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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Deuteronomy 33: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Deuteronomy 33
33
1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God#GodHebrew: Elohim blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2And he said, Jehovah came from Sinai, And rose up from Seir unto them; He shone forth from mount Paran, And he came from the myriads of the sanctuary; From his right hand went forth a law of fire for them. 3Yea, he loveth the peoples, All his saints are in thy hand, And they sit down at thy feet; Each receiveth of thy words. 4Moses commanded us a law, The inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 5And he was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people And the tribes of Israel were gathered together.
6Let Reuben live, and not die; And let his men be few. 7And this of Judah; and he said, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah, And bring him unto his people; May his hands strive for them; And be thou a help to him against his oppressors.
8And of Levi he said, Thy Thummim and thy Urim are for thy godly one, Whom thou didst prove at Massah, With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; 9Who said to his father and to his mother, I see him not, And he acknowledged not his brethren, And knew not his own children; For they have observed thy word, And kept thy covenant. 10They shall teach Jacob thine ordinances, And Israel thy law: They shall put incense before thy nostrils, And whole burnt-offering upon thine altar. 11Bless, Jehovah, his substance! And let the work of his hands please thee; Crush the loins of his adversaries, And of them that hate him, that they may never rise again!
12Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Jehovah, — he shall dwell in safety by him; He will cover him all the day long, And dwell between his shoulders. 13And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land! By the precious things of the heavens, By the dew, and by the deep that lieth beneath, 14And by the precious fruits of the sun, And by the precious things put forth by the months, 15And by the best things of the ancient mountains, And by the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16And by the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof. And let the good will of him that dwelt in the bush Come upon the head of Joseph, Upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 17His majesty is as the firstling of his ox; And his horns are as the horns of a buffalo. With them shall he push the peoples Together to the ends of the earth. These are the myriads of Ephraim, And these are the thousands of Manasseh.
18And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; And thou, Issachar, in thy tents! 19They shall invite the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they will suck the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand. 20And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad! As a lion doth he dwell, and teareth the arm, even the top of the head. 21And he provided the first part for himself, For there was reserved the portion of the lawgiver; And he came with the heads of the people; The justice of Jehovah and his judgments Hath he executed with Israel.
22And of Dan he said, Dan is a young lion; He shall spring forth from Bashan. 23And of Naphtali he said, Naphtali, satisfied with favour, And full of the blessing of Jehovah, Possess thou the west and the south. 24And of Asher he said, Asher shall be blessed with sons; Let him be acceptable to his brethren, And let him dip his foot in oil. 25Iron and brass shall be thy bolts; And thy rest as thy days.
26There is none like unto the ·God#GodHebrew: El of Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heavens to thy help, And in his majesty, upon the clouds. 27Thy refuge is the God#GodHebrew: Elohim of old, And underneath are the eternal arms; And he shall drive out the enemy from before thee, And shall say, Destroy them! 28And Israel shall dwell in safety alone, The fountain of Jacob, in a land of corn and new wine; Also his heavens shall drop down dew. 29Happy art thou, Israel! Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And the sword of thine excellency? And thine enemies shall come cringing to thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.