Moses' Final Blessing on Israel

1This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2He said,

“The LORD came from Sinai

and dawned from Seir upon us;33:2 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew them

he shone forth from Mount Paran;

he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,

with flaming fire33:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain at his right hand.

3Yes, he loved his people,33:3 Septuagint; Hebrew peoples

all his holy ones were in his33:3 Hebrew your hand;

so they followed33:3 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain in your steps,

receiving direction from you,

4when Moses commanded us a law,

as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

5Thus the LORD33:5 Hebrew Thus he became king in Jeshurun,

when the heads of the people were gathered,

all the tribes of Israel together.

6“Let Reuben live, and not die,

but let his men be few.”

7And this he said of Judah:

“Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah,

and bring him in to his people.

With your hands contend33:7 Probable reading; Hebrew With his hands he contended for him,

and be a help against his adversaries.”

8And of Levi he said,

“Give to Levi33:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks Give to Levi your Thummim,

and your Urim to your godly one,

whom you tested at Massah,

with whom you quarrelled at the waters of Meribah;

9who said of his father and mother,

‘I regard them not’;

he disowned his brothers

and ignored his children.

For they observed your word

and kept your covenant.

10They shall teach Jacob your rules

and Israel your law;

they shall put incense before you

and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

11Bless, O LORD, his substance,

and accept the work of his hands;

crush the loins of his adversaries,

of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”

12Of Benjamin he said,

“The beloved of the LORD dwells in safety.

The High God33:12 Septuagint; Hebrew dwells in safety by him. He surrounds him all day long,

and dwells between his shoulders.”

13And of Joseph he said,

“Blessed by the LORD be his land,

with the choicest gifts of heaven above,33:13 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Targum; Hebrew with the dew

and of the deep that crouches beneath,

14with the choicest fruits of the sun

and the rich yield of the months,

15with the finest produce of the ancient mountains

and the abundance of the everlasting hills,

16with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness

and the favour of him who dwells in the bush.

May these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.

17A firstborn bull33:17 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Samaritan; Masoretic Text His firstborn bull—he has majesty,

and his horns are the horns of a wild ox;

with them he shall gore the peoples,

all of them, to the ends of the earth;

they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18And of Zebulun he said,

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

and Issachar, in your tents.

19They shall call peoples to their mountain;

there they offer right sacrifices;

for they draw from the abundance of the seas

and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20And of Gad he said,

“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!

Gad crouches like a lion;

he tears off arm and scalp.

21He chose the best of the land for himself,

for there a commander's portion was reserved;

and he came with the heads of the people,

with Israel he executed the justice of the LORD,

and his judgements for Israel.”

22And of Dan he said,

“Dan is a lion's cub

that leaps from Bashan.”

23And of Naphtali he said,

“O Naphtali, sated with favour,

and full of the blessing of the LORD,

possess the lake33:23 Or west and the south.”

24And of Asher he said,

“Most blessed of sons be Asher;

let him be the favourite of his brothers,

and let him dip his foot in oil.

25Your bars shall be iron and bronze,

and as your days, so shall your strength be.

26“There is none like God, O Jeshurun,

who rides through the heavens to your help,

through the skies in his majesty.

27The eternal God is your dwelling place,33:27 Or a dwelling place

and underneath are the everlasting arms.33:27 Revocalization of verse 27 yields He subdues the ancient gods, and shatters the forces of old

And he thrust out the enemy before you

and said, ‘Destroy.’

28So Israel lived in safety,

Jacob lived alone,33:28 Hebrew the abode of Jacob was alone

in a land of grain and wine,

whose 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 triumph!

Your enemies shall come fawning to you,

and you shall tread upon their backs.”