33:1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 33:2 He said:
A Historical Review
The Lord came from Sinai
and revealed himself1 to Israel2 from Seir.
He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran,
and came forth with ten thousand holy ones.3
With his right hand he gave a fiery law4 to them.
33:3 Surely he loves the people;5
all your holy ones6 are in your power.7
And they sit8 at your feet,
each receiving9 your words.
33:4 Moses delivered to us a law,10
an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
33:5 The Lord11 was king over Jeshurun,12
when the leaders of the people assembled,
the tribes of Israel together.13
Blessing on Reuben
33:6 May Reuben live and not die,
and may his people multiply.14
Blessing on Judah
33:7 And this is the blessing15 to Judah. He said,
Listen, O Lord, to Judah’s voice,
and bring him to his people.
May his power be great,
and may you help him against his foes.
Blessing on Levi
33:8 Of Levi he said:
Your Thummim and Urim16 belong to your godly one,17
whose authority you challenged at Massah,18
and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah.19
33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,”20
and he did not acknowledge his own brothers
or know his own children,
for they kept your word,
and guarded your covenant.
33:10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances
and Israel your law;
they will offer incense as a pleasant odor,
and a whole-offering on your altar.
33:11 Bless, O Lord, his goods,
and be pleased with his efforts;
undercut the legs21 of any who attack him,
and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.
Blessing on Benjamin
33:12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him;
he protects him all the time,
and the Lord22 places him on his chest.23
Blessing on Joseph
33:13 Of Joseph he said:
May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky,24 by the dew,
and by the depths crouching beneath;
33:14 with the harvest produced by the daylight25
and by26 the night;27
33:15 with the best28 of the ancient mountains
and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;
33:16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness
and the pleasure of him who resided in the bush.29
May blessing rest on Joseph’s head,
and on the top of the head of the one set apart30 from his brothers.
33:17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor,
and may his horns be those of a wild ox;
with them may he gore all peoples,
all the far reaches of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,31
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
Blessing on Zebulun and Issachar
33:18 Of Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside,
and Issachar, when you are in your tents.
33:19 They will summon peoples to the mountain,
there they will sacrifice proper32 sacrifices;
for they will enjoy33 the abundance of the seas,
and the hidden treasures of the coastlands.34
Blessing on Gad
33:20 Of Gad he said:
Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad.
Like a lioness he will dwell;
he will tear at an arm—indeed, a scalp.35
33:21 He has selected the best part for himself,
for the portion of the leader36 is set aside37 there;
he came with the heads of the people,
he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord
and his ordinances with Israel.
Blessing on Dan
33:22 Of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s cub;
he will leap forth from Bashan.38
Blessing on Naphtali
33:23 Of Naphtali he said:
O Naphtali, overflowing with favor,
and full of the Lord’s blessing;
possess the west and south.
Blessing on Asher
33:24 Of Asher he said:
Asher is blessed with children,
may he be favored by his brothers
and may he dip his foot in olive oil.39
33:25 The bars of your gates40 will be made of iron and bronze,
and may you have lifelong strength.
General Praise and Blessing
33:26 There is no one like God, O Jeshurun,41
who rides through the sky42 to help you,
on the clouds in majesty.
33:27 The everlasting God is a refuge,
and underneath you are his eternal arms;43
he has driven out enemies before you,
and he has said, “Destroy!”
33:28 Israel lives in safety,
the fountain of Jacob is quite secure,44
in a land of grain and new wine;
indeed, its heavens rain down dew.45
33:29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?
You are a people delivered by the Lord,
your protective shield
and your exalted sword.
May your enemies cringe before you;
may you trample on their backs.
The Death of Moses