Deuteronomy 33

1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

2And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.footnote a

3Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

4Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

5And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.

6Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

7And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

8And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

9Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

10They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.footnote bfootnote cfootnote d

11Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

12And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

13And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

14And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,footnote efootnote f

15And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

16And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

17His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.footnote g

18And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.

19They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

20And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

21And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.footnote h

22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

23And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.

24And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

25Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.footnote i

26There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

27The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

28Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

29Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.footnote j

Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

1This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2He said:“The LORD came from Sinaiand dawned upon usfootnote afrom Seir;He shone forth from Mount Paranand came with myriads of holy ones,with flaming fire at His right hand.footnote b 3Surely You love the people;all the holy ones are in Your hand,and they sit down at Your feet;footnote ceach receives Your words— 4the law that Moses gave us,the possession of the assembly of Jacob. 5So the LORD became King in Jeshurunfootnote dwhen the leaders of the people gathered,when the tribes of Israel came together.

6Let Reuben live and not die,norfootnote ehis men be few.”

7And concerning Judah he said:“O LORD, hear the cry of Judahand bring him to his people.With his own hands he defends his cause,but may You be a help against his foes.”

8Concerning Levi he said:“Give Your Thummim to Leviand Your Urim to Your godly one,footnote fwhom You tested at Massahfootnote gand contested at the waters of Meribah.footnote h 9He said of his father and mother,‘I do not consider them.’He disregarded his brothersand did not know his own sons,for he keptfootnote iYour wordand maintained Your covenant. 10He will teach Your ordinances to Jacoband Your law to Israel;he will set incense before Youand whole burnt offerings on Your altar. 11Bless his substance, O LORD,and accept the work of his hands.Smash the loins of those who rise against him,and of his foes so they can rise no more.”

12Concerning Benjamin he said:“May the beloved of the LORDrest secure in Him;God shieldsfootnote jhim all day long,and upon His shoulders he rests.”

13Concerning Joseph he said:“May his land be blessed by the LORDwith the precious dew from heaven aboveand the deep waters that lie beneath, 14with the bountiful harvest from the sunand the abundant yield of the seasons, 15with the best of the ancient mountainsand the bounty of the everlasting hills, 16with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it,and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush.May these rest on the head of Josephand crown the brow of the prince of his brothers. 17His majesty is like a firstborn bull,and his horns are like those of a wild ox.With them he will gore the nations,even to the ends of the earth.Such are the myriads of Ephraim,and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18Concerning Zebulun he said:“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,and Issachar, in your tents. 19They will call the peoples to a mountain;there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.For they will feast on the abundance of the seasand the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20Concerning Gad he said:“Blessed is he who enlargesthe domain of Gad!He lies down like a lionand tears off an arm or a head. 21He chose the best land for himself,because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.He came with the leaders of the people;he administered the LORD’s justiceand His ordinances for Israel.”

22Concerning Dan he said:“Dan is a lion’s cub,leaping out of Bashan.”

23Concerning Naphtali he said:“Naphtali is abounding with favor,full of the blessing of the LORD;he shall take possessionof the seafootnote kand the south.”

24And concerning Asher he said:“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;may he be the most favored among his brothersand dip his foot in oil. 25May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,and may your strength match your days.”

26“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,who rides the heavens to your aid,and the clouds in His majesty. 27The eternal God is your dwelling place,and underneath are the everlasting arms.He drives out the enemy before you,giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’ 28So Israel dwells securely;the fountain of Jacob lives untroubledin a land of grain and new wine,where even the heavens drip with dew. 29Blessed are you, O Israel!Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?He is the shield that protects you,the sword in which you boast.Your enemies will cower before you,and you shall trample their high places.”