Deuteronomy 33:1-21 ▼

1 This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelis before his death.

2 He said: |The LORD came from Sinai. Rising from Seir upon us, he shone forth from Mount Paran, accompanied by a myriad of his holy ones, with flaming fire from his right hand for them.

3 Indeed, lover of people, all of his holy ones are in your control. They gather at your feet to do as you have instructed.

4 Moses commanded with the Law, an inheritance for the community of Jacob.

5 The LORD was king of Jeshurun when the leaders of the people— all the tribes of Israel—gathered together.|

6 |May Reuben live and not die, though his numbers are few.|

7 He declared this about Judah: |Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah and return him to his people. With his own strength he fights for himself, and you will be of assistance against his enemies.|

8 About Levi he said: |Let your Thummim and Urim be with the man to whom you showed gracious love, whom you tested at Massah and with whom you struggled at the waters of Meribah,

9 the one who told his mother and father, 'I don't know them,' and who would neither acknowledge his brothers nor know his own children. For they kept your word and guarded your covenant.

10 They will teach your ordinances to Jacob, and your Law to Israel. They will offer incense as a pleasant aroma to you and a whole burnt offering upon your altar.

11 LORD, bless his substance and approve the work that he undertakes. Shatter the legs of those who oppose against him; may those who hate him stand no more.|

12 About Benjamin he said: |The beloved of the LORD will live confidently, the Most High protecting him all day long, and resting in his bosom. |

13 About Joseph he said: |May the blessing of the LORD be on his land: dew from the choicest of the heavens, and from the depths beneath;

14 from the choicest products of the sun, the rich fruit of the harvest moon,

15 the choicest portion of the eternal mountains, and the best of the everlasting hills;

16 from the choicest of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one who lived in the burning bush. May blessing rest on Joseph's head, and on the crown of the head of the one set apart from his brothers.

17 May the firstborn of his bull be honorable to him, and may his horns be those of a wild ox. With them may he push people all together, to the ends of the earth. These are the myriads of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.|

18 About Zebulun he said: |Zebulun, rejoice as you go out and Issachar, in being inside your tents.

19 They will call the peoples to the mountain, and there they will offer righteous sacrifices, for they'll draw from the abundance of the sea and from the hidden treasures of the sand.|

20 About Gad he said: |Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad! Like a roaring lion, he crouches, tearing arm and scalp.

21 He chose the best part for himself, when the leader's portion was assigned. He came at the head of the people, carrying out the LORD'S justice and his ordinances concerning Israel.|