Deuteronomy 33

1 Before God’s prophet Moses died, he [asked God to] bless the Israeli people.

And this [is] the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

2 This is what he said: “Yahweh came [and spoke] to us at Sinai [Mountain]; he [came like] [MET] the sun rises in the Edom [region] and like his light shone on us when we were [in the desert] near Paran Mountain [after we left Sinai Mountain]. He came with 10,000 angels, and there was a flaming fire at his right side.

And he said, The Lord is come from Sina, and has appeared from Seir to us, and has hasted out of the mount of Pharan, with the ten thousands of Cades; on his right hand [were] his angels with him.

3 Yahweh truly loves his people, and protects [MTY] all those who belong to him. So they prostrate themselves in front of him, and they listen to his instructions.

And he spared his people, and all his sanctified ones [are] under your hands; and they are under you; and he received of his words

4 I gave them laws to obey, laws that would be the most precious thing that [the descendants of] Jacob owned.

the law which Moses charged us, an inheritance to the assemblies of Jacob.

5 So Yahweh became the king of his Israeli people when all the tribes and their leaders were gathered together.

And he shall be prince with the beloved one, when the princes of the people are gathered together with the tribes of Israel.

6 [I say this about the tribe of] Reuben: I desire/hope that their tribe will never disappear, but they will never become numerous.

Let Ruben live, and not die; and let him be many in number.

7 “say this about [the tribe of] Judah: Yahweh, listen to them when they call out [for help]; and unite them with the other tribes again. Fight for them, and help them to fight against their enemies.

And this [is the blessing] of Juda; Hear, Lord, the voice of Juda, and do you visit his people: his hands shall contend for him, and you shall be a help from his enemies.

8 I say this about [the tribe of] Levi: Yahweh, give to those who are dedicated to you the sacred stones [that they will use to find out what you want to be done]; You tested them at a spring in the desert, a spring that they named Massah and also named Meribah [to find out if they would (remain loyal to/continue to obey) you].

And to Levi he said, Give to Levi his manifestations, and his truth to the holy man, whom they tempted in the temptation; they reviled him at the water of strife.

9 The tribe of Levi did what you told them to do and obeyed the agreement that you [made with the Israeli people]; those laws were more important to them [HYP] than their siblings and parents and children.

Who says to his father and mother, I have not seen you; and he knew not his brethren, and he refused to know his sons: he kept your oracles, and observed your covenant.

10 The tribe of Levi will teach the Israeli people [DOU] your rules and regulations, and they are the ones who will burn incense and who will completely burn on the altar the offerings [that the people bring].

They shall declare your ordinances to Jacob, and your law to Israel: they shall place incense in [the time of] your wrath continually upon your altar.

11 Yahweh, bless their work and (accept/be pleased with) all that they do. Crush/Destroy all their enemies; do not enable their enemies to be able to fight against them again.

Bless, Lord, his strength, and accept the works of his hands; break the loins of his enemies that have risen up against him, and let not them that hate him rise up.

12 I say this about [the tribe of] Benjamin: They are the tribe that Yahweh loves; he keeps them safe. He protects them continually, and he lives among their hills [MET].

And to Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in confidence, and God overshadows him always, and he rested between his shoulders.

13 “say this about [the tribes of] Joseph: I desire/hope that Yahweh will bless their land by giving them rain/dew from the sky and water from deep [in the ground],

And to Joseph he said, His land [is] of the blessing of the Lord, of the seasons of sky and dew, and of the deeps of wells below,

14 by giving them good fruit [ripened] by the sun and good crops at harvest time.

and of the fruits of the changes of the sun in season, and of the produce of the months,

15 I desire/hope that very nice fruit will grow on trees in their ancient mountains/hills [DOU],

from the top of the ancient mountains, and from the top of the everlasting hills,

16 and that their land will be have many good crops, blessed by [Yahweh], the one who appeared to me in a burning bush. I desire/hope that Yahweh will bless the tribes of Joseph in all those ways, because he was the leaders of his [older] brothers [when they were in Egypt].

and of the fullness of the land in season: and let the things pleasing to him that lived in the bush come on the head of Joseph, and on the crown [of him who was] glorified above his brethren.

17 The descendants of Joseph will be as strong as [SIM] a bull; [with their weapons they will wound their enemies, like] [MET] a wild ox [gores other animals] with its horns. They will force other people-groups, all of them, to be exiled to the most distant places on the earth. That is what [the descendants of the two sons of Joseph] will do, the ten thousands [of the tribe] of Ephraim and the thousands [of the tribe] of Manasseh.

His beauty [is as] the firstling of his bull, his horns [are] the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall thrust the nations at once, even from the end of the earth: these [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these [are] the thousands of Manasse.

18 “say this about [the tribes of] Zebulun [and Issachar]: I desire/hope that the people of Zebulun will prosper in their travels [across the seas], and that the people of Issachar will prosper while they stay at home [and take care of their cattle and crops].

And to Zabulon he said, Rejoice, Zabulon, in your going out, and Issachar in his tents.

19 They will invite people [from the other Israeli tribes] to the mountain [where they worship Yahweh], and they will offer the correct/proper sacrifices to him. They will become rich from [the work that they do on] the seas and from [the things that they make from] (OR, [find in]) the sand [on the beaches].

They shall utterly destroy the nations, and you shall call [men] there, and there offer the sacrifice of righteousness; for the wealth of the sea shall suckle you, and so shall the marts of them that dwell by the sea-coast.

20 “say this about [the tribe of] Gad: Praise [Yahweh], the one who made their [territory] large. The people of their tribe [will attack their enemies fiercely] [SIM] like a lion that crouches, waiting to tear off the arm or the scalp [of some animal].

And to Gad he said, Blessed [be] he that enlarges Gad: as a lion he rested, having broken the arm and the ruler.

21 They chose the best part of the land for themselves; [a large share of the land], a share that should be given to a leader was allotted to them. When the leaders of the tribes of Israel [gathered together], they decided that the tribe of Gad should have a large share of the land. The tribe of Gad obeyed the commands of Yahweh and the things that he decided that they should do.

And he saw his first fruits, that there the land of the princes gathered with the chiefs of the people was divided; the Lord wrought righteousness, and his judgement with Israel.

22 “say this about [the tribe] of Dan: The people of the tribe of Dan are like [SIM] a young lion; they leap from [their caves in the] Bashan [region to attack their enemies].

And to Dan he said, Dan [is] a lion's whelp, and shall leap out of Basan.

23 “say this about [the tribe of] Naphtali: [The people of the tribe of] Naphtali have been blessed by Yahweh, who has been very kind to them; their land extends far south from Lake [Galilee].

And to Nephthali he said, Nephthali [has] the fulness of good things; and let him be filled with blessing from the Lord: he shall inherit the west and the south.

24 “say this about [the tribe of] Asher: May Yahweh bless the descendants of Asher more than he will bless the other tribes. May he favor Asher’s descendants most of all. I desire/hope that their land will [be filled with olive trees that will] produce a lot of [IDM] [olives to make olive] oil.

And to Aser he said, Aser [is] blessed with children; and he shall be acceptable to his brethren: he shall dip his foot in oil.

25 Their [towns will be protected by high walls with gates that have] bronze and iron bars; I desire/hope that they will be strong and secure/protected all the time that they are alive.

His sandal shall be iron and brass; as your days, so [shall be] your strength.

26 “You people of Israel, there is no god like your God, who rides majestically across the sky to help you.

There is not [any such] as the God of the beloved; he who rides upon the heaven [is] your helper, and the magnificent One of the firmament.

27 God, who lives forever, is the one who (gives you refuge/protects you); [it is as though] he puts his everlasting arms under you [to support you]. He will expel your enemies while you advance; he has told you to destroy all of them.

And the rule of God shall protect you, and [that] under the strength of the everlasting arms; and he shall cast forth the enemy from before your face, saying, Perish.

28 So, you Israeli people will live safely; you descendants of Jacob will not be disturbed by others; in the land where [you will live], there will be plenty of grain and wine, and there will be plenty of rain.

And Israel shall dwell in confidence alone on the land of Jacob, with corn and wine; and the sky [shall be] misty with dew upon you.

29 You people of Israel, Yahweh (has blessed/is pleased with) you. There is certainly [RHQ] no nation like your nation, whom Yahweh has rescued [from being slaves in Egypt]. [He will be like] [MET] a shield to protect you and like [MET] a sword to enable you to defeat [your enemies]. Your enemies will come to you begging for you [to act mercifully toward them], but you will trample on their backs/necks.”

Blessed [are] you, O Israel; who [is] like to you, O people saved by the Lord? your helper shall hold his shield over you, and [his] sword [is] your boast; and your enemies shall speak falsely to you, and you shall tread upon their neck.