Deuteronomy 33

Moses Blesses the Tribes

¹This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. ²He said:

“The Lord came from Sinai

and dawned over them from Seir;

he shone forth from Mount Paran.

He came with myriads of holy ones

from the south, from his mountain slopes.

³Surely it is you who love the people;

all the holy ones are in your hand.

At your feet they all bow down,

and from you receive instruction,

⁴the law that Moses gave us,

the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

⁵He was king over Jeshurun

when the leaders of the people assembled,

along with the tribes of Israel.

⁶“Let Reuben live and not die,

nor his people be few.”

⁷And this he said about Judah:

“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah;

bring him to his people.

With his own hands he defends his cause.

Oh, be his help against his foes!”

⁸About Levi he said:

“Your Thummim and Urim belong

to your faithful servant.

You tested him at Massah;

you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.

⁹He said of his father and mother,

‘I have no regard for them.’

He did not recognize his brothers

or acknowledge his own children,

but he watched over your word

and guarded your covenant.

¹⁰He teaches your precepts to Jacob

and your law to Israel.

He offers incense before you

and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

¹¹Bless all his skills, Lord,

and be pleased with the work of his hands.

Strike down those who rise against him,

his foes till they rise no more.”

¹²About Benjamin he said:

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,

for he shields him all day long,

and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

¹³About Joseph he said:

“May the Lord bless his land

with the precious dew from heaven above

and with the deep waters that lie below;

¹⁴with the best the sun brings forth

and the finest the moon can yield;

¹⁵with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains

and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;

¹⁶with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness

and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

¹⁷In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;

his horns are the horns of a wild ox.

With them he will gore the nations,

even those at the ends of the earth.

Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;

such are the thousands of Manasseh.”

¹⁸About Zebulun he said:

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

and you, Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁹They will summon peoples to the mountain

and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;

they will feast on the abundance of the seas,

on the treasures hidden in the sand.”

²⁰About Gad he said:

“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!

Gad lives there like a lion,

tearing at arm or head.

²¹He chose the best land for himself;

the leader’s portion was kept for him.

When the heads of the people assembled,

he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,

and his judgments concerning Israel.”

²²About Dan he said:

“Dan is a lion’s cub,

springing out of Bashan.”

²³About Naphtali he said:

“Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord

and is full of his blessing;

he will inherit southward to the lake.”

²⁴About Asher he said:

“Most blessed of sons is Asher;

let him be favored by his brothers,

and let him bathe his feet in oil.

²⁵The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,

and your strength will equal your days.

²⁶“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides across the heavens to help you

and on the clouds in his majesty.

²⁷The eternal God is your refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He will drive out your enemies before you,

saying, ‘Destroy them!’

²⁸So Israel will live in safety;

Jacob will dwell secure

in a land of grain and new wine,

where the heavens drop dew.

²⁹Blessed are you, Israel!

Who is like you,

a people saved by the Lord?

He is your shield and helper

and your glorious sword.

Your enemies will cower before you,

and you will tread on their heights.”