Exodus 2:11-25 and Mark 3:31-35 (NLT)

Exodus 2:11-25
Moses Flees to Midian

Moses Escapes to Midian

¹¹ Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. ¹² After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.

¹³ The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight.

¹⁴ The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?”  Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” 

¹⁵ And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.  When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. 

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. 

¹⁷ But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks.

18  When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, “Why are you back so soon today?”  

19  “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.”  

20  “Then where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.”

21  Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. 

22  Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”  

23  Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. 

24  God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

Mark 3:31-35
Jesus' Mother and Brothers

31  Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. 

32  There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”

33  Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 
34  Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 
35  Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Exodus 2:1-10 and Mark 3:20-30 (NLT)

Exodus 2:1-10
The Birth of Moses

1    About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married.
2    The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months.
3    But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River.
4    The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. 
5    Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her.
6    When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.
7    Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.
 8    “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.
 9    “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. 
10   Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”

Mark 3:20-30
Jesus and Beelzebub

20  One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 

21  When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

22  But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
23  Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 
24  “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 
25  Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 
26  And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 
27  Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
28  “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 
29  but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 
30  He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

Exodus 1:15-22 and Mark 3:13-19 (NKJV)

Exodus 1:15-22
The Israelites Oppressed

15  Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 
16  and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 
17  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 
18  So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
19  And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20  Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 
21  And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
22  So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Mark 3:13-19
The Appointing of the Twelve Apostles
13  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.
14  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 
15  and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 
16  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; 
17  James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 
18  Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 
19  and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

Exodus 1:1-14 and Mark 3:7-12 (NLT)

Exodus 1:1-14
The Israelites Oppressed

1    These are the names of the sons of Israel (that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family: 

2    Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 

3    Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 

4    Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 

5    In all, Jacob had seventy descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there.

6    In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation.
7    But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.
8    Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.
9    He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.
10  We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.”
11  So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.
12  But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became.
13  So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.
14  They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.

Mark 3:7-12
Crowds Follow Jesus

7    Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, 

8    Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

9    Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.
10  He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.
11  And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!”
12  But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.

Genesis 50:22-26 and Mark 3:7-12 (NLT)

Genesis 50:22-26
The Death of Joseph
22  Joseph continued to live in Egypt with his father's family; he was a hundred and ten years old when he died.
He lived to see Ephraim's children and grandchildren. He also lived to receive the children of Machir son of 23  Manasseh into the family.
24  He said to his brothers,
I am about to die, but God will certainly take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land he solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25  Then Joseph asked his people to make a vow. Promise me, he said, that when God leads you to that land, you will take my body with you.
26  So Joseph died in Egypt at the age of a hundred and ten. They embalmed his body and put it in a coffin.

Cross references:

1. Genesis 50:25 : Gen 50:25; Exod 13:19; Jas 24:32; Heb 11:22;

Mark 3:7-12
Crowds Follow Jesus
7    Jesus and his disciples went away to Lake Galilee, and a large crowd followed him. They had come from Galilee, from Judea,
8    from Jerusalem, from the territory of Idumea, from the territory on the east side of the Jordan, and from the region around the cities of Tyre and Sidon. All these people came to Jesus because they had heard of the things he was doing.
9    The crowd was so large that Jesus told his disciples to get a boat ready for him, so that the people would not crush him.
10  He had healed many people, and all the sick kept pushing their way to him in order to touch him.
11  And whenever the people who had evil spirits in them saw him, they would fall down before him and scream,
You are the Son of God!
12  Jesus sternly ordered the evil spirits not to tell anyone who he was.

Genesis 50:15-21 and Mark 3:1-6 NLT

Genesis 50:15-21
Joseph Reassures His Brothers

15  But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.

16  So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us
17  to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.
18  Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.
19  But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?
20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
21  No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Mark 3:1-6
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

1  Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 

2  Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

3  Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 
4  Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
5  He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
6  At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

Genesis 50:10-14 and Mark 2:23-28 (NLT)

Genesis 50:10-14
Joseph Reassures His Brothers


10  When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn memorial service, with a seven-day period of mourning for Joseph’s father.
11  The local residents, the Canaanites, watched them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad. Then they renamed that place (which is near the Jordan) Abel-mizraim, for they said, “This is a place of deep mourning for these Egyptians.”
12  So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them. 
13  They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the cave that Abraham had bought as a permanent burial site from Ephron the Hittite.
14  After burying Jacob, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father’s burial.


Mark 2:23-28
Lord of the Sabbath

23  One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. 

24  But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

25  Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 

26  He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

27  Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 

28  So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

Genesis 50:1-9 and Mark 2:18-22 (NIV)

Genesis 50:1-9
The Death of Jacob

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

2  Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 

3  taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

4  When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,
5  ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”
6  Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7  So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—
8  besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 
9  Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.

Mark 2:18-22
Jesus Questioned About Fasting

18  Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
19  Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 
20  But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
21  “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 
22  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Genesis 49:29-33 and Mark 2:13-17 (NLT)

Genesis 49:29-33
The Death of Jacob

29  Then Jacob instructed them, “Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 

30  This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. 

31  There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. 

32  It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.”

33  When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.

Mark 2:13-17
The Calling of Levi

13  Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. 

14  As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.

15  Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)
16  But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”
17  When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Genesis 49:27-28 and Mark 2:1-12 (NTL)

Genesis 49:27-28
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Benjamin)

27  “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, devouring his enemies in the morning and dividing his plunder in the evening.”

28  These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he told his sons good-bye. He blessed each one with an appropriate message.

Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1    When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.

2    Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 

3    four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 

4    They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 

5    Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

6    But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 

7    “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

8    Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 
9    Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 
10  So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,
11  “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12  And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Genesis 49:22-26 and Mark 1:40-45 (NLT)

Genesis 49:22-26
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Joseph)
22  “Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring—one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.
23  Archers attacked him savagely;  they shot at him and harassed him.
24  But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25  May the God of your father help you;  may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below, and blessings of the breasts and womb.
26  May the blessings of your father surpass the blessings of the ancient mountains, reaching to the heights of the eternal hills.  May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, who is a prince among his brothers.


Mark 1:40-45
A Man With Leprosy

40  A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.

41  Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” 
42  Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
43  Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning:
44  “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
45  But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.

Genesis 49:20-21 and Mark 1:35-39 (NLT)

Jacob Blesses His Sons
Genesis 49:20 (Asher)
20  “Asher will dine on rich foods and produce food fit for kings
Genesis 49:21 (Naphtali)
21  “Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

Mark 1:35-39
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35  Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
36  Later Simon and the others went out to find him.
37  When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
38  But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”
39  So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

Genesis 49:19 and Mark 1:29-34 (NLT)

Genesis 49:19
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Gad)

19  “Gad will be attacked by marauding bands,
but he will attack them when they retreat.

Mark 1:29-34
Jesus Heals Many People

29  After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew’s home. 

30  Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. 

31  So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them.

32  That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus.
33  The whole town gathered at the door to watch.
34  So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.

Genesis 49:16-18 and Mark 1:21-28 (NLT)

Genesis 49:16-18
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Dan)
16  “Dan will govern his people, like any other tribe in Israel.
17  Dan will be a snake beside the road, a poisonous viper along the path that bites the horse’s hooves
so its rider is thrown off.
18  I trust in you for salvation, O Lord!


Mark 1:21-28
Jesus Cast Out an Evil Spirit
21  Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach.
22  The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
23  Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting,
24  “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25  Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered.
26  At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.
27  Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!”
28  The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.

Genesis 49:14-15 and Mark 1:14-20 (NLT)

Genesis 49:14-15
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Issachar)

14  “Issachar is a sturdy donkey, resting between two saddlepacks.
15  When he sees how good the countryside is and how pleasant the land, he will bend his shoulder to the load and submit himself to hard labor.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 49:14 Or sheepfolds, or hearths.

Mark 1:14-20
The Calling of the First Disciples
14  Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News.
15  “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
16  One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.
17  Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 
18  And they left their nets at once and followed him.
19  A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets.
20  He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

Genesis 49:8-12 and Mark 1:9-13 (NKJ)

Genesis 49:8-12
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Judah)

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.
9    Judah 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?
10  The 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.
11  Binding 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.
12  His eyes are darker than wine,  And his teeth whiter than milk.

Mark 1:9-13
The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus
9    It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 
10  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 
11  Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
12  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 
13  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Genesis 49:5-7 and Mark 1:4-8 (NIV)

Genesis 49:5-7
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Simeon and Levi)

5  “Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords are weapons of violence.
6  Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7  Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel!  I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. 

Mark 1:4-8
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
4  And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 
5  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6  John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7  And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 
8  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

Genesis 49:1-4 and Mark 1:1-3 (NIV)

Genesis 49:1-4
Jacob Blesses His Sons (Ruben)

1  Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

2  “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;  listen to your father Israel.

3  “Reuben, you are my firstborn,  my might, the first sign of my strength,  excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4  Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it. 

Mark 1:1-3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1  The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 

2  as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:  “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” —

3  “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,  ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

Genesis 48:12-22 and Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

Genesis 48:12-22
Manasseh and Ephraim

12  Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 
13  And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him.
14  But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

16  the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys.  May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

17  When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 

18  Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

19  But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations. ”
20  He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing:  ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh. ’”  So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21  Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. 
22  And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16  Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 
17  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 
19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
20  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Genesis 48:1-11 and Matthew 28:11-15 NIV

Genesis 48:1-11
Manasseh and Ephraim

1    Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 

2    When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.

3    Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 
4    and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5    Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6    Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
7    As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8    When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
9    “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.  Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”
10  Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11  Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.” 

Matthew 28:11-15
The Guard's Report
11  While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
12  When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,
13  telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’
14  If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
15  So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Genesis 47:13-31 and Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)

Genesis 47:13-31
Joseph and the Famine

13  There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 
14  Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. 
15  When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.”
16  “Then bring your livestock, ” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone. ”
17  So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18  When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.
19  Why should we perish before your eyes —we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20  So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s,
21  and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.
22  However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23  Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 
24  But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25  “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”
26  So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.
27  Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
28  Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 
29  When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
30  but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31  “Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Matthew 28:1-10
He Has Risen

1    After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2    There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3    His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 
4    The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5    The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
6    He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
7    Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8    So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9    Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Genesis 47:1-12 and Matthew 27:57-66 (NIV)

Genesis 47:1-12
Jacob Goes to Eygpt

1    Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” 

2    He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.

3    Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”  “Your servants are shepherds, ” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.”
4    They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”
5    Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you,
6    and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock. ”
7    Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 
8    Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9    And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers. ”
10  Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11  So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed.
12  Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children. 


Matthew 27:57-61
The Burial of Jesus
57  As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
58  Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60  and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Matthew 27:62-66
The Guard at the Tomb
62  The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.
63  “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
64  So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65  “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66  So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.