Moses’ Final Blessing on Israel
This is the blessing with which Moses athe man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said,
a“The Lord came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came bfrom the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire at his right hand.
3 Yes, ahe loved his people,
ball his holy ones were in his hand;
cso they followed in your steps,
receiving direction from you,
4 when aMoses commanded us a law,
as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 Thus the Lord abecame king in bJeshurun,
when the heads of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together.
6 a“Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few.”
7 And this he said of Judah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With your hands contend for him,
and be a help against his adversaries.”
8 And aof Levi he said,
“Give to Levi byour Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
cwhom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
ahe disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For bthey observed your word
and kept your covenant.
10 aThey shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
bthey shall put incense before you
and cwhole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless, O Lord, his substance,
and aaccept the work of his hands;
crush the loins of his adversaries,
of those who hate him, that they rise not again.”
12 aOf Benjamin he said,
“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.”
13 And aof Joseph he said,
b“Blessed by the Lord be his land,
with the choicest gifts of heaven cabove,
and of the deep that crouches beneath,
14 with the choicest fruits of the sun
and the rich yield of the months,
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains
and the abundance of athe everlasting hills,
16 with the best gifts of the earth and aits fullness
and the favor of bhim who dwells in the bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers.
17 aA firstborn bull—he has majesty,
and his horns are the horns of a bwild ox;
with them che shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
dthey are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said,
a“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They shall call peoples ato their mountain;
there they offer bright sacrifices;
for they draw from the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 And aof Gad he said,
“Blessed be he who enlarges Gad!
Gad crouches blike a lion;
he tears off arm and scalp.
21 aHe chose the best of the land for himself,
for there a commander’s portion was reserved;
and bhe came with the heads of the people,
with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord,
and his judgments for Israel.”
22 And aof Dan he said,
b“Dan is a lion’s cub
cthat leaps from Bashan.”
23 And aof Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
and full of the blessing of the Lord,
bpossess the lake and the south.”
24 And aof Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
let him be the favorite of his brothers,
and let him bdip his foot in oil.
25 Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
26 a“There is none like God, O bJeshurun,
cwho rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your adwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you
and said, ‘Destroy.’
28 So Israel lived in safety,
aJacob lived balone,
in a land of grain and wine,
whose heavens drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! aWho is like you,
a people bsaved by the Lord,
cthe shield of your help,
and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
and you shall tread upon their backs.”