Deuteronomy 33:1-29
33 Now this is the blessing that Moses the man of the true God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.+
2 He said:
“Jehovah—from Siʹnai he came,+And he shone upon them from Seʹir.
He shone forth in glory from the mountainous region of Paʹran,+And with him were holy myriads,*+At his right hand his warriors.+
3 He had affection for his people;+All their holy ones are in your hand.+
They were sitting at your feet;+They began to listen to your words.+
4 (Moses gave us a command, a law,+As a possession of the congregation of Jacob.)+
5 And He became king in Jeshʹu·run,*+When the heads of the people gathered together,+Along with all the tribes of Israel.+
6 Let Reuʹben live and not die off,+And may his men not become few.”+
7 And he pronounced this blessing on Judah:+
“Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah,+And may you bring him back to his people.
His arms have defended* what belongs to him,And may you help him against his adversaries.”+
8 Of Leʹvi he said:+
“Your* Thumʹmim and your Uʹrim+ belong to the man loyal to you,+Whom you put to the test at Masʹsah.+
You began to contend with him by the waters of Merʹi·bah,+
9 The man who said to his father and his mother, ‘I have not shown regard to them.’
Even his brothers he did not acknowledge,+And he ignored his own sons.
For they kept your word,And they observed your covenant.+
10 Let them instruct Jacob in your judicial decisions+And Israel in your Law.+
Let them offer up incense as a pleasant aroma for you*+And a whole offering on your altar.+
11 Bless, O Jehovah, his strength,And may you show pleasure in the work of his hands.
Crush the legs* of those who rise up against him,So that those who hate him may rise up no more.”
12 Of Benjamin he said:+
“Let the beloved one of Jehovah reside in security by him;While he shelters him the whole day,He will reside between his shoulders.”
13 Of Joseph he said:+
“May his land be blessed by Jehovah+With the choice things of heaven,With dew and the waters from the springs below,+
14 With choice things produced by the sunAnd the choice yield each month,+
15 With the choicest things from the ancient mountains*+And choice things of the enduring hills,
16 With the choice things of the earth and what fills it,+And with the approval of the One residing in the thornbush.+
May they come upon the head of Joseph,On the crown of the head of the one singled out from his brothers.+
17 His splendor is like that of a firstborn bull,And his horns are the horns of a wild bull.
With them he will push* peoplesAll together to the ends of the earth.
They are the tens of thousands of Eʹphra·im,+And they are the thousands of Ma·nasʹseh.”
18 Of Zebʹu·lun he said:+
“Rejoice, O Zebʹu·lun, in your going out,And you, Isʹsa·char, in your tents.+
19 They will call peoples to the mountain.
There they will offer the sacrifices of righteousness.
For they will draw from the abundant wealth of* the seasAnd the hidden hoards* of the sand.”
20 Of Gad he said:+
“Blessed is the one widening the borders of Gad.+
He lies there like a lion,Ready to tear off the arm, yes, the crown of the head.
21 He will select the first portion for himself,+For there the allotment of a lawgiver is reserved.+
The heads of the people will gather together.
The righteousness of Jehovah he will execute,And his judicial decisions with Israel.”
22 Of Dan he said:+
“Dan is a lion cub.+
He will leap out from Baʹshan.”+
23 Of Naphʹta·li he said:+
“Naphʹta·li is satisfied with the approvalAnd full of the blessing of Jehovah.
Take possession of the west and south.”
24 Of Ashʹer he said:+
“Blessed with sons is Ashʹer.
May he be favored by his brothers,And may he dip* his feet in oil.
25 Iron and copper are your gate locks,+And you will be secure all your days.*
26 There is none like the true God+ of Jeshʹu·run,+Who rides through heaven to help youAnd who rides upon the clouds in his majesty.+
27 God is a refuge from ancient times,+His everlasting arms are beneath you.+
And he will drive away the enemy from before you,+And he will say, ‘Annihilate them!’+
28 Israel will reside in security,And the fountain of Jacob will be secludedIn a land of grain and new wine,+Whose skies will drip with dew.+
29 Happy you are, O Israel!+
Who is there like you,+A people enjoying salvation in Jehovah,+Your protective shield+And your majestic sword?
Your enemies will cringe before you,+And you will tread on their backs.”*
Footnotes
^ Or “were tens of thousands of holy ones.”
^ Meaning “Upright One,” an honorary title for Israel.
^ Or “contended for.”
^ “Your” and “you” in this verse refer to God.
^ Lit., “in your nose.”
^ Or “hips.”
^ Or possibly, “the mountains of the east.”
^ Or “gore.”
^ Lit., “will suck the abundance of.”
^ Or “treasures.”
^ Or “bathe.”
^ Lit., “And like your days will be your strength.”
^ Or possibly, “high places.”
