Deuteronomy 33
Christian Standard Bible
Moses’s Blessings
33 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.(A) 2 He said:
The Lord came from Sinai
and appeared to them from Seir;(B)
he shone on them from Mount Paran(C)
and came with ten thousand holy ones,[a]
with lightning[b] from his right hand[c] for them.(D)
3 Indeed he loves the people.[d](E)
All your[e] holy ones are in your hand,
and they assemble[f] at your feet.
Each receives your words.
4 Moses gave us instruction,
a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 So he became King in Jeshurun[g](F)
when the leaders of the people gathered
with the tribes of Israel.
6 Let Reuben live and not die
though his people become few.(G)
7 He said this about Judah:
Lord, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people.
He fights for his cause[h] with his own hands,
but may you be a help against his foes.
8 He said about Levi:
Your Thummim and Urim(H) belong to your faithful one;[i]
you tested him at Massah
and contended with him at the Waters of Meribah.(I)
9 He said about his father and mother,
“I do not regard them.”
He disregarded his brothers
and didn’t acknowledge his sons,
for they kept your word
and maintained your covenant.(J)
10 They will teach your ordinances to Jacob
and your instruction to Israel;(K)
they will set incense before you
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Lord, bless his possessions,[j]
and accept the work of his hands.
Break the back[k] of his adversaries and enemies,
so that they cannot rise again.
12 He said about Benjamin:
The Lord’s beloved rests[l] securely on him.
He[m] shields him all day long,
and he rests on his shoulders.[n]
13 He said about Joseph:
May his land be blessed by the Lord
with the dew of heaven’s bounty
and the watery depths that lie beneath;(L)
14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun
and the abundant yield of the seasons;
15 with the best products of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the eternal hills;(M)
16 with the choice gifts of the land
and everything in it;
and with the favor of him
who appeared[o] in the burning bush.(N)
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince of his brothers.(O)
17 His firstborn bull has[p] splendor,
and horns like[q] those of a wild ox;
he gores all the peoples with them
to the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and such are the thousands of Manasseh.
18 He said about Zebulun:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They summon the peoples to a mountain;
there they offer acceptable sacrifices.
For they draw from the wealth of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.(P)
20 He said about Gad:
The one who enlarges Gad’s territory
will be blessed.
He lies down like a lion
and tears off an arm or even a head.(Q)
21 He chose the best part for himself,
because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him.
He came with the leaders of the people;
he carried out the Lord’s justice
and his ordinances for Israel.(R)
22 He said about Dan:
Dan is a young lion,
leaping out of Bashan.(S)
23 He said about Naphtali:
Naphtali, enjoying approval,
full of the Lord’s blessing,
take[r] possession to the west and the south.
24 He said about Asher:
May Asher[s] be the most blessed of the sons;
may he be the most favored among his brothers
and dip his foot in olive oil.(T)
25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,
and your strength last as long as you live.
26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens to your aid,
the clouds in his majesty.(U)
27 The God of old is your dwelling place,(V)
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He drives out the enemy before you
and commands, “Destroy!”
28 So Israel dwells securely;(W)
Jacob lives untroubled[t](X)
in a land of grain and new wine;
even his skies drip with dew.(Y)
29 How happy you are, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord?
He is the shield that protects you,
the sword you boast in.
Your enemies will cringe before you,(Z)
and you will tread on their backs.[u](AA)
Footnotes
- 33:2 LXX reads Mount Paran with ten thousands from Kadesh
- 33:2 Or fiery law; Hb obscure
- 33:2 Or ones, from his southland to the mountain slopes
- 33:3 Or peoples
- 33:3 Lit his, or its
- 33:3 Hb obscure
- 33:5 = Upright One, referring to Israel, also in v. 26
- 33:7 Or He contends for them
- 33:8 DSS, LXX read Give to Levi your Thummim, your Urim to your favored one
- 33:11 Or abilities
- 33:11 Or waist
- 33:12 Or Let the Lord’s beloved rest
- 33:12 LXX reads The Most High
- 33:12 Or and he dwells among his mountain slopes
- 33:16 Lit dwelt
- 33:17 Some DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg read A firstborn bull—he has
- 33:17 Lit and his horns are
- 33:23 Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read he will take
- 33:24 = Happy or Blessed; Gn 30:13
- 33:28 Text emended; MT reads Jacob’s fountain is alone
- 33:29 Or high places
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
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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.