Deuteronomy 32:48-34:12

Living Bible

⁴⁸That same day, the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁹“Go to Mount Nebo in the mountains of Abarim, in the land of Moab across from Jericho. Climb to its heights and look out across the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the people of Israel. ⁵⁰After you see the land, you must die and join your ancestors, just as Aaron, your brother, died in Mount Hor and joined them. ⁵¹For you dishonored me among the people of Israel at the springs of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin. ⁵²You will see spread out before you the land I am giving the people of Israel, but you will not enter it.”

33 This is the blessing Moses, the man of God, gave to the people of Israel before his death:

2 “The Lord came to us at Mount Sinai,
And dawned upon us from Mount Seir;
He shone from Mount Paran,
Surrounded by ten thousands of holy angels,[a]
And with flaming fire at his right hand.
3 How he loves his people—
His holy ones are in his hands.
They followed in your steps, O Lord.
They have received their directions from you.
4 The laws I have given
Are your precious possession.
5 The Lord became king in Jerusalem,
Elected by a convocation of the leaders of the tribes!
6 Let Reuben live forever
And may his tribe increase!”

⁷And Moses said of Judah:

“O Lord, hear the cry of Judah
And unite him with Israel;
Fight for him against his enemies.”

⁸Then Moses said concerning the tribe of Levi:

“Give to godly Levi
Your Urim and your Thummim.
You tested Levi at Massah and at Meribah;
9 He obeyed your instructions
and destroyed many sinners,[b]
Even his own children, brothers, fathers, and mothers.
10 The Levites shall teach God’s laws to Israel
And shall work before you at the incense altar
And the altar of burnt offering.
11 O Lord, prosper the Levites
And accept the work they do for you.
Crush those who are their enemies;
Don’t let them rise again.”

¹²Concerning the tribe of Benjamin, Moses said:

“He is beloved of God
And lives in safety beside him.
God surrounds him with his loving care,
And preserves him from every harm.”

¹³Concerning the tribe of Joseph, he said:

“May his land be blessed by God
With the choicest gifts of heaven
And of the earth that lies below.
14 May he be blessed
With the best of what the sun makes grow;
Growing richly month by month,
15 With the finest of mountain crops
And of the everlasting hills.
16 May he be blessed with the best gifts
Of the earth and its fullness,
And with the favor of God who appeared
In the burning bush.
Let all these blessings come upon Joseph,
The prince among his brothers.
17 He is a young bull in strength and splendor,
With the strong horns of a wild ox
To push against the nations everywhere;
This is my blessing on the multitudes of Ephraim
And the thousands of Manasseh.”

¹⁸Of the tribe of Zebulun, Moses said:

“Rejoice, O Zebulun, you outdoorsmen,
And Issachar, you lovers of your tents;
19 They shall summon the people
To celebrate their sacrifices with them.
Lo, they taste the riches of the sea
And the treasures of the sand.”

²⁰Concerning the tribe of Gad, Moses said:

“A blessing upon those who help Gad.
He crouches like a lion,
With savage arm and face and head.
21 He chose the best of the land for himself
Because it is reserved for a leader.
He led the people
Because he carried out God’s penalties for Israel.”

²²Of the tribe of Dan, Moses said:

“Dan is like a lion’s cub

Leaping out from Bashan.”

²³Of the tribe of Naphtali, Moses said:

“O Naphtali, you are satisfied
With all the blessings of the Lord;
The Mediterranean coast and the Negeb
Are your home.”

²⁴Of the tribe of Asher:

“Asher is a favorite son,
Esteemed above his brothers;
He bathes his feet in oil.
25 May you be protected with strong bolts
Of iron and bronze,
And may your strength match the length of your days!
26 There is none like the God of Jerusalem—
He descends from the heavens
In majestic splendor to help you.
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms.
He thrusts out your enemies before you;
It is he who cries, ‘Destroy them!’
28 So Israel dwells safely,
Prospering in a land of corn and wine,
While the gentle rains descend from heaven.
29 What blessings are yours, O Israel!
Who else has been saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and your helper!
He is your excellent sword!
Your enemies shall bow low before you,
And you shall trample on their backs!”

34 Then Moses climbed from the plains of Moab to Pisgah Peak in Mount Nebo, across from Jericho. And the Lord pointed out to him the Promised Land, as they gazed out across Gilead as far as Dan:

²“There is Naphtali; and there is Ephraim and Manasseh; and across there, Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; ³there is the Negeb; and the Jordan Valley; and Jericho, the city of palm trees; and Zoar,” the Lord told him.

⁴“It is the Promised Land,” the Lord told Moses. “I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give it to their descendants. Now you have seen it, but you will not enter it.”

⁵So Moses, the disciple of the Lord, died in the land of Moab as the Lord had said. ⁶The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but no one knows the exact place.

⁷Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was perfect and he was as strong as a young man. ⁸The people of Israel mourned for him for thirty days on the plains of Moab.

⁹Joshua (son of Nun) was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him and followed the commandments the Lord had given to Moses.

¹⁰There has never been another prophet like Moses, for the Lord talked to him face to face. ^11-12And at God’s command he performed amazing miracles that have never been equaled.