Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

1Nowe this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death, and said,

2The Lord came from Sinai, & rose vp from Seir vnto them, & appeared clearely from mount Paran, & he came with ten thousands of Saints, and at his right hand a firie Lawe for them.

3Though hee loue the people, yet all thy Saints are in thine handes: and they are humbled at thy foete, to receiue thy words.

4Moses commanded vs a Lawe for an inheritance of the Congregation of Iaakob.

5Then he was among the righteous people, as King, when the heades of the people, and the tribes of Israel were assembled.

6Let Reuben liue, and not die, though his men be a small nomber.

7And thus he blessed Iudah, and said, Heare, O Lord, the voyce of Iudah, and bring him vnto his people: his hands shalbe sufficient for him, if thou helpe him against his enemies.

8And of Leui he said, Let thy Thummim and thine Vrim be with thine Holy one, whome thou diddest proue in Massah, and didst cause him to striue at the waters of Meribah.

9Who said vnto his father and to his mother, I haue not seene him, neither knewe he his brethren, nor knewe his owne children: for they obserued thy word, and kept thy couenant.

10They shall teach Iaakob thy iudgements, & Israel thy Lawe: they shall put incense before thy face, and the burnt offring vpon thine altar.

11Blesse, O Lorde, his substance, and accept the worke of his handes: smite through ye loynes of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not againe.

12Of Beniamin he said, The beloued of the Lord shall dwell in safetie by him: the Lord shall couer him all the day long, and dwell betweene his shoulders.

13And of Ioseph hee sayde, Blessed of the Lord is his land for the sweetenesse of heauen, for the dewe, and for the depth lying beneath,

14And for the sweete increase of the sunne, and for the sweete increase of the moone,

15And for the sweetenes of the top of the ancient mountaines, and for the sweetenes of the olde hilles,

16And for the sweetenesse of the earth, and abundance thereof: and the good will of him that dwelt in the bushe, shall come vpon the head of Ioseph, and vpon the toppe of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

17His beautie shalbe like his first borne bullock, & his hornes as the hornes of an vnicorne: with them hee shall smite the people together, euen the endes of the world: these are also the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh.

18And of Zebulun he sayd, Reioice, Zebulun, in thy going out, and thou Isshachar in thy tents.

19They shall call ye people vnto the mountaine: there they shall offer the sacrifices of righteousnesse: for they shal sucke of the abundance of the sea, and of the treasures hid in the sand.

20Also of Gad he said, Blessed be hee that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, that catcheth for his praye the arme with the head.

21And hee looked to himselfe at the beginning, because there was a portion of the Lawe-giuer hid: yet hee shall come with the heades of the people, to execute the iustice of the Lord, and his iudgements with Israel.

22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lions whelp: he shall leape from Bashan.

23Also of Naphtali he sayd, O Naphtali, satisfied with fauour, and filled with the blessing of the Lorde, possesse the West and the South.

24And of Asher he saide, Asher shalbe blessed with children: he shalbe acceptable vnto his brethren, and shall dippe his foote in oyle.

25Thy shooes shalbe yron and brasse, and thy strength shal continue as long as thou liuest.

26There is none like God, O righteous people, which rideth vpon the heauens for thine helpe, and on the cloudes in his glory.

27The eternall God is thy refuge, and vnder his armes thou art for euer: hee shall cast out the enemie before thee, and will say, Destroy them.

28Then Israel the fountaine of Iaakob shal dwell alone in safetie in a lande of wheat, & wine: also his heauens shal drop the dewe.

29Blessed art thou, O Israel: who is like vnto thee, O people saued by the Lorde, the shielde of thine helpe, and which is the sword of thy glorie? therefore thine enemies shall bee in subiection to thee, and thou shalt tread vpon their hie places.