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, The LORD came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones: At his right hand was a fiery law unto 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 loveth the peoples; 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, An inheritance for the assembly 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 were gathered, All the tribes of Israel 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; Yet let 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, LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him in unto his people: With his hands he contended for himself; And thou shalt be an help against his adversaries.
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, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy godly one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, 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 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.
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 offering 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, 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.
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 Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; He covereth him all the day long, And he dwelleth 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 the LORD 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 things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the growth of the moons,
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 everlasting 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 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 was separate 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 The firstling of his bullock, majesty is his; And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox: With them he shall push 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.
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 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.
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 lioness, And teareth the arm, yea, 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, For there was the lawgiver’s portion reserved; And he came [with] the heads of the people, He executed the justice of the LORD, 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, That leapeth forth 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 the LORD: 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, Blessed be Asher with children; Let him be acceptable unto 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 bars 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 God, O Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven for thy help, And in his excellency on the skies.
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] dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms: And he thrust out the enemy from before thee, And said, Destroy.
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 And Israel dwelleth in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of corn and wine; Yea, his heavens 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, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, And that is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall submit themselves 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.
