Deuteronomy 33
New American Standard Bible
The Blessing by Moses
33 Now this is the blessing with which Moses (A)the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
“(B)The Lord came from Sinai,
(C)And [a]dawned on them from Seir;
(D)He shone from Mount Paran,
And He came from (E)the midst of myriads of [b]holy ones;
(F)At His right hand there was [c]flashing lightning for them.
3 (G)Indeed, He loves [d]the people;
(H)All [e]Your holy ones are in Your hand,
(I)And they [f]followed in Your steps;
Everyone takes of Your words.
4 (J)Moses issued to us the Law,
(K)A possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 (L)And He was king in [g]Jeshurun,
When the heads of the people gathered,
The tribes of Israel together.
6 “(M)May Reuben live and not die,
Nor may his people be few.”
7 (N)And this was regarding Judah; so he said:
“Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people.
With his hands he contended for [h]them,
And may You be a help against his adversaries.”
8 Of Levi he said,
“Let Your (O)Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your (P)godly man,
(Q)Whom You tested at Massah,
With [i]whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;
9 (R)Who said of his father and his mother,
‘I did not consider them’;
And he did not acknowledge his brothers,
Nor did he regard his own sons,
For (S)they kept Your word,
And complied with Your covenant.
10 (T)They will teach Your ordinances to Jacob,
And Your Law to Israel.
(U)They shall put [j]incense before You,
And (V)whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11 Lord, bless his strength,
And accept the work of his hands;
Smash the [k]hips of those who rise up against him,
And those who hate him, so that they do not rise again.”
12 Of Benjamin he said,
“(W)May the beloved of the Lord live in security beside Him
(X)Who shields him all the day long,
(Y)And he lives between His shoulders.”
13 Of Joseph he said,
“(Z)Blessed of the Lord be his land,
With the choice things of heaven, with the dew,
And from the deep waters lying beneath,
14 And with the choice yield of the sun,
And the choice produce of the months;
15 And with the [l]best things of (AA)the ancient mountains,
With the choice things of the everlasting hills,
16 And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favor (AB)of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Let it come to the head of Joseph,
And to the top of the head of the one who was prince among his brothers.
17 As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his,
And his horns are the horns of (AC)the wild ox;
With them he will (AD)gore the peoples
All [m]at once, to the ends of the earth.
And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 (AE)Of Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And, Issachar, in your tents.
19 (AF)They will call peoples to the mountain;
There they will offer (AG)righteous sacrifices;
For they will [n]draw out (AH)the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 (AI)Of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lies down (AJ)as a [o]lion,
And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.
21 (AK)Then he [p]selected the choicest part for himself,
(AL)For there the ruler’s portion was [q]reserved;
(AM)And he came with the leaders of the people;
(AN)He executed the justice of the Lord,
And His ordinances with Israel.”
22 (AO)Of Dan he said,
“Dan is (AP)a lion’s cub;
He leaps out from Bashan.”
23 Of Naphtali he said,
“(AQ)Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the Lord,
Take possession of the sea and the south.”
24 (AR)Of Asher he said,
“More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers,
(AS)And may he dip his foot in olive oil.
25 (AT)Your [r]bars will be iron and bronze,
(AU)And as your days, so will your strength be.
26 “(AV)There is no one like the God of [s]Jeshurun,
(AW)Who rides the heavens [t]to your help,
And the clouds in His majesty.
27 (AX)The eternal God is a [u]hiding place,
(AY)And underneath are the everlasting arms;
(AZ)And He drove out the enemy from you,
(BA)And said, ‘Destroy!’
28 (BB)So Israel lives in security,
(BC)The fountain of Jacob secluded,
(BD)In a land of grain and new wine;
(BE)His heavens also drip down dew.
29 (BF)Blessed are you, Israel;
(BG)Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
(BH)The shield of your help,
(BI)And He who is the sword of your majesty!
(BJ)So your enemies will cringe before you,
(BK)And you will trample on their high places.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Lit rose to
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Lit holiness
- Deuteronomy 33:2 Or a fiery law
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Lit peoples
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Lit His
- Deuteronomy 33:3 Or lie down at Your feet
- Deuteronomy 33:5 A symbolic name for Israel
- Deuteronomy 33:7 Lit him
- Deuteronomy 33:8 Lit him
- Deuteronomy 33:10 Lit smoke in Your nostrils
- Deuteronomy 33:11 Lit loins
- Deuteronomy 33:15 Or chief
- Deuteronomy 33:17 Or together
- Deuteronomy 33:19 Lit suck
- Deuteronomy 33:20 Or lioness
- Deuteronomy 33:21 Lit saw
- Deuteronomy 33:21 Lit covered
- Deuteronomy 33:25 I.e., to secure gates
- Deuteronomy 33:26 I.e., Israel
- Deuteronomy 33:26 Lit in
- Deuteronomy 33:27 Or refuge
Deuteronomy 33
Living Bible
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!”
7 And Moses said of Judah:
“O Lord, hear the cry of Judah
And unite him with Israel;
Fight for him against his enemies.”
8 Then 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.”
12 Concerning 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.”
13 Concerning 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.”
18 Of 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.”
20 Concerning 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.”
22 Of the tribe of Dan, Moses said:
“Dan is like a lion’s cub
Leaping out from Bashan.”
23 Of 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.”
24 Of 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!”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:2 holy angels, literally, “holy ones.”
- Deuteronomy 33:9 and destroyed many sinners, implied.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.