Deuteronomy 33
Living Bible
33 This is the blessing Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:
2 “The Lord came to us at Mount Sinai,
And dawned upon us from Mount Seir;
He shone from Mount Paran,
Surrounded by ten thousands of holy angels,[a]
And with flaming fire at his right hand.
3 How he loves his people—
His holy ones are in his hands.
They followed in your steps, O Lord.
They have received their directions from you.
4 The laws I have given
Are your precious possession.
5 The Lord became king in Jerusalem,
Elected by a convocation of the leaders of the tribes!
6 Let Reuben live forever
And may his tribe increase!”
7 And Moses said of Judah:
“O Lord, hear the cry of Judah
And unite him with Israel;
Fight for him against his enemies.”
8 Then Moses said concerning the tribe of Levi:
“Give to godly Levi
Your Urim and your Thummim.
You tested Levi at Massah and at Meribah;
9 He obeyed your instructions
and destroyed many sinners,[b]
Even his own children, brothers, fathers, and mothers.
10 The Levites shall teach God’s laws to Israel
And shall work before you at the incense altar
And the altar of burnt offering.
11 O Lord, prosper the Levites
And accept the work they do for you.
Crush those who are their enemies;
Don’t let them rise again.”
12 Concerning the tribe of Benjamin, Moses said:
“He is beloved of God
And lives in safety beside him.
God surrounds him with his loving care,
And preserves him from every harm.”
13 Concerning the tribe of Joseph, he said:
“May his land be blessed by God
With the choicest gifts of heaven
And of the earth that lies below.
14 May he be blessed
With the best of what the sun makes grow;
Growing richly month by month,
15 With the finest of mountain crops
And of the everlasting hills.
16 May he be blessed with the best gifts
Of the earth and its fullness,
And with the favor of God who appeared
In the burning bush.
Let all these blessings come upon Joseph,
The prince among his brothers.
17 He is a young bull in strength and splendor,
With the strong horns of a wild ox
To push against the nations everywhere;
This is my blessing on the multitudes of Ephraim
And the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Moses said:
“Rejoice, O Zebulun, you outdoorsmen,
And Issachar, you lovers of your tents;
19 They shall summon the people
To celebrate their sacrifices with them.
Lo, they taste the riches of the sea
And the treasures of the sand.”
20 Concerning the tribe of Gad, Moses said:
“A blessing upon those who help Gad.
He crouches like a lion,
With savage arm and face and head.
21 He chose the best of the land for himself
Because it is reserved for a leader.
He led the people
Because he carried out God’s penalties for Israel.”
22 Of the tribe of Dan, Moses said:
“Dan is like a lion’s cub
Leaping out from Bashan.”
23 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Moses said:
“O Naphtali, you are satisfied
With all the blessings of the Lord;
The Mediterranean coast and the Negeb
Are your home.”
24 Of the tribe of Asher:
“Asher is a favorite son,
Esteemed above his brothers;
He bathes his feet in oil.
25 May you be protected with strong bolts
Of iron and bronze,
And may your strength match the length of your days!
26 There is none like the God of Jerusalem—
He descends from the heavens
In majestic splendor to help you.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms.
He thrusts out your enemies before you;
It is he who cries, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel dwells safely,
Prospering in a land of corn and wine,
While the gentle rains descend from heaven.
29 What blessings are yours, O Israel!
Who else has been saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and your helper!
He is your excellent sword!
Your enemies shall bow low before you,
And you shall trample on their backs!”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 holy angels, literally, “holy ones.”
- Deuteronomy 33:9 and destroyed many sinners, implied.
Deuteronomy 33
Revised Geneva Translation
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death, and said,
2 “The LORD came from Sinai, rose up from Seir to them, and appeared clearly from Mount Paran. And He came with tens of thousands of saints at his right hand, and a fiery Law for them.
3 “Also, He loves the people. All Your saints are in Your hands. And they are humbled at Your feet, to receive Your words.
4 “Moses commanded us a Law for an inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob.
5 “Then He was among the righteous, king, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were assembled.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die, though his men are a small number.
7 And thus he blessed Judah, and said, “Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. His hands shall be sufficient for him, if You help him against his enemies.
8 And of Levi, he said, “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with your holy one, whom you tested in Massah and caused to strive at the waters of Meribah,
9 “who said to his father and to his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ Nor did he acknowledge his brothers. Nor did he acknowledge his own children. For they observed Your Word and kept Your Covenant.
10 “They shall teach Jacob Your Judgments, and Israel Your Law. They shall put incense before Your Face, and the Burnt Offering upon Your Altar.
11 “Bless, O LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands. Strike through the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again.
12 Of Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him, he shall cover him all the day long, and dwell between his shoulders.
13 And of Joseph he said, “Blessed of the LORD is his land, with the sweetness of Heaven, with the dew, and with the depths lying beneath,
14 “and with the sweet increase of the Sun, and with the sweet increase of the Moon,
15 “and with the top of the ancient mountains, and with the sweetness of the old hills,
16 “and with the sweetness of the Earth, and abundance, therefore. And the goodwill of Him Who dwelt in the bush shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
17 “His beauty shall be like his firstborn bullock, and his horns as the horns of a unicorn. Together with them he shall strike the people to the ends of the world. These are also the tens of thousands of Ephraim. And these are the thousands of Manasseh.
18 And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents!
19 “They shall call the people to the mountain. There they shall offer the sacrifices of righteousness. For they shall partake of the abundance of the sea, and of the treasures hid in the sand.
20 Also of Gad he said, “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad. He dwells as a lion who catches the arm with the head for his prey.
21 “And he looked to himself at the beginning, because a portion of the Law-giver was hidden. Yet, he shall come with the heads of the people to execute the justice of the LORD and His Judgments with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s whelp. He shall leap from Bashan.
23 Also of Naphtali he said, “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and filled with the blessing of the LORD, possess the west and the south!
24 And of Asher he said, “Asher shall be blessed with children. He shall be acceptable to his brothers, and shall dip his foot in oil.
25 “Your shoes shall be iron and brass, and your strength shall continue as long as you live.
26 There is none like God, O righteous, Who rides upon the heavens for your help, and on the clouds in His Glory.
27 “The eternal God is your refuge, and you are forever under his arms. He shall cast out the enemy before you, and will say, ‘Destroy.’
28 “Then Israel, the fountain of Jacob, shall dwell alone in safety in a land of wheat and wine. Also, His heavens shall drop the dew.
29 “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, O people saved by the LORD (the shield of your help and the sword of your glory)? Therefore, your enemies shall be in subjection to you. And you shall tread upon their high places.
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