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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Deuteronomy 33: GNBUK
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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.
Deuteronomy 33
33
Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
1Moses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying:
2The Lord came from Mount Sinai.
From Edom, he gave light
to his people,
and his glory was shining
from Mount Paran.
Thousands of his warriors
were with him, and fire
was at his right hand.#33.2 Thousands … right hand: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
3 #
4 Macc 17.19. The Lord loves the tribes
of Israel,#33.3 the tribes of Israel: Or “the nations.”
and he protects his people.
They listen to his words
and worship at his feet.
* 4I called a meeting
of the tribes of Israel#33.4 Israel: The Hebrew text also uses the name “Jeshurun,” a rare name for “Israel.”
and gave you God's Law.
5Then you and your leaders
made the Lord your king.
6Tribe of Reuben, you will live,
even though your tribe
will always be small.#33.6 even though … small: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7The Lord will listen to you,
tribe of Judah, as you beg
to come safely home.
You fought your enemies alone;#33.7 beg … alone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
now the Lord will help you.
8 #
Ex 28.30;
Ex 17.7;
Ex 17.7; Nu 20.13. At Massah and Meribah Spring,#33.8 Massah and Meribah Spring: See Exodus 17.1-7; Numbers 20.1-13.
the Lord tested you,
tribe of Levi.
You were faithful,#33.8 the Lord tested you, tribe of Levi. You were faithful: Or “the Lord tested me. I was faithful” or “the Lord tested Aaron and me. We were faithful.”
and so the priesthood#33.8 priesthood: The Hebrew text has “your thummim and your urim,” objects that were used by priests to get answers from God. belongs
to the Levi tribe.
9Protecting Israel's agreement
with the Lord
was more important to you
than the life of your father
or mother,
or brothers or sisters,
or your own children.#33.9 Protecting Israel's agreement … your own children: See Exodus 32.25-29.
10You teach God's laws to Israel,#33.10 Israel: See the note at 32.9.
and at the place of worship
you offer sacrifices
and burn incense.
11I pray that the Lord will bless
everything you do,
and make you strong enough
to crush your enemies.
12The Lord Most High#33.12 Most High: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. loves you,
tribe of Benjamin.
He will live among your hills
and protect you.
13Descendants of Joseph,
the Lord will bless you
with precious water
from deep wells
and with dew from the sky.
14Month by month, your fruit
will ripen in the sunshine.
15You will have a rich harvest
from the slopes
of the ancient hills.
16The Lord who appeared
in the burning bush
wants to give you the best
the land can produce,
and it will be a princely crown
on Joseph's head.
17The armies of Ephraim
and Manasseh
are majestic and fierce
like a bull or a wild ox.
They will run their spears
through faraway nations.
18Be happy, Zebulun,
as your boats set sail;
be happy, Issachar,
in your tents.
19The sea will make you wealthy,
and from the sandy beach
you will get treasure.#33.19 sandy beach … treasure: Possibly a reference to glass made from sand; glass was rare and very valuable.
So invite the other tribes#33.19 other tribes: Or “nations.”
to celebrate with you
and offer sacrifices to God.
20Tribe of Gad,
the Lord will bless you
with more land.
So shout his praises!
Your tribe is like a lion
ripping up its victim.
21Your leaders met together
and chose the best land
for your tribe,
but you obeyed the Lord
and helped the other tribes.#33.21 tribes: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 21. The Gad tribe asked for some of the land east of the Jordan River, but promised that their warriors would cross the Jordan and help the other tribes take over the land west of the Jordan (see Numbers 32.1-33; Joshua 4.10-13).
22Tribe of Dan,
you are like a lion cub,
startled by a snake.#33.22 startled by a snake: Or “jumping out from the forest of Bashan.”
23The Lord is pleased with you,
people of Naphtali.
He will bless you
and give you the land
to the west and the south.#33.23 land to the west and the south: Or “land south as far as Lake Galilee.”
24The Lord's greatest blessing
is for you, tribe of Asher.
You will be the favorite
of all the other tribes.
You will be rich with olive oil
25and have strong town gates
with bronze and iron bolts.
Your people will be powerful
for as long as they live.
26Israel,#33.26 Israel: See the note at 33.4. no other god
is like ours—
the clouds are his chariot
as he rides across the skies
to come and help us.
27The eternal God
is our hiding place;
he carries us in his arms.
When God tells you
to destroy your enemies,
he will make them run.
28Israel, you will live in safety;
your enemies will be gone.#33.28 your enemies will be gone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
The dew will fall from the sky,
and you will have plenty
of grain and wine.
29The Lord has rescued you
and given you more blessings
than any other nation.
He protects you like a shield
and is your majestic sword.
Your enemies will bow in fear,
and you will trample
on their backs.
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