Deuteronomy 33
Good News Translation
Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
33 These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died.
2 The Lord came from Mount Sinai;
he rose like the sun over Edom
and shone on his people from Mount Paran.
Ten thousand angels were with him,
a flaming fire at his right hand.[a]
3 The Lord loves his people[b]
and protects those who belong to him.
So we bow at[c] his feet
and obey his commands.
4 We obey the Law that Moses gave us,
our nation's most treasured possession.
5 The Lord became king of his people Israel
when their tribes and leaders were gathered together.
6 Moses said about the tribe of Reuben:
“May Reuben never die out,
Although their people are few.”
7 About the tribe of Judah he said:
“Lord, listen to their cry for help;
Unite them again with the other tribes.
Fight for them, Lord,
And help them against their enemies.”[d]
8 (A)About the tribe of Levi he said:
“You, Lord, reveal your will by the Urim and Thummim[e]
Through your faithful servants, the Levites;
You put them to the test at Massah
And proved them true at the waters of Meribah.
9 They showed greater loyalty to you
Than to parents, brothers, or children.
They obeyed your commands
And were faithful to your covenant.
10 They will teach your people to obey your Law;
They will offer sacrifices on your altar.
11 Lord, help their tribe to grow strong;
Be pleased with what they do.
Crush all their enemies;
Let them never rise again.”
12 About the tribe of Benjamin he said:
“This is the tribe the Lord loves and protects;
He guards them all the day long,
And he dwells in their midst.”[f]
13 About the tribe of Joseph he said:
“May the Lord bless their land with rain
And with water from under the earth.
14 May their land be blessed with sun-ripened fruit,
Rich with the best fruits of each season.
15 May their ancient hills be covered with choice fruit.
16 May their land be filled with all that is good,
Blessed by the goodness of the Lord,
Who spoke from the burning bush.
May these blessings come to the tribe of Joseph,
Because he was the leader among his brothers.
17 Joseph has the strength of a bull,
The horns of a wild ox.
His horns are Manasseh's thousands
And Ephraim's ten thousands.
With them he gores the nations
And pushes them to the ends of the earth.”
18 About the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar he said:
“May Zebulun be prosperous in their trade on the sea,
And may Issachar's wealth increase at home.
19 They invite foreigners to their mountain
And offer the right sacrifices there.
They get their wealth from the sea
And from the sand along the shore.”
20 About the tribe of Gad he said:
“Praise God, who made their territory large.
Gad waits like a lion
To tear off an arm or a scalp.
21 They took the best of the land for themselves;
A leader's share was assigned to them.
They obeyed the Lord's commands and laws
When the leaders of Israel were gathered together.”[g]
22 About the tribe of Dan he said:
“Dan is a young lion;
He leaps out from Bashan.”
23 About the tribe of Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is richly blessed by the Lord's good favor;
Their land reaches to the south from Lake Galilee.”
24 About the tribe of Asher he said:
“Asher is blessed more than the other tribes.
May he be the favorite of his brothers,
And may his land be rich with olive trees.
25 May his towns be protected with iron gates,
And may he always live secure.”
26 People of Israel, no god is like your God,
riding in splendor across the sky,
riding through the clouds to come to your aid.
27 God has always been your defense;
his eternal arms are your support.
He drove out your enemies as you advanced,
and told you to destroy them all.
28 So Jacob's descendants live in peace,
secure in a land full of grain and wine,
where dew from the sky waters the ground.
29 Israel, how happy you are!
There is no one like you,
a nation saved by the Lord.
The Lord himself is your shield and your sword,
to defend you and give you victory.
Your enemies will come begging for mercy,
and you will trample them down.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Probable text Ten thousand … right hand; Hebrew unclear.
- Deuteronomy 33:3 One ancient translation his people; Hebrew the peoples.
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Probable text bow at; Hebrew unclear.
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Probable text Fight for … enemies; Hebrew The tribe of Judah will fight for itself, and the Lord will help it against its enemies.
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Two objects used by the priest to determine God's will; it is not known precisely how they were used.
- Deuteronomy 33:12 And he … midst; or They live under his protection.
- Deuteronomy 33:21 One ancient translation When the leaders … together; Hebrew unclear.
Deuteronomy 33
World English Bible
33 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
“Yahweh came from Sinai,
and rose from Seir to them.
He shone from Mount Paran.
He came from the ten thousands of holy ones.
At his right hand was a fiery law for them.[a]
3 Yes, he loves the people.
All his saints are in your hand.
They sat down at your feet.
Each receives your words.
4 Moses commanded us a law,
an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 He was king in Jeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die;
Nor let his men be few.”
7 This is for Judah. He said,
“Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah.
Bring him in to his people.
With his hands he contended for himself.
You shall be a help against his adversaries.”
8 About Levi he said,
“Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one,
whom you proved at Massah,
with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.
9 He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’
He didn’t acknowledge his brothers,
nor did he know his own children;
for they have observed your word,
and keep your covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob your ordinances,
and Israel your law.
They shall put incense before you,
and whole burnt offering on your altar.
11 Yahweh, bless his skills.
Accept the work of his hands.
Strike through the hips of those who rise up against him,
of those who hate him, that they not rise again.”
12 About Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of Yahweh will dwell in safety by him.
He covers him all day long.
He dwells between his shoulders.”
13 About Joseph he said,
“His land is blessed by Yahweh,
for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew,
for the deep that couches beneath,
14 for the precious things of the fruits of the sun,
for the precious things that the moon can yield,
15 for the best things of the ancient mountains,
for the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 for the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
the good will of him who lived in the bush.[b]
Let this come on the head of Joseph,
on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
17 Majesty belongs to the firstborn of his herd.
His horns are the horns of the wild ox.
With them he will push all the peoples to the ends of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim.
They are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 About Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out;
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will call the peoples to the mountain.
There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness,
for they will draw out the abundance of the seas,
the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 About Gad he said,
“He who enlarges Gad is blessed.
He dwells as a lioness,
and tears the arm and the crown of the head.
21 He provided the first part for himself,
for the lawgiver’s portion was reserved for him.
He came with the heads of the people.
He executed the righteousness of Yahweh,
His ordinances with Israel.”
22 About Dan he said,
“Dan is a lion’s cub
that leaps out of Bashan.”
23 About Naphtali he said,
“Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
full of Yahweh’s blessing,
Possess the west and the south.”
24 About Asher he said,
“Asher is blessed with children.
Let him be acceptable to his brothers.
Let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your bars will be iron and bronze.
As your days, so your strength will be.
26 “There is no one like God, Jeshurun,
who rides on the heavens for your help,
in his excellency on the skies.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place.
Underneath are the everlasting arms.
He thrust out the enemy from before you,
and said, ‘Destroy!’
28 Israel dwells in safety,
the fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine.
Yes, his heavens drop down dew.
29 You are happy, Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh,
the shield of your help,
the sword of your excellency?
Your enemies will submit themselves to you.
You will tread on their high places.”
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