MOSES’S BLESSINGS

33 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.p 2 He said:

The Lord came from Sinai

and appeared to them from Seir;q

he shone on them from Mount Paranr

and came with ten thousand holy ones,K

with lightningL from his right handM for them.s

3 Indeed he loves the people.N,t

All yourO holy ones are in your hand,

and they assembleA at your feet.

Each receives your words.

4 Moses gave us instruction,

a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

5 So he became King in Jeshurun* a

when the leaders of the people gathered

with the tribes of Israel.

6 Let Reuben live and not die

though his people become few.b

7 He said this about Judah:

Lord, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people.

He fights for his causeC with his own hands,

but may you be a help against his foes.

8 He said about Levi:

Your Thummim and Urimc belong to your faithful one;D

you tested him at Massah

and contended with him at the Waters of Meribah.d

9 He said about his father and mother,

“I do not regard them.”

He disregarded his brothers

and didn’t acknowledge his sons,

for they kept your word

and maintained your covenant.e

10 They will teach your ordinances to Jacob

and your instruction to Israel;f

they will set incense before you

and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

11 Lord, bless his possessions,E

and accept the work of his hands.

Break the backF of his adversaries and enemies,

so that they cannot rise again.

12 He said about Benjamin:

The Lord’s beloved restsG securely on him.

HeH shields him all day long,

and he rests on his shoulders.I

13 He said about Joseph:

May his land be blessed by the Lord

with the dew of heaven’s bounty

and the watery depths that lie beneath;g

14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun

and the abundant yield of the seasons;

15 with the best products of the ancient mountains

and the bounty of the eternal hills;h

16 with the choice gifts of the land

and everything in it;

and with the favor of him

who appearedJ in the burning bush.i

May these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince of his brothers.j

17 His firstborn bull hasK splendor,

and horns likeL those of a wild ox;

he gores all the peoples with them

to the ends of the earth.

Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

and such are the thousands of Manasseh.

18 He said about Zebulun:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,

and Issachar, in your tents.

19 They summon the peoples to a mountain;

there they offer acceptable sacrifices.

For they draw from the wealth of the seas

and the hidden treasures of the sand.k

20 He said about Gad:

The one who enlarges Gad’s territory

will be blessed.

He lies down like a lion

and tears off an arm or even a head.l

21 He chose the best part for himself,

because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him.

He came with the leaders of the people;

he carried out the Lord’s justice

and his ordinances for Israel.m

22 He said about Dan:

Dan is a young lion,

leaping out of Bashan.n

23 He said about Naphtali:

Naphtali, enjoying approval,

full of the Lord’s blessing,

takeA possession to the west and the south.

24 He said about Asher:

May Asher* be the most blessed of the sons;

may he be the most favored among his brothers

and dip his foot in olive oil.a

25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,

and your strength last as long as you live.

26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides the heavens to your aid,

the clouds in his majesty.b

27 The God of old is your dwelling place,c

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He drives out the enemy before you

and commands, “Destroy!”

28 So Israel dwells securely;d

Jacob lives untroubledC,e

in a land of grain and new wine;

even his skies drip with dew.f

29 How happy you are, Israel!

Who is like you,

a people saved by the Lord?

He is the shield that protects you,

the sword you boast in.

Your enemies will cringe before you,g

and you will tread on their backs.D,h