Deuteronomy 33
1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
The following is the blessing that Moses the man of God gave to the Israelites before he died.
2 And he said, Yhwh came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.
He said, The Lord came from Mount Sinai and shone on us from Mount Seir; he blazed out from Mount Paran coming with ten thousand of holy ones, holding flaming fire at his right hand.
3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
How much you love the people; you hold all the holy ones in your hand. They sit down at your feet to listen to your words:
4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
the law that Moses delivered to us that belongs to all the Israelites.
5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
The Lord became King in Israel when the people's leaders gathered, when the tribes of Israel assembled.
6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
To Reuben he said, “May he live and not die, but may he only have a few men.”
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Yhwh, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
To Judah he said: “Lord, please hear the cry of Judah and reunite him with his people. Even though he fights for himself, may you help him against his enemies.”
8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
To Levi he said: “Your Thummim were given to Levi and your Urim to those dedicated to God, the ones you tested at Massah and argued with at the waters of Meribah.
9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
Levi said that he didn't pay attention to his father and mother, that he didn't acknowledge his brothers, and that he didn't recognize his children. The Levites did what you said and kept your agreement.
10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
They will teach your regulations to Jacob and your law to Israel. They will place incense before you, and sacrifice whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, Yhwh, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
Lord, please bless what they have, and accept their service for you. Destroy those who attack them; make sure their enemies never rise again.”
12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Yhwh shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
To Benjamin he said: “May the one the Lord loves be kept safe and secure in the Lord. The Lord always protects him, letting him rest on his shoulders.”
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Yhwh be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
To Joseph he said: “May the Lord bless his land with the best gifts of heaven—with the dew and water from the depths below;
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
with the best crops ripened by the sun and the best produce of the seasons;
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
with the finest contributions of the ancient mountains and the best materials of the everlasting hills;
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
with the best gifts of the land and everything in it, along with the appreciation of the one who was in the burning bush. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph like a crown for this prince among his brothers.
17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
He is as majestic as a firstborn bull; his horns are like those of a wild ox. He will use them to gore the nations, driving them to the ends of the earth. The horns represent the ten thousands of Ephraim, and the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
To Zebulun he said: “Celebrate, Zebulun, in your travels and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
They will summon the peoples to a mountain; will offer the appropriate sacrifices there. They will enjoy the rich produce of the seas and from trading on the seashores.”
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
To Gad he said: “Blessed is he who makes Gad's territory larger! Gad is like a lion lying in wait, ready to rip off an arm or a head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of Yhwh, and his judgments with Israel.
He chose the best land for himself, for he was allocated a ruler's share. He met with the people's leaders; he did what the Lord said was right, following the Lord's regulations for Israel.”
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
To Dan he said: “Dan is a young lion that leaps out of Bashan.”
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of Yhwh: possess thou the west and the south.
To Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is really favored, full of the Lord's blessing. He shall take over the land to the west and south.”
24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
To Asher he said: “May Asher be blessed more than all the other sons; may he be favored above his brothers and bathe his feet in olive oil.
25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
May the bolts of your gate be strong as iron and bronze, and may you be strong all your life.”
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
There is no one like the God of Israel, who rides across the heavens to come to help you; who rides the clouds in majesty.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
The eternal God is your home, and he holds you up with his everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy ahead of you, and gives the order, “Destroy him!”
28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of grain and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
As a result Israel lives in peace; Jacob has no trouble in a country of grain and new wine, where the heavens drip with dew.
29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by Yhwh, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
How blessed you are, Israel! Is there anyone like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is the shield that protects you, the sword that gives you confidence. Your enemies will tremble before you, and you shall tread them underfoot.
