Deuteronomy 33

1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.2 And he said, Jehovah 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 for them.

3 Yea, he loveth the people; All his saints are in thy hand: And they sat down at thy feet; Every one shall receive of thy words.

4 Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

5 And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.

6 Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.

7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And bring him in unto his people. With his hands he contended for himself; And thou shalt be a help against his adversaries.

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;

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.

10 They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thee, And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar.

11 Bless, Jehovah, 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.

12 Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell in safety by him; He covereth him all the day long, And he dwelleth between his shoulders.

13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, For the precious things of heaven, for the dew, And for the deep that coucheth beneath,

14 And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, And for the precious things of the growth of the moons,

15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things 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.

17 The firstling of his herd, 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.

18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And, Issachar, in thy 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.

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.

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 righteousness of Jehovah, And his ordinances with Israel.

22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp, That leapeth forth from Bashan.

23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full with the blessing of Jehovah, Possess thou the west and the 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.

25 Thy bars shall be iron and brass; And as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

26 There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heavens for thy help, And in his excellency on the skies.

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.

28 And Israel dwelleth in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; Yea, his heavens drop down dew.

29 Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall submit themselves unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Deuteronomy 33

Introduction to the Blessing of Moses

1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

2 He said:
The Lord came from Sinai
and revealed himselft to Israelst from Seir.
He appeared in splendort from Mount Paran,
and came forth with ten thousand holy ones.s
With his right hand he gave a fiery laws to them.

A Historical Review

3 Surely he loves the people;s
all your holy oness are in your power.t
And they sitt at your feet,
each receivingt your words.

4 Moses delivered to us a law,t
an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

5 The Lordt was king over Jeshurun,s
when the leaders of the people assembled,
the tribes of Israel together.s

Blessing on Reuben

6 May Reuben live and not die,
and may his people multiply.t

Blessing on Judah

7 And this is the blessingt to Judah. He said,
Listen, O Lord, to Judah’s voice,
and bring him to his people.
May his power be great,
and may you help him against his foes.

Blessing on Levi

8 Of Levi he said:
Your Thummim and Urims belong to your godly one,t
whose authority you challenged at Massah,s
and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah.s

9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,”s
and he did not acknowledge his own brothers
or know his own children,
for they kept your word,
and guarded your covenant.

10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances
and Israel your law;
they will offer incense as a pleasant odor,
and a whole offering on your altar.

11 Bless, O Lord, his goods,
and be pleased with his efforts;
undercut the legst of any who attack him,
and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.

Blessing on Benjamin

12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him;
he protects him all the time,
and the Lordt places him on his chest.t

Blessing on Joseph

13 Of Joseph he said:
May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky,t by the dew,
and by the depths crouching beneath;

14 with the harvest produced by the daylightt
and byt the moonlight;t

15 with the bestt of the ancient mountains
and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;

16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness
and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush.t
May blessing rest on Joseph’s head,
and on the top of the head of the one set aparts from his brothers.

17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor,
and may his horns be those of a wild ox;
with them may he gore all peoples,
all the far reaches of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,s
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Blessing on Zebulun and Issachar

18 Of Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside,
and Issachar, when you are in your tents.

19 They will summon peoples to the mountain,
there they will sacrifice propert sacrifices;
for they will enjoyt the abundance of the seas,
and the hidden treasures of the shores.t

Blessing on Gad

20 Of Gad he said:
Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad.
Like a lioness he will dwell;
he will tear at an arm – indeed, a scalp.t

21 He has selected the best part for himself,
for the portion of the rulert is set asidet there;
he came with the leaderst of the people,
he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord
and his ordinances with Israel.

Blessing on Dan

22 Of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s cub;
he will leap forth from Bashan.s

Blessing on Naphtali

23 Of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, overflowing with favor,
and full of the Lord’s blessing,
possess the west and south.

Blessing on Asher

24 Of Asher he said:
Asher is blessed with children,
may he be favored by his brothers
and may he dip his foot in olive oil.s

25 The bars of your gatest will be made of iron and bronze,
and may you have lifelong strength.

General Praise and Blessing

26 There is no one like God, O Jeshurun,s
who rides through the skyt to help you,
on the clouds in majesty.

27 The everlasting God is a refuge,
and underneath you are his eternal arms;t
he has driven out enemies before you,
and has said, “Destroy!”

28 Israel lives in safety,
the fountain of Jacob is quite secure,t
in a land of grain and new wine;
indeed, its heavenst rain down dew.t

29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?
You are a people delivered by the Lord,
your protective shield
and your exalted sword.
May your enemies cringe before you;
may you trample on their backs.