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33 Nowa this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the ⌊Israelites⌋b ⌊before⌋c his death.
2 Thend he said,
“Yahweh came from Sinai,
and he dawned upon them from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran,
and he came with myriads of holy ones,
at his right hand a fiery law for them.e
3 Moreover,f ⌊he loves his people⌋,g
all the holy ones were in your hand,
and they bowed down toh your feet,
⌊each one accepted directions from you⌋.i
4 A law Moses instructed for us,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 And then a king arose in Jeshurun,
at the gathering of the leaders of the people,
⌊united were the tribes of Israel⌋.j
6 “May Reuben live, and may he not die,
⌊and let his number not be few⌋.”k
7 ⌊And he said this of Judah⌋,l
“Hear, O Yahweh, the voice of Judah,
and bring him to his people;
his own hands strivem for him,
and may you be a help ⌊against⌋n his foes.”
“Your Thummim and your Urim
are for ⌊your faithful one⌋,o
⌊whom you tested at Massah⌋;p
you contended with him
at the waters of Meribah.
9 The one saying of his father and of his mother,
‘I have not regarded them,’
and his brothers he did not acknowledge,
and his childrenq he did not know,
but rather they observed your word,
and your covenant they kept.
10 They taughtr your regulations to Jacob,
and your law to Israel;
they placed incense smoke ⌊before you⌋,s
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, O Yahweh, his substance,
and with the work of his hands you must be pleased;
smite the loins of those who attack him,
and those hating him, ⌊so that they cannot arise⌋.”t
“The beloved of Yahweh dwells ⌊securely⌋,u
the Most Highv shields all around him,
all the day,
and between his shoulders he dwells.”
“Blessed by Yahweh is his land,
withw the choice things of heaven,
withx dew, and withy the deep lying down beneath,
14 and withz the choice things of the fruitsa of the the sun,
and with the choice things of the yield of the ⌊seasons⌋,b
15 and withc the finest things of the ancient mountains,
and withd the choice things of the ⌊eternal hills⌋,e
16 and withf the choice things of the earth and its fullness,
and the favor of the one ⌊who dwelt⌋g in the bush.h
Let them come to the head of Joseph,
and to the crown of the prince among his brothers.
17 As the firstborn of his ox, majesty ⌊belongs to him⌋,i
and his horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he drives people together,j
and they are the myriads of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and rejoice, Issachar, in your tents;
19 They summon people to the mountains;k
there they sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness,
because the affluence of the seas they suck out,
and ⌊the most hidden treasures of the sand⌋.”l
“Blessed be ⌊the one who enlarges Gad⌋;m
like a lion he dwells,
and he tears an arm as well as a scalp.
21 And he selectedn the best part for himself, o
for there the portion of a ruler is included,
and he came with the heads of the people;p
he didq the righteousness of Yahweh,
and his regulations for Israel.”
“Dan is a cub of a lion;
he leaps from Bashan.”r
“Oh, Naphtali, sated of favor,
and full of the blessing of Yahweh;
take possession of the lake,
and the land to the south.”
“Blessed ⌊more than sons⌋s is Asher;
⌊may he be the favorite⌋t of his brothers,
⌊dipping his feet in the oil⌋.u
25 Your bars arev iron and bronze,
and as your days, so isw your strength.”
26 “There is no one like God, O, Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
and with his majesty through the skies.
27 The God of ⌊ancient time⌋x is a hiding place,
and underneath are the arms of eternity,y
and he drove out ⌊from before⌋z you your enemy,
and he said, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel dwells alone and carefree,
the spring of Jacob in a land of grain and wine;
his heavens even drip dew.
Who is like you, a people who is saved by Yahweh,
the shield of your help,
and who is the sword of your triumph,
and your enemies, they shall fawn before you,a
and you shall tread on their backs.”
a | Or “And” |
b | Literally “sons/children of Israel” |
c | Literally “to the face of” |
d | Or “And” |
e | This pointing of the MT is very difficult; here HALOT 93 suggests “fire a law for them” as a translation of the compound Hebrew word made up of “fire” + “law,” which I render as “a fiery law” |
f | Or “Indeed” |
g | Literally “a lover of peoples” |
h | Or “at” |
i | Literally “he takes up from your words” |
j | Literally “together the tribes of Israel” |
k | Literally “let he be his people of number” |
l | Literally “and this concerning/to Judah, and he said” |
m | Or “is/are great” on his behalf |
n | Literally “from” |
o | Literally “man, your faithful one” |
p | Literally “whom you tested him at Massah” |
q | Or “sons” |
r | Or “teach/will teach” |
s | Literally “in your nose” |
t | Literally “so that not they stand up” |
u | Literally “in confidence” |
v | This is the most likely reading in context (Most High God). Literally the Hebrew text reads “upon him,” so the NASV translates the first line as: dwell in security “by him” |
w | Hebrew “from” |
x | Hebrew “from” |
y | Hebrew “from” |
z | Hebrew “from” |
a | Or “produce of” |
b | Literally “months” |
c | Hebrew “from” |
d | Hebrew “from” |
e | Literally “the hills of eternity never ending ages” |
f | Hebrew “from” |
g | Literally “dwells” but context puts the event into the past; literally “dweller of the bush” |
h | Some scholars suggest that this expression must be read as: on Sinai |
i | Literally “is for him” |
j | Or “all at once” (NASB) |
k | Hebrew “mountain” |
l | Literally “the covered of the hidden of the sand” |
m | Literally “the enlarger of Gad” |
n | Or “provided” |
o | Hebrew “for him” |
p | Or possibly, “the heads of the people came/assembled” (compare NEB) |
q | Or “worked” |
r | Hebrew “the Bashan,” referring to a well-known geographical and agricultural area |
s | Literally “blessed from/of sons is” features the comparative use the Hebrew preposition min, “than” |
t | Literally “may he be favored” |
u | Literally “and dipping in the oil his feet” |
v | Or “will be” |
w | Or “so will be/may be” |
x | Literally “before/earlier times” |
y | Or “everlasting ages” or “everlasting arms” |
z | Literally “from your face” |
a | Hebrew “to you” |
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