The Blessing of Moses
1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of Godblessed the sons of Israel before his death.
2 He said,
“The Lordcame from Sinai,
And dawned on them from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came from among ten thousand holy ones;
At His right hand was aflaming fire, a law, for them.
3 “Indeed, He loves His people;
AllYour holy ones are in Your hand.
They followed in Your steps;
They acceptandreceive direction from You.
4 “Moses commanded us with a law,
As a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 “The Lordwas King in Jeshurun (Israel),
When the heads of the people were gathered,
The tribes of Israel together.
6 “May [the tribe of] Reuben live and not die out,
But let his men be few.”
7 And [Moses said] this ofJudah:
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
And bring him to his people.
With his hands he contended for them,
And may You be a help against his enemies.”
8 Of Levi he said,
“YourThummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man [Aaron],
Whom You testedandproved at Massah,
With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;
9 Whosaid of his father and mother,
‘I did not consider them’;
Nor did he acknowledge his brothers,
Nor did he regard his own sons,
For the priests observed Your word,
And kept Your covenant.
10 “The priests shall teach Your ordinances (judgments) to Jacob,
And Your law to Israel.
They shall put incensebefore You,
And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11 “O Lord, bless Levi’s substance (ability),
And acceptandtake pleasure in the work of his hands;
Crushandshatter the loins of those who rise up against him,
And of those who hate him, so that they do not riseagain.”
12 Of Benjamin he said,
“May the beloved of the Lorddwell in safety by Him;
He shieldsandcovers him all the day long,
And he dwells between His shoulders.”
13 And ofJoseph he said,
“Blessed by the Lordbe his land,
With the precious things of heaven, with the dew,
And from the deepwaterthat lies beneath,
14 With the precious fruits of the sun,
And with the precious produce of the months.
15 “With the best things of the ancient mountains,
And with the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 With the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
And the favorandgoodwill of Him who dwelt in the bush.
Letthese blessingscome upon the head of Joseph,
And upon the crown of the head of him who was distinguished [as a prince] among his brothers.
17 “His majesty is like a firstborn young bull,
And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;
With them he will gore the peoples,
All of them together, to the ends of the earth.
And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 Of Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your interests abroad,
And, Issachar, in your tents [at home].
19 “They will call the peoples to the mountain (Mount Carmel);
There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they will draw out the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 Of Gad he said,
“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;
He lurks like a lioness,
And tears the arm and the crown of the head.
21 “He selected the best [land] for himself,
For there the leader’s portion was reserved;
Yet he came with the leaders of the people;
He carried out the justice (righteous will) of the Lord,
And His ordinances (judgments) with Israel.”
22 Of Dan he said,
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
That leaps forth from Bashan.”
23 Of Naphtali he said,
“O Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
And full of the blessing of the Lord,
Take possession of the sea [of Galilee] and the south.”
24 Of Asher he said,
“More blessed than sons is Asher;
May he be favored by his brothers,
And may he dip his foot in oil.
25 “Your strongholds will be iron and bronze,
And as your days are, so will your strength, your restandsecurity be.
26 “There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel),
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And through the skies in His majestic glory.
27 “The eternal God is your refugeanddwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He drove out the enemy from before you,
And said, ‘Destroy!’
28 “So Israel dwells in safetyandsecurity,
The fountain of Jacob aloneandsecluded,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens also drop down dew.
29 “Happyandblessed are you, O Israel;
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
The Shield of your help,
And the Sword of your majesty!
Your enemies will cringe before you,
And you will tread on their high places [tramping down their idolatrous altars].”