1Here is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the Israelites before he died.2He said, ‘The LORD came from Mount Sinai. Like the rising sun, he shone on his people from Mount Seir. He shone on them from Mount Paran. He came with large numbers of angels. He came from his mountain slopes in the south.3LORD, I’m sure you love your people. All the holy ones are in your hands. At your feet all of them bow down. And you teach them.4They learn the law Moses gave us. It belongs to the community of the people of Jacob.5The LORD was king over Israel when the leaders of the people came together. The tribes of Israel were also there.’6Here’s what Moses said about Reuben. ‘Let Reuben live. Don’t let him die. And do not let his people be few.’7Here’s what Moses said about Judah. ‘LORD, listen to Judah cry out. Bring him to his people. By his own power he stands up for himself. LORD, help him fight against his enemies!’8Here’s what Moses said about Levi. ‘Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful servant. You tested him at Massah. You argued with him at the waters of Meribah.9Levi didn’t show special favour to anyone. He did not spare his father and mother. He didn’t excuse his relatives or his children. But he watched over your word. He guarded your covenant.10He teaches your rules to the people of Jacob. He teaches your law to Israel. He offers incense to you. He sacrifices whole burnt offerings on your altar.11LORD, bless all his skills. Be pleased with everything he does. Destroy those who rise up against him. Strike down his enemies until they can’t get up.’12Here’s what Moses said about Benjamin. ‘Let the one the LORD loves rest safely in him. The LORD guards him all day long. The one the LORD loves rests in his arms.’13Here’s what Moses said about Joseph. ‘May the LORD bless Joseph’s land. May he bless it with dew from the highest heavens. May he bless it with water from the deepest oceans.14May he bless it with the best crops the sun can produce. May he bless it with the finest crops the moon can give.15May he bless it with the best products of the age-old mountains. May he bless it with the many crops of the ancient hills.16May he bless it with the best gifts that fill the earth. May he bless it with the favour of the God who spoke out of the burning bush. Let all these blessings rest on the head of Joseph. Let them rest on the head of the one who is prince among his brothers.17His glory is like the glory of a bull born first to its mother. His horns are like the horns of a wild ox. He will use them to destroy the nations. He’ll wipe out the nations that are very far away. The ten thousands of men in Ephraim’s army are like the bull and the ox. So are the thousands in the army of Manasseh.’18Here’s what Moses said about Zebulun and Issachar. ‘Zebulun, be filled with joy when you go out. Issachar, be joyful in your tents.19You will call for other people to go to the mountain. There you will offer the sacrifices of those who do what is right. You will enjoy the many good things your ships bring you. You will enjoy treasures that are hidden in the sand.’20Here’s what Moses said about Gad. ‘May the God who gives Gad more land be praised! Gad lives there like a lion that tears off arms and heads.21He chose the best land for his livestock. The leader’s share was kept for him. The leaders of the people came together. Then Gad carried out the LORD’s holy plan. He carried out the LORD’s decisions for Israel.’22Here’s what Moses said about Dan. ‘Dan is like a lion’s cub that charges out of the land of Bashan.’23Here’s what Moses said about Naphtali. ‘The LORD greatly favours Naphtali. The LORD fills him with his blessing. Naphtali’s land will reach south to the Sea of Galilee.’24Here’s what Moses said about Asher. ‘Asher is the most blessed of sons. Let his brothers be kind to him. Let Asher wash his feet with olive oil.25The bars of his gates will be made out of iron and bronze. His strength will last as long as he lives.26‘There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you. He rides on the clouds in his glory.27God lives for ever! You can run to him for safety. His powerful arms are always there to carry you. He will drive out your enemies to make room for you. He’ll say to you, “Destroy them!”28So Israel will live in safety. Jacob will live secure in a land that has corn and fresh wine. There the heavens drop their dew.29Israel, how blessed you are! Who is like you? The LORD has saved you. He keeps you safe. He helps you. He’s like a glorious sword to you. Your enemies will bow down to you in fear. You will walk on the highest places of their lands.’
Deuteronomy 33
English Standard Version
Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel
1This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. (Jos 14:6; 1Ch 23:14; 2Ch 30:16; Ezr 3:2)2He said, “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us;[1] he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire[2] at his right hand. (Ex 19:18; Ex 19:20; Jud 5:4; Ps 68:7; Ps 68:17; Da 7:10; Hab 3:3; Ac 7:53; Ga 3:19; Heb 2:2; Jud 1:14; Re 5:11)3Yes, he loved his people,[3] all his holy ones were in his[4] hand; so they followed[5] in your steps, receiving direction from you, (De 7:7; De 10:15; Ho 11:1; Lu 10:39; Joh 10:27; Ac 22:3; Ro 8:35; Ro 8:38)4when Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. (Joh 1:17; Joh 7:19)5Thus the Lord[6] became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. (Nu 23:21; De 32:15; Jud 8:23; Isa 33:22)6“Let Reuben live, and not die, but let his men be few.” (Ge 49:3)7And this he said of Judah: “Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in to his people. With your hands contend[7] for him, and be a help against his adversaries.”8And of Levi he said, “Give to Levi[8] your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah; (Ge 49:5; Ex 17:7; Ex 28:30; Nu 20:13)9who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children. For they observed your word and kept your covenant. (Ex 32:26; Mal 2:4)10They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. (Ex 30:7; Le 10:11; De 17:9; 1Sa 2:28; Ps 51:19; Eze 43:27; Eze 44:23)11Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those who hate him, that they rise not again.” (Eze 20:40; Eze 43:27; Am 5:22)12Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety. The High God[9] surrounds him all day long, and dwells between his shoulders.” (Ge 49:27)13And of Joseph he said, “Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above,[10] and of the deep that crouches beneath, (Ge 27:28; Ge 49:22; Ge 49:25; De 33:28)14with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months,15with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills, (Ge 49:26; Ps 90:2; Hab 3:6)16with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers. (Ex 3:2; Ps 24:1; Ac 7:30; Ac 7:35)17A firstborn bull[11]—he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Ge 48:19; Nu 1:33; Nu 1:35; Nu 23:22; 1Ki 22:11; 1Ch 5:1; Ps 44:5; Da 8:4)18And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents. (Ge 49:13)19They shall call peoples to their mountain; there they offer right sacrifices; for they draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.” (Ex 15:17; Ps 4:5; Ps 51:19; Isa 2:3)20And of Gad he said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp. (Ge 49:19; 1Ch 12:8)21He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander’s portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments for Israel.” (Nu 32:1; Nu 32:16; Nu 32:31; Jos 1:12; 1Ch 5:18)22And of Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan.” (Ge 49:9; Ge 49:16; Jos 19:47; Jud 18:27)23And of Naphtali he said, “O Naphtali, sated with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the lake[12] and the south.” (Ge 49:21; Jos 19:32)24And of Asher he said, “Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. (Ge 49:20; Job 29:6)25Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.26“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. (Ex 15:11; De 32:15; Ps 68:33; Ps 104:3; Isa 19:1; Hab 3:8)27The eternal God is your dwelling place,[13] and underneath are the everlasting arms.[14] And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’ (Ps 90:1; Ps 91:9)28So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone,[15] in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew. (Nu 23:9; Ps 68:26; Isa 48:1)29Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.” (2Sa 7:23; Ps 33:20; Ps 115:9; Isa 45:17)