New King James Version

New Living Translation

1Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

1This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:

2And he said: “The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.

2“The LORD came from Mount Sinai and dawned upon us from Mount Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran and came from Meribah-kadesh with flaming fire at his right hand.

3Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words.

3Indeed, he loves his people; all his holy ones are in his hands. They follow in his steps and accept his teaching.

4Moses commanded a law for us, A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.

4Moses gave us the LORD’s instruction, the special possession of the people of Israel.

5And He was King in Jeshurun, When the leaders of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.

5The LORD became king in Israel — when the leaders of the people assembled, when the tribes of Israel gathered as one.”

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

6Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben: “Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though they are few in number.”

7And this he said of Judah: “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him to his people; Let his hands be sufficient for him, And may You be a help against his enemies.”

7Moses said this about the tribe of Judah: “O LORD, hear the cry of Judah and bring them together as a people. Give them strength to defend their cause; help them against their enemies!”

8And of Levi he said: “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one, Whom You tested at Massah, And with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah,

8Moses said this about the tribe of Levi: “O LORD, you have given your Thummim and Urim—the sacred lots— to your faithful servants the Levites. You put them to the test at Massah and struggled with them at the waters of Meribah.

9Who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them’; Nor did he acknowledge his brothers, Or know his own children; For they have observed Your word And kept Your covenant.

9The Levites obeyed your word and guarded your covenant. They were more loyal to you than to their own parents. They ignored their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children.

10They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, And Israel Your law. They shall put incense before You, And a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar.

10They teach your regulations to Jacob; they give your instructions to Israel. They present incense before you and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.

11Bless his substance, LORD, And accept the work of his hands; Strike the loins of those who rise against him, And of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

11Bless the ministry of the Levites, O LORD, and accept all the work of their hands. Hit their enemies where it hurts the most; strike down their foes so they never rise again.”

12Of Benjamin he said: “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

12Moses said this about the tribe of Benjamin: “The people of Benjamin are loved by the LORD and live in safety beside him. He surrounds them continuously and preserves them from every harm.”

13And of Joseph he said: “Blessed of the LORD is his land, With the precious things of heaven, with the dew, And the deep lying beneath,

13Moses said this about the tribes of Joseph: “May their land be blessed by the LORD with the precious gift of dew from the heavens and water from beneath the earth;

14With the precious fruits of the sun, With the precious produce of the months,

14with the rich fruit that grows in the sun, and the rich harvest produced each month;

15With the best things of the ancient mountains, With the precious things of the everlasting hills,

15with the finest crops of the ancient mountains, and the abundance from the everlasting hills;

16With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.’

16with the best gifts of the earth and its bounty, and the favor of the one who appeared in the burning bush. May these blessings rest on Joseph’s head, crowning the brow of the prince among his brothers.

17His glory is like a firstborn bull, And his horns like the horns of the wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples To the ends of the earth; They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

17Joseph has the majesty of a young bull; he has the horns of a wild ox. He will gore distant nations, even to the ends of the earth. This is my blessing for the multitudes of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.”

18And of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents!

18Moses said this about the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar : “May the people of Zebulun prosper in their travels. May the people of Issachar prosper at home in their tents.

19They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas And of treasures hidden in the sand.”

19They summon the people to the mountain to offer proper sacrifices there. They benefit from the riches of the sea and the hidden treasures in the sand.”

20And of Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; He dwells as a lion, And tears the arm and the crown of his head.

20Moses said this about the tribe of Gad: “Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad’s territory! Gad is poised there like a lion to tear off an arm or a head.

21He provided the first part for himself, Because a lawgiver’s portion was reserved there. He came with the heads of the people; He administered the justice of the LORD, And His judgments with Israel.”

21The people of Gad took the best land for themselves; a leader’s share was assigned to them. When the leaders of the people were assembled, they carried out the LORD’s justice and obeyed his regulations for Israel.”

22And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; He shall leap from Bashan.”

22Moses said this about the tribe of Dan: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out from Bashan.”

23And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Possess the west and the south.”

23Moses said this about the tribe of Naphtali: “O Naphtali, you are rich in favor and full of the LORD’s blessings; may you possess the west and the south.”

24And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, And let him dip his foot in oil.

24Moses said this about the tribe of Asher: “May Asher be blessed above other sons; may he be esteemed by his brothers; may he bathe his feet in olive oil.

25Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.

25May the bolts of your gates be of iron and bronze; may you be secure all your days.”

26“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds.

26“There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor.

27The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’

27The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’

28Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew.

28So Israel will live in safety, prosperous Jacob in security, in a land of grain and new wine, while the heavens drop down dew.

29Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places.”

29How blessed you are, O Israel! Who else is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will stomp on their backs!”

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.