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New Testament
Deuteronomy 33
The Blessings of Moses
331The following is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2He said:
The Lord came from Sinai,
and from Seir he rose like the sun for them.
He was shining from Mount Paran,
and he came with ten thousand holy ones.
3Indeed, you love the peoples.
All his holy ones are in your hand.
Each one rises after hearing your words.
4Moses commanded a law for us
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
when the heads of the people gathered
together with the tribes of Israel.
6May Reuben live and not die,
7Concerning Judah he said this:
Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him to his people.
With his own hands he fights for them,
and you will be a help against his enemies.
8Concerning Levi he said:
Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your favored man,
whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.
9He said about his father and mother,
“I do not recognize them.”
He did not show regard for his own brother.
He did not acknowledge his own children.
Instead he protected your word,
and he guarded your covenant.
10The Levites will teach your judgments to Jacob.
They will teach your law to Israel.
They will burn incense for you to smell.
They will offer whole offerings upon your altar.
11Bless, O Lord, his strength,
and accept the work of his hands.
Cripple those who rise against him.
Prevent those who hate him from rising against him.
12Concerning Benjamin he said:
Those loved by the Lord will dwell with him safely.
He will be a canopy over them all day.
13Concerning Joseph he said:
His land is blessed by the Lord:
blessed with the best gifts from the heavens,
blessed with dew and with the deep waters hidden below,
14blessed with the best gifts produced by the sun,
blessed with the best gifts yielded by the seasons,
15blessed with the best crops from the ancient mountains,
blessed with the best gifts from the everlasting hills,
16blessed with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness,
blessed with the favor of the one who was dwelling in the burning bush.
May all these come on the head of Joseph,
on the forehead of the one set apart from his brothers.
17Like a firstborn bull, he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a wild ox.
With them he will gore the peoples,
all the peoples, to the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim.
Such are the thousands of Manasseh.
18Concerning Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go out.
Rejoice, Issachar, in your tents.
19They will call people to the mountain.
There they will sacrifice righteous offerings.
Indeed, they will nurse on the abundance from the seas
and on the treasures hidden in the sand.
20Concerning Gad he said:
Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad.
Like a lioness he settles down.
He tears off arms and even heads.
21He selected the best portion for himself,
the portion reserved for the ruler.
He came with heads of the people
to carry out the righteousness of the Lord,
to carry out his judgments along with Israel.
22Concerning Dan he said:
Dan is a lion cub.
He leaps out from Bashan.
23Concerning Naphtali he said:
Naphtali is abounding with favor.
He is full of the blessing of the Lord.
24Concerning Asher he said:
The most blessed of sons is Asher.
May he be pleasing to his brothers.
May he bathe his feet in olive oil.
25Your door bolts are iron and bronze.
May your strength be as long-lasting as all your days.
26There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to help you.
In his majesty he rides through the clouds.
27The everlasting God is a dwelling place,
and his eternal arms are under you.
and he said, “Destroy!”
28So Israel settled down in safety.
Jacob dwelt in security
in a land of grain and fresh wine,
and, yes, its heavens dropped down dew.
29How blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you?
You are a people saved by the Lord,
the shield who gives you help,
the sword who gives you majesty.
Your enemies will come cringing before you,
and you will trample on their high places.
Footnotes
- 33:2 The form and the meaning of the Hebrew word eshdat are uncertain.
- 33:3 Or bow down. The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain.
- 33:5 Jeshurun is another name for Israel. It means the Upright One.
- 33:6 Or nor let his men be few. This translation in the footnote applies the negative from the first line of the parallelism also to the second line, a phenomenon not too uncommon in Hebrew poetry.
- 33:12 Literally they will dwell between his shoulders
- 33:23 Or the sea
- 33:27 Or will drive out. The verbs in verse 28 can also be translated as futures.