Deuteronomy 33
33
1This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2He said,
“The Lord came from Sinai,
and dawned from Seir upon us;#33.2 Gk Syr Vg: Heb them
he shone forth from Mount Paran,
he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire#33.2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain at his right hand.
3Yea, he loved his people;#33.3 Gk: Heb peoples
all those consecrated to him were in his#33.3 Heb thy hand;
so they followed#33.3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain in thy steps,
receiving direction from thee,
4when Moses commanded us a law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5Thus the Lord became 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.”
7And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With thy hands contend#33.7 Cn: Heb with his hands he contended for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.”
8And of Levi he said,
“Give to Levi#33.8 Gk: Heb lacks Give to Levi thy Thummim,
and thy Urim to thy godly one,
whom thou didst test at Massah,
with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
he disowned his brothers,
and ignored his children.
For they observed thy word,
and kept thy covenant.
10They shall teach Jacob thy ordinances,
and Israel thy law;
they shall put incense before thee,
and whole burnt offering upon thy altar.
11Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those that hate him, that they rise not again.”
12Of Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord,
he dwells in safety by him;
he encompasses him all the day long,
and makes his dwelling between his shoulders.”
13And of Joseph he said,
“Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choicest gifts of heaven above,#33.13 Two Heb Mss and Tg: Heb with the dew
and of the deep that couches beneath,
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,
16with the best gifts of the earth and its fulness,
and the favor of him that dwelt in the bush.
Let these come upon the head of Joseph,
and upon the crown of the head of him that is prince among his brothers.
17His firstling bull has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he shall push the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18And of Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out;
and Issachar, in your tents.
19They shall call peoples to their mountain;
there they offer right sacrifices;
for they suck the affluence of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20And of Gad he said,
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!
Gad couches like a lion,
he tears the arm, and the crown of the head.
21He chose the best of the land for himself,
for there a commander's portion was reserved;
and he came to the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the commands
and just decrees of the Lord.”
22And of Dan he said,
“Dan is a lion's whelp,
that leaps forth from Bashan.”
23And of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
and full of the blessing of the Lord,
possess the lake and the south.”
24And of Asher he said,
“Blessed above sons be Asher;
let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him dip his foot in oil.
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,
and in his majesty through the skies.
27The eternal God is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you,
and said, Destroy.
28So Israel dwelt in safety,
the fountain of Jacob alone,
in a land of grain and wine;
yea, his heavens drop down dew.
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 high places.”
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Deuteronomy 33
33
Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
1These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died.
2The LORD came from Mount Sinai;
he rose like the sun over Edom
and shone on his people from Mount Paran.
10,000 angels were with him,
a flaming fire at his right hand.#33.2 Probable text 10,000… right hand; Hebrew unclear.
3The LORD loves his people#33.3 One ancient translation his people; Hebrew the peoples.
and protects those who belong to him.
So we bow at#33.3 Probable text bow at; Hebrew unclear. his feet
and obey his commands.
4We obey the Law that Moses gave us,
our nation's most treasured possession.
5The LORD became king of his people Israel
when their tribes and leaders were gathered together.
6Moses said about the tribe of Reuben:
“May Reuben never die out,
Although their people are few.”
7About the tribe of Judah he said:
“LORD, listen to their cry for help;
Unite them again with the other tribes.
Fight for them, LORD,
And help them against their enemies.”#33.7 Probable text Fight for… enemies; Hebrew The tribe of Judah will fight for itself, and the LORD will help it against its enemies.
8 #
Ex 17.7; 28.30; Num 20.13 About the tribe of Levi he said:
“You, LORD, reveal your will by the Urim and Thummim#33.8 Urim and Thummim: Two objects used by the priest to determine God's will; it is not known precisely how they were used.
Through your faithful servants, the Levites;
You put them to the test at Massah
And proved them true at the waters of Meribah.
9They showed greater loyalty to you
Than to parents, brothers, or children.
They obeyed your commands
And were faithful to your covenant.
10They will teach your people to obey your Law;
They will offer sacrifices on your altar.
11Lord, help their tribe to grow strong;
Be pleased with what they do.
Crush all their enemies;
Let them never rise again.”
12About the tribe of Benjamin he said:
“This is the tribe the LORD loves and protects;
He guards them all the day long,
And he dwells in their midst.”#33.12 And he… midst; or They live under his protection.
13About the tribe of Joseph he said:
“May the LORD bless their land with rain
And with water from under the earth.
14May their land be blessed with sun-ripened fruit,
Rich with the best fruits of each season.
15May their ancient hills be covered with choice fruit.
16May their land be filled with all that is good,
Blessed by the goodness of the LORD,
Who spoke from the burning bush.
May these blessings come to the tribe of Joseph,
Because he was the leader among his brothers.
17Joseph has the strength of a bull,
The horns of a wild ox.
His horns are Manasseh's thousands
And Ephraim's 10,000s.
With them he gores the nations
And pushes them to the ends of the earth.”
18About the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar he said:
“May Zebulun be prosperous in their trade on the sea,
And may Issachar's wealth increase at home.
19They invite foreigners to their mountain
And offer the right sacrifices there.
They get their wealth from the sea
And from the sand along the shore.”
20About the tribe of Gad he said:
“Praise God, who made their territory large.
Gad waits like a lion
To tear off an arm or a scalp.
21They took the best of the land for themselves;
A leader's share was assigned to them.
They obeyed the LORD's commands and laws
When the leaders of Israel were gathered together.”#33.21 One ancient translation When the leaders… together; Hebrew unclear.
22About the tribe of Dan he said:
“Dan is a young lion;
He leaps out from Bashan.”
23About the tribe of Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is richly blessed by the LORD's good favour;
Their land reaches to the south from Lake Galilee.”
24About the tribe of Asher he said:
“Asher is blessed more than the other tribes.
May he be the favourite of his brothers,
And may his land be rich with olive trees.
25May his towns be protected with iron gates,
And may he always live secure.”
26People of Israel, no god is like your God,
riding in splendour across the sky,
riding through the clouds to come to your aid.
27God has always been your defence;
his eternal arms are your support.
He drove out your enemies as you advanced,
and told you to destroy them all.
28So Jacob's descendants live in peace,
secure in a land full of corn and wine,
where dew from the sky waters the ground.
29Israel, how happy you are!
There is no one like you,
a nation saved by the LORD.
The LORD himself is your shield and your sword,
to defend you and give you victory.
Your enemies will come begging for mercy,
and you will trample them down.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.