blessed him, and said, "May the Most High God, who made heaven and earth, bless Abram!

May the Most High God, who gave you victory over your enemies, be praised!" And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the loot he had recovered.

And they gave Rebecca their blessing in these words: "May you, sister, become the mother of millions! May your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies!"

As he came up to kiss him, Isaac smelled his clothes---so he gave him his blessing. He said, "The pleasant smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.

May nations be your servants, and may peoples bow down before you. May you rule over all your relatives, and may your mother's descendants bow down before you. May those who curse you be cursed, and may those who bless you be blessed."

May Almighty God bless your marriage and give you many children, so that you will become the father of many nations!

May he bless you and your descendants as he blessed Abraham, and may you take possession of this land, in which you have lived and which God gave to Abraham!"

Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to the king. Jacob gave the king his blessing,

Jacob gave the king a farewell blessing and left.

So he blessed them that day, saying, "The Israelites will use your names when they pronounce blessings. They will say, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' " In this way Jacob put Ephraim before Manasseh.

When Aaron had finished all the sacrifices, he raised his hands over the people and blessed them, and then stepped down.

Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of the LORD's presence, and when they came out, they blessed the people, and the dazzling light of the LORD's presence appeared to all the people.

At the mountain the LORD appointed the men of the tribe of Levi to be in charge of the Covenant Box, to serve him as priests, and to pronounce blessings in his name. And these are still their duties.

The levitical priests are to go there also, because they are to decide every legal case involving violence. The LORD your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name.

These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died.

The Israelites, with their leaders, officers, and judges, as well as the foreigners among them, stood on two sides of the LORD's Covenant Box, facing the levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood with their backs to Mount Gerizim and the other half with their backs to Mount Ebal. The LORD's servant Moses had commanded them to do this when the time came for them to receive the blessing.

His oldest son, Amram, was the father of Aaron and Moses. (Aaron and his descendants were set apart to be in charge of the sacred objects forever, to burn incense in the worship of the LORD, to serve him, and to bless the people in his name.

Then he led them out of the city as far as Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them.

As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up into heaven.

And so I write to all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his own people: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

(13:13) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. As Abraham was coming back from the battle in which he defeated the four kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him,

There is no doubt that the one who blesses is greater than the one who is blessed.

It was faith that made Isaac promise blessings for the future to Jacob and Esau.

It was faith that made Jacob bless each of the sons of Joseph just before he died. He leaned on the top of his walking stick and worshiped God.

You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.

May grace and peace be yours in full measure through your knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness.

May God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, give us grace, mercy, and peace; may they be ours in truth and love.