< Deuteronomy 33 >
1 And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
Now, this, is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of God, blessed the sons of Israel, —before his death.
2 And he said: The LORD came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came from the myriads holy, at His right hand was a fiery law unto them.
And he said—Yahweh from Sinai, came near, —Yea he dawned, out of Seir, upon them, He shone forth out of Mount Paran, Yea he came out of holy myriads, —Out of his right hand [proceeded] fire to guide them.
3 Yea, He loveth the peoples, all His holy ones — they are in Thy hand; and they sit down at Thy feet, receiving of Thy words.
Yea he loved the tribes, All his holy ones, were in thy hand, —Yea, they, were encamped at thy feet, Each one bare away some of thy words.
4 Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
A law, did Moses command us, —A possession, for the convocation of Jacob.
5 And there was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.
Thus became he in, Jeshurun, a king, —When the heads of the people gathered them-selves together, As one man, the tribes of Israel. [Reuben] —
6 Let Reuben live, and not die in that his men become few.
Let Reuben live and not die, —Nor his men be easily counted.
7 And this for Judah, and he said: Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him in unto his people; his hands shall contend for him, and Thou shalt be a help against his adversaries.
And, this, is for Judah, when he said, Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah, That unto his own people, thou wouldst bring him home, —Let, his own hands, suffice him, And, a helper from his adversaries, do thou become.
8 And of Levi he said: Thy Thummim and Thy Urim be with Thy holy one, whom Thou didst prove at Massah, with whom Thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
And of Levi, he said: Let, thy perfections and thy lights, belong unto thy man of lovingkindness, —Whom thou didst put to the proof at Massah, With whom thou didst contend over the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said of his father, and of his mother: 'I have not seen him'; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew he his own children; for they have observed Thy word, and keep Thy covenant.
Who saith of his father and of his mother, I behold them not, And, his own brethren, regardeth he not, And, his own sons, observeth he not, —Because they watch thy speech, That, thy covenant, they may preserve;
10 They shall teach Jacob Thine ordinances, and Israel Thy law; they shall put incense before Thee, and whole burnt-offering upon Thine altar.
May teach thy regulations unto Jacob, And thy law unto Israel, —May put incense in thy nostrils, And a whole-offering upon thine altar.
11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise up against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
Bless, O Yahweh his substance, And with the work of his hands, wilt thou be well pleased, —Crush thou the loins of them who rise up against him, And of them who hate him, that they rise not again.
12 Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him; He covereth him all the day, and He dwelleth between his shoulders.
Of Benjamin, he said, The beloved of Yahweh, shall settle down securely, —With one to throw a shade over him all the day long, Yea, between his shoulders, hath he found rest.
13 And of Joseph he said: Blessed of the LORD be his land; for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
And of Joseph, he said, Blessed of Yahweh, be his land, —With the precious things of the heavens with the dew, And with the abyss, couching beneath;
14 And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and for the precious things of the yield of the moons,
And with the precious fruits of the sun, —And with the precious yield of the moons;
15 And for the tops of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the everlasting hills,
And with the chief of the ancient mountains, —And with the precious things of the age-abiding hills;
16 And for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof, and the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush; let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of him that is prince among his brethren.
And with the precious things of the earth and its fulness, And with the goodwill of One who dwelt in a thorn-bush.—Let it come on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was consecrated among his brethren.
17 His firstling bullock, majesty is his; and his horns are the horns of the wild-ox; with them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
His firstborn ox, be an honour to him. And the horns of a buffalo, be his horns, With them, let him thrust, peoples, All at once, to the ends of the earth, —Yea, [with] these, the myriads of Ephraim, And, [with] those, the thousands of Manasseh.
18 And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out, and, Issachar, in thy tents.
And, of Zebulun, he said, Rejoice, Zebulun in thy going out, —And [thou], Issachar in thy tents:
19 They shall call peoples unto the mountain; there shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the sand.
The peoples, unto the mountain, will they call, There, will they offer the sacrifices of righteousness, —For, the abundance of the seas, will they suck, Hidden treasures of the sand.
20 And of Gad he said: Blessed be He that enlargeth Gad; he dwelleth as a lioness, and teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head.
And, of Gad, he said: Blessed, be he that hath made room for Gad, —As a lioness, hath he laid himself down, And hath torn an arm likewise the crown of the head;
21 And he chose a first part for himself, for there a portion of a ruler was reserved; and there came the heads of the people, he executed the righteousness of the LORD, and His ordinances with Israel.
And hath provided a first part for himself, For, there, a commander’s portion hath been hid, —So he cometh with the heads of the people, The righteousness of Yahweh, he executeth, And his regulations, with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said: Dan is a lion's whelp, that leapeth forth from Bashan.
And, of Dan, he said, Dan, is a lion’s whelp, —He leapeth out of Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the sea and the south.
And, of Naphtali, he said, O Naphtali! satisfied with favour, And full with the blessing of Yahweh, —The west and the sunny south, do thou possess.
24 And of Asher he said: Blessed be Asher above sons; let him be the favoured of his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
And, of Asher, he said, Most blessed of sons, be Asher, —Let him have the goodwill of his brethren, And let him dip, in oil, his foot:
25 Iron and brass shall be thy bars; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
Iron and bronze, be thy sandals, And, as thy days, be thy strength.
26 There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven as thy help, and in His excellency on the skies.
There is none like GOD, O Jeshurun, —Riding upon the heavens to thy help, —And for his own majesty, on the skies;
27 The eternal God is a dwelling-place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He thrust out the enemy from before thee, and said: 'Destroy.'
Above, is the God of aforetime, And, beneath, are the Arms of the ages, —So he driveth before thee the foe, And doth say—Destroy!
28 And Israel dwelleth in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of corn and wine; yea, his heavens drop down dew.
Thus hath Israel settled down securely, Alone, the fountain of Jacob, Within a land both of corn and new wine, —His heaven also droppeth down dew.
29 Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee? a people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and that is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall dwindle away before thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
How happy art thou, O Israel! Who is like unto thee, O people victorious in Yahweh? Thy helpful shield, who also is thy majestic sword, —So that thy foes come cringing unto thee, And, thou, upon their heights, dost march along.