Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

1This is the blessyng wherwith Moyses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death, and sayde:

2The Lorde came from Sinai, and rose vp from Seir vnto them, and appeared from mount Pharan, & he came with ten thousande of saintes, and in his ryght hand a lawe of fire for them.

3And he loued the people, all his saintes also are in thy handes: They were smitten to go after thy feete, and to receaue of thy wordes.

4Moyses gaue vs a lawe for an inheritaunce of the congregation of Iacob:

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

6Let Ruben lyue, and not dye, and be fewe in number.

7This same also happen to Iuda: And he sayde: Heare Lorde the voyce of Iuda, & bryng him vnto his people: his handes shalbe good enough for hym, yf thou helpe hym agaynst his enemies.

8And vnto Leui he sayde: Thumim and Urim shalbe with thee, and with euery one that is godly in thee: Thou dyddest proue hym also in the temptation, & striuedst with hym at the waters of stryfe.

9He that hath sayde vnto his father & to his mother (I haue not seene hym) and he that knewe not his brethren, nor knewe his owne children, those are they that haue obserued thy worde, and shall kepe thy couenaunt.

10They shall teache Iacob thy iudgementes, and Israel thy lawe: They shall put incense before thy nose, and the burnt sacrifice vpon thine aulter.

11Blesse Lorde his first fruites, and accept the worke of his handes: smyte the loynes of the that rise agaynst him, and of them that hate hym, that they ryse not agayne.

12And of Beniamin he sayde: The beloued of the Lorde shall dwell in safetie vpon hym, and the Lorde shall couer hym all the day long, and he shall dwell betweene his shoulders.

13And of Ioseph he sayde: Blessed of the Lorde is his lande for the fruites of heauen, through the deawe & springes that lye beneath,

14And for the sweete fruites of the increase of the sunne, and rype fruites of the moone:

15For the first fruites of the principall mountaynes, and for the fruites that the hylles bryng foorth for euer:

16And for the fuites of the earth, and fulnesse therof: and for the good wyll of hym that dwelt in the bushe, shall the blessing come vpon the head of Ioseph, and vpon the toppe of the head of hym that was seperated from among his brethren.

17His first borne oxe hath beautie, and his hornes are as the hornes of an vnicorne, and with them he shall trouble the nations together, euen vnto the endes of the worlde: These are also ten thousandes of Ephraim, and the thousandes of Manasses.

18And vnto Zabulon he sayde: Reioyce Zabulon in thy goyng out, and thou Isachar in thy tentes.

19They shall call the people vnto the hyll, & there they shall offer offeringes of righteousnesse: For they shall sucke of the aboundaunce of the sea, and of treasure hyd in the sande.

20And vnto Gad he sayde: Blessed be he that inlarged Gad: he dwelleth as a Lion that catcheth for a pray the arme with the head.

21He loked to hym selfe at the beginning, because there was a portion of the lawgeuer hid, & he came with the heades of the people, and executed the ryghteousnesse of the Lorde, and his iudgementes with Israel.

22And vnto Dan he sayde: Dan is a Lions whelpe, he shal leape fro Basan.

23And vnto Nephthali he sayde: O Nephthali, satisfied with Gods fauour, and full with the blessing of the Lorde, possesse thou the west and the south.

24And to Aser he sayde: Aser shalbe blessed with children, he shalbe acceptable vnto his brethren, and shall dyp his foote in oyle.

25Thy shoes shalbe iron and brasse, and thy strength shall continue as long as thou lyuest.

26There is none lyke vnto the God of Israel, which though he syt vpon the heauen as vpon an horse yet is he thine helper, whose glorie is in the celestiall places.

27The eternall God is thy refuge, and vnder the armes of the euerlastyng God shalt thou lyue: He shall cast out the enemie before thee, and say, destroy them.

28Israel then shall dwell in safetie and alone, and the fountayne of Iacob shalbe vpon a lande of corne and wine, and his heauens shall drop the deawe.

29Happy art thou O Israel, who is like vnto thee O people, that art saued in the Lorde which is the shielde of thy helpe and sworde of thy glorie? Thine enemies haue lost their strength to thee warde, and thou shalt treade vpon their hye places.