Deuteronomy 33

Modern

Literal

Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

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

¹And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before the face of his death,

²He said:

“The LORD came from Sinai

and dawned upon us^a from Seir;

He shone forth from Mount Paran

and came with myriads of holy ones,

with flaming fire at His right hand.^b

²and he said: “YHWH came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir. He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire from His right hand for them.

³Surely You love the people;

all the holy ones are in Your hand,

and they sit down at Your feet;^a

each receives Your words—

³Yes, He loves the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words.

⁴the law that Moses gave us,

the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

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

⁵So the LORD became King in Jeshurun^a

when the leaders of the people gathered,

when the tribes of Israel came together.

⁵And He was King in Jeshurun, when were gathered the leaders of the people together with the tribes of Israel.

⁶Let Reuben live and not die,

nor^a his men be few.”

⁶Let Reuben live and not die, and let his men be numerable.”

⁷And concerning Judah he said:

“O LORD, hear the cry of Judah

and bring him to his people.

With his own hands he defends his cause,

but may You be a help against his foes.”

⁷And this is for Judah; and he said, “Hear, O YHWH, the voice of Judah, and to his people bring him; let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.”

⁸Concerning Levi he said:

“Give Your Thummim to Levi

and Your Urim to Your godly one,^a

whom You tested at Massah^b

and contested at the waters of Meribah.^c

⁸And of Levi he said, “Your Thummim are unto Levi and Your Urim unto Your godly man, whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,

⁹He said of his father and mother,

‘I do not consider them.’

He disregarded his brothers

and did not know his own sons,

for he kept^a Your word

and maintained Your covenant.

⁹who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them,’ and his brothers he did not acknowledge, and his own sons he did not know; for they have kept Your word, and Your covenant they keep.

¹⁰He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob

and Your law to Israel;

he will set incense before You

and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

¹⁰They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; they shall put incense before You and a whole burnt offering on Your altar.

¹¹Bless his substance, O LORD,

and accept the work of his hands.

Smash the loins of those who rise against him,

and of his foes so they can rise no more.”

¹¹Bless, O YHWH, his substance, and the work of his hands accept. Smash the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

¹²Concerning Benjamin he said:

“May the beloved of the LORD

rest secure in Him;

God shields^a him all day long,

and upon His shoulders he rests.”

¹²Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of YHWH shall dwell in safety in Him, covering him all the day, and between His shoulders He rests.”

¹³Concerning Joseph he said:

“May his land be blessed by the LORD

with the precious dew from heaven above

and the deep waters that lie beneath,

¹³And of Joseph he said, “Blessed of YHWH is his land with the precious things of the heavens, by dew, and the deep crouching beneath,

¹⁴with the bountiful harvest from the sun

and the abundant yield of the seasons,

¹⁴and with the precious fruits of the sun, and with the precious produce of the months,

¹⁵with the best of the ancient mountains

and the bounty of the everlasting hills,

¹⁵and with the best things of the ancient mountains, and with the precious things of the everlasting hills,

¹⁶with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it,

and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush.

May these rest on the head of Joseph

and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.

¹⁶and from the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who is dwelling in the bush. Let it rest on the head of Joseph, and on the top of the head of the prince of his brothers.

¹⁷His majesty is like a firstborn bull,

and his horns are like those of a wild ox.

With them he will gore the nations,

even to the ends of the earth.

Such are the myriads of Ephraim,

and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

¹⁷Honor unto him is a firstling of his ox and the horns of the wild ox are his horns; with them he shall push the peoples together to the ends of the earth. And they are the myriads of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

¹⁸Concerning Zebulun he said:

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,

and Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁸And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁹They will call the peoples to a mountain;

there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.

For they will feast on the abundance of the seas

and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

¹⁹They shall call the peoples to the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness. For they suckle the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hidden in the sand.”

²⁰Concerning Gad he said:

“Blessed is he who enlarges

the domain of Gad!

He lies down like a lion

and tears off an arm or a head.

²⁰And of Gad he said, “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; as a lion He dwells; and he tears the arm and the crown of the head.

²¹He chose the best land for himself,

because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.

He came with the leaders of the people;

he administered the LORD’s justice

and His ordinances for Israel.”

²¹And he provided the first for himself because there was reserved a portion of the lawgiver, and He came with the heads of the people. The justice of YHWH He administered, and His ordinances with Israel.”

²²Concerning Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s cub,

leaping out of Bashan.”

²²And of Dan he said, “Dan is a whelp of a lion; He shall leap from Bashan.”

²³Concerning Naphtali he said:

“Naphtali is abounding with favor,

full of the blessing of the LORD;

he shall take possession

of the sea^a and the south.”

²³And of Naphtali he said, “Naphtali is satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of YHWH, of the sea and the south he shall take possession.”

²⁴And concerning Asher he said:

“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;

may he be the most favored among his brothers

and dip his foot in oil.

²⁴And of Asher he said, “Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in the oil.

²⁵May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,

and may your strength match your days.”

²⁵Iron and bronze are your gates, and as your days is your strength.”

²⁶“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides the heavens to your aid,

and the clouds in His majesty.

²⁶“None is like the God of Jeshurun, riding the heavens to help you, and in His majesty on the clouds.

²⁷The eternal God is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He drives out the enemy before you,

giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

²⁷A habitation is the eternal God and underneath are the arms everlasting. And He will thrust out from before you the enemy and will say, ‘Destroy.’

²⁸So Israel dwells securely;

the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled

in a land of grain and new wine,

where even the heavens drip with dew.

²⁸And Israel shall dwell in safety, alone as the fountain of Jacob in a land of grain and new wine; also His heavens drip down dew.

²⁹Blessed are you, O Israel!

Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?

He is the shield that protects you,

the sword in which you boast.

Your enemies will cower before you,

and you shall trample their high places.”

²⁹Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by YHWH, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your majesty! And Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread upon their high places.”