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Deuteronomy 33
The Voice
Deuteronomy 33
The Voice
33 Before he died, Moses, the man of God, blessed the people of Israel with this blessing.
The Lord has “called Israel His own” in the way that cities and territories in the ancient world are named after those who have explored, settled, or conquered them. It is understood that the person whose name is attached to a place will have continuing interests there, such as preventing anyone else from taking the crops, oppressing the people, and so forth. The Lord’s name is literally “over” the people of Israel, providing shelter and protection. Anyone who wants to harass them has to answer to Him, so His great reputation will keep them safe from marauders. If they are trusting and obedient, they will be protected from spiritual dangers and attacks by the power and reputation of the One who has called them by His own name.
2 Moses: The Eternal came from Mount Sinai:
He glowed like the dawn over Mount Seir;
He shone like the sun over Mount Paran;
He arose in the middle of His chosen ones, gathered in their tens of thousands.
The law was a flame in His right hand.[a]
3 Truly He loves His people;
all Your chosen ones are in Your hand.
They gathered at Your feet and received Your words.
4 Moses gave us a law to keep;
it will always belong to the people of Jacob.
5 When all their leaders gathered and the Israelite tribes came together,
the Eternal became king of Jeshurun—
6 Let Reuben live and not die,
and let not his people be few.
7 Moses said this about Judah:
Moses: Listen, Eternal, to the voice of Judah,
and bring him back to his people safely.
He defends himself with his own hands;
help him against his enemies!
8 About Levi he said,
Moses: Your Thummim and Urim belong to your loyal servant,
the man you tested at Massah and had a dispute with at Meribah about the water.
9 When the Levites carry out the law,
they don’t give special treatment to their fathers or mothers
Or favor their relatives or recognize their children.
They obey Your word and keep Your covenant.
10 They teach Jacob Your rules;
they teach Israel Your law.
They set incense before You
and offer burnt sacrifices on Your altar.
11 Bless Levi with strength, Eternal,
and accept the service he offers You.
Crush the loins of those who hate him and attack him,
so they’ll never attack them again!
12 About Benjamin he said,
Moses: The Eternal’s beloved rests safely next to Him,
protected all through the day,
resting between His shoulders.
13 About Joseph he said,
Moses: May his land be blessed by the Eternal
with the best the sky has to offer—abundant rains—
and with the dew and the waters that lie below the ground.
14 May it be blessed with the best the sun can produce
and the best crops of each month,
15 With the best that grows on the ancient mountains
and the everlasting hills,
16 With the best the land has to offer
when it’s filled with good things,
And most of all may it be blessed
with the favor of the One who appeared in the burning bush.
Let all these blessings rest on Joseph’s head,
on the head of this prince among his brothers.
17 He’s majestic, like a firstborn bull;
he has powerful horns, as does a wild ox.
With them he will gore the nations, driving them away to the ends of the earth.
This is the power of Ephraim’s ten thousands,
of Manasseh’s thousands of troops.
18 About Zebulun and Issachar he said,
Moses: Rejoice, Zebulun, as you go out to sea,
and rejoice, Issachar, in your tents!
19 They call peoples to the mountain
where they offer right sacrifices;
Because they feast on the abundance of the sea,
and they profit from the hidden treasures of the sand.
20 About Gad he said,
Moses: Blessed is the one who expands Gad’s territory!
He lives there like a lioness,
tearing at the arm and the top of the head.
21 He chose the best for himself;
a commander’s portion was hidden for him there, east of the Jordan.
He came at the head of the army to help the other tribes conquer their land.
He carried out the righteousness of what the Eternal said was to happen,
What was right, and carried out His decrees with the rest of Israel.
22 About Dan he said,
Moses: Dan is a lion’s cub,
leaping up from Bashan.
23 About Naphtali he said,
Moses: Naphtali, you’re satisfied with favor and filled with the Eternal’s blessing.
Take possession of the Sea of Galilee and the land on its western and southern shores.
24 About Asher he said,
Moses: Asher is the most blessed of Israel’s sons;
may he be the favorite of his brothers!
May the olive trees in his land produce so abundantly
that he’ll be wading in olive oil!
25 May the bolts of your gates be iron and bronze,
and may you have the strength you need for every day.
In Hebrew this expression, “There is no god like God,” makes an extremely strong statement. God is one of a kind.
26 There is no god like the God of Jeshurun—
the God of the upright ones of Israel—
Who comes across the sky to rescue you,
riding on the clouds in His majesty.
27 The Eternal God is your shelter;
He holds you up in His everlasting arms.
He chased away your enemies ahead of you,
shouting to you, “Destroy them!”
28 Now Israel lives in safety;
Jacob’s spring is isolated
In a land of grain and new wine
where dew falls from the sky.
29 How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you?
You’re the people the Eternal has saved.
He’s the shield that protects you
and the sword that brings you pride.
Your enemies will cringe and surrender before you,
and you’ll stamp out their high places of worship into the ground.
Footnotes
- 33:2 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Deuteronomy 33
New International Version
Deuteronomy 33
New International Version
Moses Blesses the Tribes(A)
33 This is the blessing(B) that Moses the man of God(C) pronounced on the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:
“The Lord came from Sinai(D)
and dawned over them from Seir;(E)
he shone forth(F) from Mount Paran.(G)
He came with[a] myriads of holy ones(H)
from the south, from his mountain slopes.[b]
3 Surely it is you who love(I) the people;
all the holy ones are in your hand.(J)
At your feet they all bow down,(K)
and from you receive instruction,
4 the law that Moses gave us,(L)
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.(M)
5 He was king(N) over Jeshurun[c](O)
when the leaders of the people assembled,
along with the tribes of Israel.
7 And this he said about Judah:(Q)
“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah;
bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!”
8 About Levi(R) he said:
“Your Thummim and Urim(S) belong
to your faithful servant.(T)
You tested(U) him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.(V)
9 He said of his father and mother,(W)
‘I have no regard for them.’
He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
and guarded your covenant.(X)
10 He teaches(Y) your precepts to Jacob
and your law to Israel.(Z)
He offers incense before you(AA)
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.(AB)
11 Bless all his skills, Lord,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.(AC)
Strike down those who rise against him,
his foes till they rise no more.”
12 About Benjamin(AD) he said:
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,(AE)
for he shields him all day long,(AF)
and the one the Lord loves(AG) rests between his shoulders.(AH)”
13 About Joseph(AI) he said:
“May the Lord bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;(AJ)
14 with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains(AK)
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.(AL)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[e] his brothers.(AM)
17 In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns(AN) are the horns of a wild ox.(AO)
With them he will gore(AP) the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;(AQ)
such are the thousands of Manasseh.(AR)”
18 About Zebulun(AS) he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar,(AT) in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain(AU)
and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;(AV)
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,(AW)
on the treasures hidden in the sand.”
20 About Gad(AX) he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!(AY)
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head.
21 He chose the best land for himself;(AZ)
the leader’s portion was kept for him.(BA)
When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,(BB)
and his judgments concerning Israel.”
22 About Dan(BC) he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
springing out of Bashan.”
23 About Naphtali(BD) he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord
and is full of his blessing;
he will inherit southward to the lake.”
24 About Asher(BE) he said:
“Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers,
and let him bathe his feet in oil.(BF)
25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,(BG)
and your strength will equal your days.(BH)
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,(BI)
who rides(BJ) across the heavens to help you(BK)
and on the clouds(BL) in his majesty.(BM)
27 The eternal(BN) God is your refuge,(BO)
and underneath are the everlasting(BP) arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,(BQ)
saying, ‘Destroy them!’(BR)
28 So Israel will live in safety;(BS)
Jacob will dwell[f] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.(BT)
29 Blessed are you, Israel!(BU)
Who is like you,(BV)
a people saved by the Lord?(BW)
He is your shield and helper(BX)
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights.(BY)”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Or from
- Deuteronomy 33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Deuteronomy 33:5 Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel; also in verse 26.
- Deuteronomy 33:6 Or but let
- Deuteronomy 33:16 Or of the one separated from
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is
The Voice (VOICE)
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