Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes

1This is the blessinge where with Moses gods man blessed the childern of Israel before his deeth

2sayenge: The Lord came fro Sinai and shewed his beames from Seir vnto them, and appered gloriously from mount Paran, and he came with thousandes of sayntes, and in his right hande a lawe of fyre for them

3How loued he the people? All his sayntes are in his honde. They yoyned the selues vnto thy fote and receaued thi wordes.

4Moses gaue us a lawe which is the enheritaunce of the cogregacion of Iacob.

5And he was in Israel kinge when he gathered the heedes of the people and the tribes of Israel to gether.

6Ruben shall lyue and shall not dye: but his people shalbe few in numbre.

7This is the blessynge of Iuda. And he sayed: heare Lorde the voyce of Iuda and bringe him vnto his people: let his handes fyght for him: but he thou his helpe agenst his enemies.

8And vnto Leui he sayed: thy perfectnesse ad thi light be after thy mercyfull ma who thou temptest at Masa ad with whom thou striuedst at the waters of strife.

9He that saieth vnto his father ad mother. I sawe him not, ad vnto his brethern I knewe not, and to his sonne I wote not: for they haue obserued thi wordes and kepte thy testament.

10They shall teach Iacob thi iudgementes ad Israel thi lawes. They shall put cens before thi nose and whole sacrifices apon thine altare.

11Blesse Lorde their power and accepte the workes of their hondes: smyte the backes of them that ryse agest them and of them that hate them: that they ryse not agayne.

12Vnto Ben Iamin he sayed: The Lordes derlynge shall dwell in saffetye by him and kepe him selfe in the hauen by hym contynually, and shall dwell betwene his shulders.

13And vnto Ioseph he sayed: blessed of the Lorde is his londe with the goodly frutes off heauen, with dewe and with sprynges that lye beneth:

14and with frutes of the encrease of the sonne and with rype frute off the monethes,

15and with the toppes of mountaynes that were from the begynnynge and with the dayntes of hilles that last euer

16and with goodly frute of the erth and off the fulnesse there of. And the good will of him that dwelleth in the bush shall come vppon the heed of Ioseph and vppon the toppe of the heed of him that was separated fro amonge his brethern

17his bewtye is as a firstborne oxe and his hornes as the hornes of an vnycorne. And with them he shall push the nacions to gether, euen vnto the endes of the worlde. These are the many thousandes of Ephraim and the thousandes off Manasse.

18And vnto Zabulon he sayed: Reioyse Zabulon in thi goenge out, and thou Isachar in thi tentes.

19They shall call the people vnto the hill, and there they shall offer offerynges of righteousnes. For they shall sucke of the abundaunce of the see and of treasure hyd in the fonde.

20And vnto Gad he sayed: blessed is the rowmmaker Gad. He dwelleth as a lion and caught the arme ad also the toppe of the heed

21He sawe his begynnynge, that a parte of the teachers were hyd there ad come with the heedes of the people, and executed the righteousnes of the Lorde and his iudgementes with Israel.

22And vnto Dan he sayed: Dan is a lions whelpe, he shall flowe from Basan.

23And vnto Nepthali he sayed: Nephali he shall haue abundance of pleasure and shalbe fylled with the blessinge of the Lorde ad shall haue his possessions in the southwest.

24And of Asser he sayed: Asser shalbe blessed with childern: he shalbe acceptable vnto his brethern and shall dyppe his fote in oyle:

25Yern and brasse shall hange on thi showes and thine age shalbe as thi youth.

26There is none like vnto the God of the off Israel: he that sitteth vppon heauen shalbe thine helpe, whose glorie is in the cloudes,

27that is the dwellinge place of God from the begynynge and from vnder the armes of the worlde: he hath cast out thine enemies before the and sayed: destroye.

28And Israel shall dwell in saffetye alone. And the eyes of Iacob shall loke appon a londe of corne and wyne, moreouer his heauen shall droppe with dewe.

29Happye art thou Israel, who is like vnto the? A people that art saued by the Lorde thy shilde and helper and swerde of thi glorye. And thyne enemyes shall hyde them selues from the, and thou shalt walke vppon their hye hilles.