
 
5 Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
 
6 I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle.
 
7 Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
 
8 " 'How can you say, "We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?
 
9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?
 
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
 
11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace.
 
12 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished,says the LORD.
 
13 " 'I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them. ' "
 
14 "Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For the LORD our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against him.
 
15 We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there was only terror.
 
16 The snorting of the enemy's horses is heard from Dan; at the neighing of their stallions the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there."
 
17 "See, I will send venomous snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you," declares the LORD.
 
18 O my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.
 
19 Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: "Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?" "Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?"
 
20 "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved."
 
21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me.
 
22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?

Matthew 22

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
 
2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
 
3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
 
4 "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
 
5 "But they paid no attention and went off-one to his field, another to his business.
 
6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
 
7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
 
8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
 
9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'
 
10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
 
11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
 
12 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
 
13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
 
14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
 
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.
 
16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.
 
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
 
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
 
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius,
 
20 and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
 
21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
 
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
 
23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
 
24 "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him.
 
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
 
26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh.
 
27 Finally, the woman died.
 
28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"
 
29 Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
 
30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
 
31 But about the resurrection of the dead-have you not read what God said to you,
 
32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
 
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
 
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.
 
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
 
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
 
37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
 
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
 
39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
 
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
 
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
 
42 "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied.
 
43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says,
 
44 " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." '
 
45 If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?"
 
46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.