The Blessing of Moses
1Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
“The Lord came from Sinai,
And [a]dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came from the [b]midst of ten thousand holy ones;
At His right hand there was [c]flashing lightning for them.
3 “Indeed, He loves [d]the people;
All [e]Your holy ones are in Your hand,
And they [f]followed in Your steps;
Everyone receives of Your words.
4 “Moses charged us with a law,
A possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 “And He was king in Jeshurun,
When the heads of the people were gathered,
The tribes of Israel together.
6 “May Reuben live and not die,
Nor his men be few.”
7 And this regarding Judah; so he said,
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people.
With his hands he contended for [g]them,
And may You be a help against his adversaries.”
8 Of Levi he said,
“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to [h]Your godly man,
Whom You proved at Massah,
With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said of his father and his mother,
‘I did not consider them’;
And he did not acknowledge his brothers,
Nor did he regard his own sons,
For they observed Your word,
And kept Your covenant.
10 “They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob,
And Your law to Israel.
They shall put incense [i]before You,
And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11 “O Lord, bless his substance,
And accept the work of his hands;
Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him,
And those who hate him, so that they will not rise again.”
12 Of Benjamin he said,
“May the beloved of the Lord dwell in security by Him,
Who shields him all the day,
And he dwells between His shoulders.”
13 Of Joseph he said,
“Blessed of the Lord be his land,
With the choice things of heaven, with the dew,
And from the deep lying beneath,
14 And with the choice yield of the sun,
And with the choice produce of the months.
15 “And with the [j]best things of the ancient mountains,
And with the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let it come to the head of Joseph,
And to the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
17 “As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his,
And his horns are the horns of the wild ox;
With them he will push the peoples,
All [k]at once, to the ends of the earth.
And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Of Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth,
And, Issachar, in your tents.
19 “They will call peoples to the mountain;
There they will offer righteous sacrifices;
For they will [l]draw out the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 Of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lies down as a [m]lion,
And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.
21 “Then he [n]provided the first part for himself,
For there the ruler’s portion was [o]reserved;
And he came with the leaders of the people;
He executed the justice of the Lord,
And His ordinances with Israel.”
22 Of Dan he said,
“Dan is a lion’s whelp,
That leaps forth from Bashan.”
23 Of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the Lord,
Take possession of the sea and the south.”
24 Of Asher he said,
“More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers,
And may he dip his foot in oil.
25 “Your locks will be iron and bronze,
And according to your days, so will your leisurely walk be.
26 “There is none like the God of [p]Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens [q]to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
27 “The eternal God is a [r]dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
And He drove out the enemy from before you,
And said, ‘Destroy!’
28 “So Israel dwells in security,
The fountain of Jacob secluded,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens also drop down dew.
29 “Blessed are you, O Israel;
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
Who is the shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
So your enemies will cringe before you,
And you will tread upon their high places.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Lit rose to
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Lit myriads of holiness
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Or a fiery law
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Lit peoples
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Lit His
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Or lie down at Your feet
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Lit him
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Lit him
- Deuteronomy 33:10 Lit in Your nostrils
- Deuteronomy 33:15 Or chief
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Or together
- Deuteronomy 33:19 Lit suck
- Deuteronomy 33:20 Or lioness
- Deuteronomy 33:21 Lit saw
- Deuteronomy 33:21 Or covered up
- Deuteronomy 33:26 I.e. Israel
- Deuteronomy 33:26 Lit in
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or refuge