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
Deuteronomy 33
Common English Bible
The fourth heading: Moses’ blessing
33 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God gave the Israelites before he died. 2 He said:
The Lord came from Sinai:
from Seir he shone like the dawn on us,[a]
from Paran Mountain he beamed down.
Thousands of holy ones were with him;[b]
his warriors were next to him, ready.[c]
3 Yes, those who love[d] the nations—
all his holy ones—were at your command;
they followed your footsteps;
they got moving when you said so.
4 Moses gave the Instruction to us—
it’s the prized possession of Jacob’s assembly.
5 A king came to rule in Jeshurun,
when the people’s leaders gathered together,
when Israel’s tribes were one.
6 “I pray that Reuben lives, doesn’t die,
though his numbers are so few.”
7 Moses said this to Judah:
“Lord, listen to Judah’s voice!
Bring him back to his own people,
strengthen his hands;[e]
be his help against every enemy.”
8 Then he told Levi:
“Give your Thummim to Levi,[f]
your Urim to your faithful one—
the one you tested at Massah,
the one you challenged by Meribah’s waters;
9 the one who said of his own mother and father:
‘I don’t consider them as such’;
of their siblings: ‘I don’t recognize them’;
of their own children, ‘I don’t know them’—
but who obeyed your words
and who guarded your covenant!
10 They teach your case laws to Jacob,
your Instruction to Israel.
They hold sweet incense to your nose;
put the entirely burned offering on your altar.
11 I pray that the Lord blesses Levi’s strength,
favors his hard work,
and crushes the insides of his enemies
so that those who hate him can’t fight anymore.”
12 He said to Benjamin:
“The Lord’s dearest one
rests safely on him.
The Lord always shields him;
he rests on God’s chest.”
13 Then he told Joseph:
“I pray that his land is blessed by God:
with heaven’s gifts from above,[g]
with the deep waters stretching out underneath;
14 with the gifts produced by the sun,
with the gifts generated by the moon;[h]
15 with the best fruit from ancient mountains,
with the gifts of eternal hills;
16 with the gifts of the earth and all that fills it,
and the favor of the one who lives on Sinai.[i]
I pray that all these rest on Joseph’s head,
on the crown of that prince among brothers.
17 A firstborn bull[j]—that’s how majestic he is!
A wild ox’s horns—those are his horns!
With them he gores all peoples
completely, to the far ends of the earth!
His horns[k] are Ephraim’s tens of thousands.
His horns are Manasseh’s thousands.”
18 Then he told Zebulun:
“Zebulun: celebrate when you are out and about;
Issachar: celebrate when you are at home in your tents!
19 They call all sorts of people to the mountain,
where they offer right sacrifices.
It’s true: They’re nourished on the sea’s abundance;
they are nourished on buried treasures in the sand.”
20 Then he told Gad:
“May Gad’s broad lands[l] be blessed!
He lives like a lion:
he rips an arm, even a head!
21 He chose the best part for himself
because there, where the commander’s portion was,
the leaders of the people gathered together.[m]
Gad executed the Lord’s justice
and the Lord’s judgments for Israel.”[n]
22 Then he told Dan:
“Dan is a lion cub.
He jumps up from Bashan.”
23 Then he told Naphtali:
“Naphtali—you are full of favor,
overflowing with the Lord’s blessing—
go possess the west and the south!”
24 Finally, he told Asher:
“Asher is the most blessed of sons.
I pray that he’s his brothers’ favorite—
one who dips his foot in fine oil.
25 I pray that your dead bolts are iron and copper,
and that your strength lasts all your days.”[o]
26 Jeshurun! No one compares to God!
He rides through heaven to help you,
rides majestically through the clouds.
27 The most ancient God is a place of safety;[p]
the eternal arms are a support.[q]
He drove out the enemy before you.
He commanded: “Destroy them!”
28 So Israel now lives in safety—
Jacob’s residence[r] is secure—
in a land full of grain and wine,
where the heavens drip dew.
29 Happy are you, Israel! Who is like you?
You are a people saved by the Lord!
He’s the shield that helps you,
your majestic sword!
Your enemies will come crawling on their knees to you,
but you will stomp on their backs![s]
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Correcting with LXX, Vulg, Syr, Tg Onkelos (see 33:4); MT and Sam on them
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Correction; cf LXX, Sam, Syr, Vulg; MT he came from Ribeboth-kodesh
- Deuteronomy 33:2 LXX angels; Heb uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Correction; MT lover of
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Or with his hands he contended
- Deuteronomy 33:8 DSS (4QDeuth, 4QTest) and LXX; MT lacks Give to Levi.
- Deuteronomy 33:13 Or from the dew
- Deuteronomy 33:14 Or moons or months
- Deuteronomy 33:16 Or lives in a bush
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Sam, LXX, Vulg; DSS (4QDeuth) and Heb the oldest offspring of his bull
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Or they; also in the next line
- Deuteronomy 33:20 Or the one who makes Gad large
- Deuteronomy 33:21 Cf LXX; MT there the commander’s portion was reserved; he came at the front of the people or there was the portion of the respected commander; the people’s leaders came.
- Deuteronomy 33:21 Heb uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:25 Heb uncertain
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or He humiliates the oldest gods.
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or He shatters the most ancient forces.
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Or fountain
- Deuteronomy 33:29 Or their shrines
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.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible