Deuteronomy 33
1 This is the blessing, bi which Moises, the man of God, blesside the sones of Israel bifor his deeth;
Before God’s prophet Moses died, he [asked God to] bless the Israeli people.
2 and seide, The Lord cam fro Syna, and he roos to us fro Seir; he apperide fro the hil of Pharan, and thousandis of seyntis with hym; a lawe of fier in his riythond.
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.
3 He louede puplis; alle seyntis ben in his hond, and thei that neiyen to hise feet schulen take of his doctryn.
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.
4 Moisis comaundide lawe `to vs, eritage of the multitude of Jacob.
I gave them laws to obey, laws that would be the most precious thing that [the descendants of] Jacob owned.
5 And the king schal be at the moost riytful, whanne princes of the puple schulen be gaderid togidere with the lynagis of Israel.
So Yahweh became the king of his Israeli people when all the tribes and their leaders were gathered together.
6 Ruben lyue, and die not, and be he litil in noumbre.
[I say this about the tribe of] Reuben: I desire/hope that their tribe will never disappear, but they will never become numerous.
7 This is the blessyng of Juda; Lord, here thou the vois of Juda, and brynge in hym to his puple; hise hondis schulen fiyte for hym, and the helpere of hym schal be ayens hise aduersaries.
“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.
8 Also he seide to Leuy, Thi perfeccioun and thi techyng is of an hooly man, whom thou preuedist in temptacioun, and demedist at the Watris of Ayenseiynge;
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].
9 which Leuy seide to his fadir and to his modir, Y knowe not you, and to hise britheren, Y knowe not hem; and knewen not her sones. These kepten thi speche, and these kepten thi couenaunt; A!
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.
10 Jacob, thei kepten thi domes, and `thou, Israel, thei kepten thi lawe; thei schulen putte encense in thi strong veniaunce, and brent sacrifice on thin auter.
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].
11 Lord, blesse thou the strengthe of hym, and resseyue thou the werkis of his hondis; smyte thou the backis of hise enemyes, and thei that haten hym, rise not.
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.
12 And he seide to Benjamyn, The moost loued of the Lord schal dwelle tristili in hym, `that is, in the Lord; he schal dwelle al day as in a chaumbur, and he schal reste bitwixe the schuldris of hym.
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].
13 Also he seide to Joseph, `His lond is of the Lordis blessyng; of the applis of heuene, and of the dewe, and of watir liggynge bynethe;
“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],
14 of the applis of fruytis of the sunne and moone; of the coppe of elde munteyns,
by giving them good fruit [ripened] by the sun and good crops at harvest time.
15 and of the applis of euerlastynge litle hillis;
I desire/hope that very nice fruit will grow on trees in their ancient mountains/hills [DOU],
16 and of the fruytis of the lond, and of the fulnesse therof. The blessyng of hym that apperide in the busch come on the heed of Joseph, and on the cop of Nazarey, `that is, hooli, among hise britheren.
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].
17 As the first gendrid of a bole is the feirnesse of hym; the hornes of an vnicorn ben the hornes of hym; in tho he schal wyndewe folkis, `til to the termes of erthe. These ben the multitudis of Effraym, and these ben the thousyndis of Manasses.
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.
18 And he seide to Zabulon, Zabulon, be thou glad in thi goyng out, and, Ysacar, in thi tabernaclis.
“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].
19 Thei schulen clepe puplis to the hil, there thei schulen offre sacrifices of riytfulnesse; whiche schulen souke the flowing of the see as mylk, and hid tresours of grauel.
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].
20 And he seide to Gad, Gad is blessid in broodnesse; he restide as a lioun, and he took the arm and the nol.
“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].
21 And he siy his prinshed, that `the techere was kept in his part; which Gad was with the princes of the puple, and dide the riytfulnesses of the Lord, and his doom with Israel.
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.
22 Also he seide to Dan, Dan, a whelp of a lioun, schal flowe largeli fro Basan.
“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].
23 And he seide to Neptalym, Neptalym schal vse abundaunce, and he schal be ful with blessyngis of the Lord; and he schal welde the see and the south.
“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].
24 Also he seide to Aser, Aser, be blessid in sones, and plese he hise britheren; dippe he his foot in oile.
“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.
25 Yrun and bras the scho of hym; as the dai of thi youthe so and thin eelde.
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.
26 Noon other god is as the God of the moost riytful, that is, `as the God `of the puple of Israel, gouerned bi moost riytful lawe; the stiere of heuene is thin helpere; cloudis rennen aboute bi the glorie of hym.
“You people of Israel, there is no god like your God, who rides majestically across the sky to help you.
27 His dwellynge place is aboue, and armes euerlastynge ben bynethe; he schal caste out fro thi face the enemy, and he schal seie, Be thou al to-brokun.
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.
28 Israel schal dwelle trustili and aloone; the iye of Jacob in the lond of whete, and of wyn; and heuenes schulen be derk with dew.
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.
29 Blessed art thou, Israel; thou puple that art saued in the Lord, who is lijk thee? The scheld of thin help and the swerd of thi glorie is thi God; thin enemyes schulen denye thee, and thou schalt trede her neckis.
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.”
