Formation Journal Reading Plan

49:1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

49:2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

49:3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

49:4 Boiling over as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

49:5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

49:6 My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.

49:9 Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.

49:11 Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

49:12 His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

49:13 “Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

49:14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

49:15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

49:16 “Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

49:17 Dan will be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.

49:18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.

49:19 “A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

49:20 “Asher’s food will be rich. He will yield royal dainties.

49:21 “Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

49:23 The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecute him:

49:24 But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

49:25 even by the God of your father, who will help you; by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

49:26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the spoil.”

49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing.

49:29 He instructed 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,

49:30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place.

49:31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

49:32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.”

49:33 When Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.

39:1 For the Chief Musician. For Jeduthun. A Psalm by David. I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.”

39:2 I was mute with silence. I held my peace, even from good. My sorrow was stirred.

39:3 My heart was hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned: I spoke with my tongue:

39:4 “Yahweh, show me my end, what is the measure of my days. Let me know how frail I am.

39:5 Behold, you have made my days handbreadths. My lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely every man stands as a breath.” Selah.

39:6 “Surely every man walks like a shadow. Surely they busy themselves in vain. He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.

39:7 Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.

39:8 Deliver me from all my transgressions. Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.

39:9 I was mute. I didn’t open my mouth, because you did it.

39:10 Remove your scourge away from me. I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

39:11 When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity, You consume his wealth like a moth. Surely every man is but a breath.” Selah.

39:12 “Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry. Don’t be silent at my tears. For I am a stranger with you, a foreigner, as all my fathers were.

39:13 Oh spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go away, and exist no more.”

16:13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

16:14 They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

16:17 Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

16:18 I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

16:19 I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

16:20 Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

16:21 From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

16:22 Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”

16:23 But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”

16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.

16:26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.

16:28 Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”