Deuteronomy 33
1 And this [is] the blessing [with] which Moses the man of God blessed the sons 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 saith: — 'Jehovah from Sinai hath come, And hath risen from Seir for them; He hath shone from mount Paran, And hath come [with] myriads of holy ones; At His right hand [are] springs 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 Also He [is] loving the peoples; All His holy ones [are] in thy hand, And they — they sat down at thy foot, [Each] He lifteth up at 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 A law hath Moses commanded us, A possession of the assembly of Jacob.
the law that Moses delivered to us that belongs to all the Israelites.
5 And he is in Jeshurun king, In the heads of the people gathering together, The tribes of Israel!
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 his men be a number.
To Reuben he said, “May he live and not die, but may he only have a few men.”
7 And this [is] for Judah; and he saith: — Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And unto his people do Thou bring him in; His hand hath striven for him, And an help from his adversaries art Thou.
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] for thy pious one, Whom Thou hast tried in Massah, Thou dost strive with Him 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 is saying of his father and his mother, I have not seen him; And his brethren he hath not discerned, And his sons he hath not known; For they have observed Thy saying, And Thy covenant they keep.
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 teach Thy judgments to Jacob, And Thy law to Israel; They put perfume in Thy nose, And whole burnt-offering on 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, O Jehovah, his strength, And the work of his hands Thou acceptest, Smite the loins of his withstanders, And of those hating him — that they rise not!
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 Jehovah doth tabernacle confidently by him, Covering him over all the day; Yea, between his shoulders He doth tabernacle.
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 Jehovah [is] his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching 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 by precious things — fruits of the sun, And by precious things — cast forth by the moons,
with the best crops ripened by the sun and the best produce of the seasons;
15 And by chief things — of the ancient mountains, And by precious things — of the age-during heights,
with the finest contributions of the ancient mountains and the best materials of the everlasting hills;
16 And by precious things — of earth and its fulness, And the good pleasure Of Him who is dwelling in the bush, — Let it come for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of him Who is 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 His honour [is] a firstling of his ox, And his horns [are] horns of a reem; By them peoples he doth push together To the ends of earth; And they [are] the myriads 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, O Zebulun, in thy going out, And, O Issachar, in thy tents;
To Zebulun he said: “Celebrate, Zebulun, in your travels and Issachar, in your tents.
19 Peoples [to] the mountain they call, There they sacrifice righteous sacrifices; For the abundance of the seas they suck, And hidden things hidden 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 of the Enlarger [is] Gad, As a lioness he doth tabernacle, And hath torn the arm — also the crown!
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 provideth the first part for himself, For there the portion of the lawgiver is covered, And he cometh [with] the heads of the people; The righteousness of Jehovah he hath done, 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 doth 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 pleasure, And full of the blessing of Jehovah, West and south possess thou.
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 with sons [is] Asher, Let him be accepted by his brethren, And dipping in oil his foot.
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 Iron and brass [are] thy shoes, And as thy days — thy strength.
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 the God of Jeshurun, Riding the heavens in thy help, And in His excellency 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 A habitation [is] the eternal God, And beneath [are] arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, '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 doth tabernacle [in] confidence alone; The eye of Jacob [is] unto a land of corn and wine; Also 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 O thy happiness, O Israel! who is like thee? A people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And He who [is] the sword of thine excellency: And thine enemies are subdued for thee, And thou on their high places dost tread.'
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.
