¹And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: ²“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. ³“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. ⁴Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— He went up to my couch. ⁵“Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. ⁶Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. ⁷Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel. ⁸“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. ⁹Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? ¹⁰The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. ¹¹Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. ¹²His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk. ¹³“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon. ¹⁴“Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens; ¹⁵He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves. ¹⁶“Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward. ¹⁸I have waited for your salvation, O Lᴏʀᴅ! ¹⁹“Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last. ²⁰“Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties. ²¹“Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words. ²²“Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. ²³The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. ²⁴But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), ²⁵By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. ²⁶The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. ²⁷“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.” ²⁸All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing. ²⁹Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. ³¹There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. ³²The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” ³³And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

¹And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. ⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” ¹⁵So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. ²¹And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. ²²Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” ²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ²⁹“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; ³⁰For my eyes have seen Your salvation ³¹Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, ³²A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” ³³And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” ³⁶Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. ³⁸And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. ³⁹So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. ⁴¹His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” ⁴⁹And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. ⁵¹Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: ²“Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind? ³Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good? ⁴Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God. ⁵For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty. ⁶Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you. ⁷“Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? ⁸Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? ⁹What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? ¹⁰Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father. ¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with you? ¹²Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at, ¹³That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth? ¹⁴“What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? ¹⁵If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight, ¹⁶How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water! ¹⁷“I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare, ¹⁸What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers, ¹⁹To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them: ²⁰The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. ²¹Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him. ²²He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him. ²³He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. ²⁴Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle. ²⁵For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty, ²⁶Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield. ²⁷“Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat, ²⁸He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins. ²⁹He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth. ³⁰He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away. ³¹Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward. ³²It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green. ³³He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree. ³⁴For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery. ³⁵They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit.”

¹And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ²I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? ⁵Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹²Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. ¹⁶Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. ¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; ²⁰and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” ²¹Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: ²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. ²³And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.