Deuteronomy 33
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 33
Blessing upon the Tribes.[a] 1 This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before he died.(A)
2 (B)He said:
The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned on his people from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
With him were myriads of holy ones;
at his right hand advanced the gods.[b]
3 Indeed, lover of the peoples,
all the holy ones are at your side;
They follow at your heels,
carry out your decisions.
4 Moses charged us with the law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.(C)
5 A king arose[c] in Jeshurun
when the chiefs of the people assembled,
and the tribes of Israel united.(D)
6 May Reuben live and not die out,(E)
but let his numbers be few.
7 Of Judah he said this:
Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him to his people.[d]
His own hands defend his cause;
be a help against his foes.(F)
8 Of Levi he said:(G)
Give to Levi your Thummim,
your Urim[e] to your faithful one;
Him you tested at Massah,
contended against him at the waters of Meribah.(H)
9 [f]He said of his father and mother,
“I have no regard for them”;
His brothers he would not acknowledge,
and his own children he did not recognize.
For they kept your words,
and your covenant they upheld.(I)
10 (J)They teach your ordinances to Jacob,
your law to Israel.
They bring incense to your nostrils,
and burnt offerings to your altar.
11 Bless, Lord, his strength,
be pleased with the work of his hands.
Crush the loins of his adversaries
and of his foes, that they may not rise.
12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord,
he abides in safety beside him;
He shelters him all day long;
the beloved abides at his breast.[g](K)
13 Of Joseph he said:(L)
Blessed by the Lord is his land
with the best of heaven above
and of the abyss crouching beneath;
14 With the best of the produce of the sun,
and the choicest yield of the months;
15 With the finest gifts of the ancient mountains
and the best from the everlasting hills;
16 With the best of the earth and its fullness,
and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai.
Let these come upon the head of Joseph
and upon the brow of the prince among his brothers.(M)
17 His firstborn bull, majesty is his!
His horns are the horns of a wild ox;
With them he gores the peoples,
attacks the ends of the earth.
These are the myriads of Ephraim,
and these the thousands of Manasseh.
18 Of Zebulun he said:(N)
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your expeditions,
exult, Issachar, in your tents!
19 They invite peoples to the mountain
where they offer right sacrifices,
Because they suck up the abundance of the seas[h]
and the hidden treasures of the sand.
20 Of Gad he said:(O)
Blessed be the one who has made Gad so vast!
He lies there like a lion;
he tears the arm, the head as well.
21 He saw that the best should be his,
for there the commander’s portion was assigned;
he came at the head of the people.
He carried out the justice of the Lord
and his ordinances for Israel.(P)
22 Of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s cub,(Q)
that springs away from a viper!
23 Of Naphtali he said:
Naphtali, abounding with favor,
filled with the blessing of the Lord,
take possession of the west and south.(R)
24 Of Asher he said:(S)
Most blessed[i] of sons be Asher!
May he be the favorite among his brothers,
and may he dip his foot in oil!
25 May the bolts of your gates be iron and bronze;
may your strength endure through all your days!
26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens in his power,
who rides the clouds in his majesty;(T)
27 The God of old is a refuge;
a support are the arms of the Everlasting.
He drove the enemy out of your way
and he said, “Destroy!”(U)
28 Israel abides securely,
Jacob dwells apart,
In a land of grain and wine,
where the heavens drip with dew.(V)
29 Happy are you, Israel! Who is like you,
a people delivered by the Lord,
Your help and shield,
and the sword of your glory.
Your enemies cringe before you;
you stride upon their backs.(W)
Footnotes
- 33:1–29 This poem, called the Blessing of Moses, consists of a series of poetic characterizations of each of the tribes of Israel (vv. 6–25), introduced (vv. 2–3) and concluded (vv. 26–27) by a theophany; vv. 4–5 lead into the blessing proper; and the poem ends with a blessing on Israel as a whole (vv. 28–29). This catalog of the tribal units of the people Israel resembles the Blessing of Jacob (Gn 49) and the Song of Deborah (Jgs 5, especially vv. 14–18); all three poems seem to date from the early premonarchic period.
- 33:2 Gods: the divine beings who constitute the armies of the Lord, the heavenly hosts (Sabaoth); see note on 32:8. These “holy ones” (v. 3) are the retinue of the Lord, the warrior God, in his march from the southern mountains (Sinai, Seir, Paran).
- 33:5 A king arose: it is unclear whether this refers to divine kingship or the beginning of the monarchy in Israel. Jeshurun: see note on 32:15.
- 33:7 Bring him to his people: this probably refers to the isolated position of the tribe of Judah (cf. Jgs 1:17–19); according to some commentators the reference is to the divided kingdom.
- 33:8 Thummim…Urim: devices priests used for divination (cf. note on Ex 28:30).
- 33:9 The reference is probably to the Levites’ slaughter of other Israelites after the incident of the golden calf; cf. Ex 32:27–29.
- 33:12 Abides at his breast: an image of security under divine protection.
- 33:19 The abundance of the seas: perhaps the wealth that comes from sea trade or from fishing. The hidden treasures of the sand: possibly an allusion to the valuable purple dye extracted from certain marine shells found on the coast of northern Palestine.
- 33:24 Most blessed: Hebrew baruk; but the name Asher may suggest a play on the Hebrew ’ashre, “happy”; cf., e.g., v. 29; Ps 1:1. Oil: the land of the tribe of Asher was covered with olive groves.
申命記 33
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition
摩西祝福以色列眾支派
33 這是神人摩西未死以前為以色列人的祝福。 2 他說：
「耶和華從西奈來，
從西珥向他們顯現，
從巴蘭山發出光輝；
從萬萬聖者中來臨[a]，
從他右手向他們發出烈火的律法[b]。
3 他實在疼愛萬民。
他的眾聖徒都在你手中，
他們坐在你的腳下，
領受你的言語。」
4 摩西將律法傳給我們，
作為雅各會眾的產業。
5 「耶和華[c]在耶書崙作王；
百姓的眾領袖和以色列各支派一同歡聚。
6 願呂便存活，不致死亡，
雖然他的人丁稀少。
7 關於猶大，他這麼說：
『耶和華啊，求你垂聽猶大的聲音，
引導他歸回他的百姓中。
他曾用手為自己爭戰，
你必幫助他攻擊敵人。』
8 關於利未，他說：
『願你的土明和烏陵都在你的虔誠人那裏[d]。
你在瑪撒曾考驗他，
在米利巴水與他爭論。
9 關於自己的父母，他說：我未曾關注。
他的弟兄，他不承認，
他的兒女，他也不認識，
因為利未人遵行你的話，
謹守你的約。
10 他們將你的典章教導雅各，
將你的律法教導以色列。
他們奉上香讓你聞，
把全牲的燔祭獻在你壇上。
11 求耶和華賜福給他的財物[e]，
悅納他手裏的工作。
求你刺透起來攻擊他的人的腰，
使那些恨惡他的人不再起來。』
12 關於便雅憫，他說：
『耶和華所親愛的必同耶和華安然居住，
耶和華終日庇護他，
他也住在耶和華兩肩之中[f]。』
13 關於約瑟，他說：
『願他的地蒙耶和華賜福，
得天上的甘露，
地下的泉源；
14 得太陽下的美果，
月光中的佳穀；
15 得古老山嶽的至寶，
永恆山嶺的寶物；
16 得地的寶物和其中所充滿的，
得住在荊棘中者的喜悅。
願這些福都臨到約瑟的頭上，
臨到那與兄弟有分別之人的頭頂上。
17 他是牛羣中頭生的，
大有威嚴；
他的雙角是野牛的角，
用以牴觸萬民，直到地極。
這對角是以法蓮的萬萬，
這對角是瑪拿西的千千。』
18 關於西布倫，他說：
『西布倫哪，你出外可以歡喜。
以薩迦啊，你在帳棚裏可以快樂。
19 他們要召集萬民到山上，
在那裏獻公義的祭。
因為他們要吸取海裏的財富，
沙中隱藏的珍寶。』
20 關於迦得，他說：
『那使迦得擴張的，當受稱頌！
迦得臥如母獅，
撕裂膀臂和頭皮。
21 他為自己看中了最好的，
因為那是為掌權者所存留的一份。
他與百姓的領袖同來[g]，
執行耶和華的公義
和耶和華為以色列所立的典章。』
22 關於但，他說：
『但是小獅子，
從巴珊跳出來。』
23 關於拿弗他利，他說：
『拿弗他利啊，你享足恩寵，
滿得耶和華的福，
可以得西方和南方為業。』
24 關於亞設，他說：
26 「耶書崙哪，沒有誰能比 神！
他騰雲，大顯威榮，
從天空來幫助你。
27 亙古的 神是避難所，
下面有永久的膀臂。
他從你面前趕走仇敵，
說：『毀滅吧！』
28 因此，以色列獨自安然居住，
雅各的泉源在五穀新酒之地，
他的天也滴下露水。
29 以色列啊，你有福了！
蒙耶和華拯救的百姓啊，誰能像你？
他是幫助你的盾牌，
是你威榮的刀劍。
你的仇敵要屈身就你；
你卻要踐踏他們的背脊[j]。」
Footnotes
- 33．2 「從萬萬聖者中來臨」：撒瑪利亞五經、七十士譯本和其他古譯本是「有萬萬聖者在一起」。
- 33．2 「從…律法」或譯「從他右手有烈火照耀他們」。
- 33．5 「耶和華」：原文是「他」。
- 33．8 「願你的…那裏」：死海古卷和七十士譯本是「願你的土明給利未人，你的烏陵給虔誠人」。
- 33．11 「財物」或譯「力量」。
- 33．12 「他也住在…之中」或譯「耶和華也住在他的兩座山之間」。
- 33．21 「因為…同來」：原文另譯「因為那是掌權者的份，他與百姓的領袖一同聚集」。
- 33．24 「願亞設在眾子中蒙福」或譯「眾子中最蒙福的是亞設」。
- 33．25 「只要…力量」或譯「你的日子如何，你的力量也必如何」。
- 33．29 「背脊」或譯「高處」。
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.