Add parallel Print Page Options

33 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 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]
Yes, he loves the people.
    All his saints are in your hand.
    They sat down at your feet.
    Each receives your words.
Moses commanded us a law,
    an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
He was king in Jeshurun,
    when the heads of the people were gathered,
    all the tribes of Israel together.

“Let Reuben live, and not die;
    Nor let his men be few.”

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.”

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.
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 reserved 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.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 33:2 another manuscript reads “He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.”
  2. 33:16 i.e., the burning bush of Exodus 3:3-4.

Moses’s Blessings

33 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.(A) 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)
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.
Moses gave us instruction,
a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
So he became King in Jeshurun[g](F)
when the leaders of the people gathered
with the tribes of Israel.

Let Reuben live and not die
though his people become few.(G)

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.

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)
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)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 33:2 LXX reads Mount Paran with ten thousands from Kadesh
  2. 33:2 Or fiery law; Hb obscure
  3. 33:2 Or ones, from his southland to the mountain slopes
  4. 33:3 Or peoples
  5. 33:3 Lit his, or its
  6. 33:3 Hb obscure
  7. 33:5 = Upright One, referring to Israel, also in v. 26
  8. 33:7 Or He contends for them
  9. 33:8 DSS, LXX read Give to Levi your Thummim, your Urim to your favored one
  10. 33:11 Or abilities
  11. 33:11 Or waist
  12. 33:12 Or Let the Lord’s beloved rest
  13. 33:12 LXX reads The Most High
  14. 33:12 Or and he dwells among his mountain slopes
  15. 33:16 Lit dwelt
  16. 33:17 Some DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg read A firstborn bull—he has
  17. 33:17 Lit and his horns are
  18. 33:23 Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read he will take
  19. 33:24 = Happy or Blessed; Gn 30:13
  20. 33:28 Text emended; MT reads Jacob’s fountain is alone
  21. 33:29 Or high places