Deuteronomy 33
English Standard Version
Moses' Final Blessing on Israel
33 This is the blessing with which Moses (A)the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
(B)“The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;[a]
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came (C)from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire[b] at his right hand.
3 Yes, (D)he loved his people,[c]
(E)all his holy ones were in his[d] hand;
(F)so they followed[e] in your steps,
receiving direction from you,
4 when (G)Moses commanded us a law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 Thus the Lord[f] (H)became king in (I)Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
6 (J)“Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
7 And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With your hands contend[g] for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.”
8 And (K)of Levi he said,
“Give to Levi[h] (L)your Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
(M)whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
(N)he disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For (O)they observed your word
and kept your covenant.
10 (P)They shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
(Q)they shall put incense before you
and (R)whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and (S)accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
12 (T)Of Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God[i] surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.”
13 And (U)of Joseph he said,
(V)“Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choicest gifts of heaven (W)above,[j]
and of the deep that crouches beneath,
14 with the choicest fruits of the sun
and the rich yield of the months,
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains
and the abundance of (X)the everlasting hills,
16 with the best gifts of the earth and (Y)its fullness
and the favor of (Z)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.
17 (AA)A firstborn bull[k]—he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a (AB)wild ox;
with them (AC)he shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
(AD)they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said,
(AE)“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They shall call peoples (AF)to their mountain;
there they offer (AG)right sacrifices;
for they draw from the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 And (AH)of Gad he said,
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!
Gad crouches (AI)like a lion;
he tears off arm and scalp.
21 (AJ)He chose the best of the land for himself,
for there a commander's portion was reserved;
and (AK)he came with the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord,
and his judgments for Israel.”
22 And (AL)of Dan he said,
23 And (AO)of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
and full of the blessing of the Lord,
(AP)possess the lake[l] and the south.”
24 And (AQ)of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him (AR)dip his foot in oil.
25 Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 (AS)“There is none like God, O (AT)Jeshurun,
(AU)who rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your (AV)dwelling place,[m]
and underneath are the everlasting arms.[n]
And he thrust out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy.’
28 So Israel lived in safety,
(AW)Jacob lived (AX)alone,[o]
in a land of grain and wine,
whose heavens drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! (AY)Who is like you,
a people (AZ)saved by the Lord,
(BA)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.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew them
- Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Septuagint; Hebrew peoples
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Hebrew your
- Deuteronomy 33:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:5 Hebrew Thus he
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Probable reading; Hebrew With his hands he contended
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks Give to Levi
- Deuteronomy 33:12 Septuagint; Hebrew dwells in safety by him. He
- Deuteronomy 33:13 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Targum; Hebrew with the dew
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Samaritan; Masoretic Text His firstborn bull
- Deuteronomy 33:23 Or west
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or a dwelling place
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Revocalization of verse 27 yields He subdues the ancient gods, and shatters the forces of old
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Hebrew the abode of Jacob was alone
Deuteronomy 33
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Moses’s Final Blessing on Israel
33 This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death.(A) 2 He said,
“The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;[a]
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
With him were myriads of holy ones,[b]
at his right, a host of his own.[c](B)
3 Indeed, O favorite among[d] peoples,
all his holy ones were in your charge;
they marched at your heels,
accepted direction from you.(C)
4 Moses charged us with the law
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.(D)
5 There arose a king in Jeshurun
when the leaders of the people assembled,
the united tribes of Israel.
6 May Reuben live and not die out,
even though his numbers are few.”
7 And this he said of Judah,
“O Lord, give heed to Judah,
and bring him to his people;
strengthen his hands for him,[e]
and be a help against his adversaries.”(E)
8 And of Levi he said,
“Give to Levi[f] your Thummim
and your Urim to your loyal one,
whom you tested at Massah,
with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah,(F)
9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
he ignored his kin
and did not acknowledge his children.
For they observed your word
and kept your covenant.(G)
10 They teach Jacob your ordinances
and Israel your law;
they place incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.(H)
11 Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and accept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again.”(I)
12 Of Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord rests in safety—
the Most High[g] surrounds him all day long—
and he rests between his shoulders.”
13 And of Joseph he said,
“Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choice gifts of heaven above
and of the deep that lies beneath,(J)
14 with the choice fruits of the sun
and the rich yield of the months,
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains
and the abundance of the everlasting hills,(K)
16 with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai.[h]
Let these come on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.(L)
17 A firstborn[i] bull—majesty is his!
His horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he gores the peoples
all together to the ends of the earth;
such are the myriads of Ephraim,
such the thousands of Manasseh.”(M)
18 And of Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.(N)
19 They call peoples to the mountain;
there they offer the right sacrifices,
for they suck the affluence of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”(O)
20 And of Gad he said,
“Blessed be the enlargement of Gad!
Like a lion he lives;
he tears at arm and scalp.(P)
21 He chose the best for himself,
for there a commander’s allotment was reserved;
he came at the head of the people;
he executed the justice of the Lord
and his ordinances with Israel.”(Q)
22 And of Dan he said,
“Dan is a lion’s whelp
that leaps forth from Bashan.”(R)
23 And of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
full of the blessing of the Lord,
possess the west and the south.”(S)
24 And of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
may he be the favorite of his brothers,
and may he dip his foot in oil.(T)
25 Your bars are iron and bronze,
and as your days, so is your strength.[j](U)
26 There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
majestic through the clouds.(V)
27 He subdues the ancient gods,[k]
shatters[l] the forces of old;[m]
he drove out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy!’(W)
28 So Israel lives in safety,
untroubled is Jacob’s abode[n]
in a land of grain and wine,
where the heavens drop down dew.(X)
29 Happy 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,
but you shall tread on their backs.”(Y)
Footnotes
- 33.2 Gk Syr Vg Compare Tg: Heb upon them
- 33.2 Cn Compare Gk Sam Syr Vg: MT He came from Ribeboth-kodesh,
- 33.2 Cn Compare Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 33.3 Or O lover of the
- 33.7 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 33.8 Q ms Gk: MT lacks Give to Levi
- 33.12 Cn: Heb above him
- 33.16 Cn: Heb in the bush
- 33.17 Q ms Gk Syr Vg: MT His firstborn
- 33.25 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 33.27 Cn: Heb The eternal God is a dwelling place
- 33.27 Cn: Heb from underneath
- 33.27 Or the everlasting arms
- 33.28 Or fountain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.