The Blessing by Moses

1Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death. 2He said,

“The LORD came from Sinai,

And [a]dawned on them from Seir;

He shone from Mount Paran,

And He came from the midst of myriads of [b]holy ones;

At His right hand there was [c]flashing lightning for them.

3“Indeed, He loves [d]the people;

All [e]Your holy ones are in Your hand,

And they [f]followed in Your steps;

Everyone takes of Your words.

4“Moses issued to us the Law,

A possession for the assembly of Jacob.

5“And He was king in [g]Jeshurun,

When the heads of the people gathered,

The tribes of Israel together.

6“May Reuben live and not die,

Nor may his people be few.”

7And 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.”

8Of Levi he said,

“Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man,

Whom You tested at Massah,

With [i]whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;

9Who 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 they kept Your word,

And complied with Your covenant.

10“They will teach Your ordinances to Jacob,

And Your Law to Israel.

They shall put [j]incense before You,

And 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.”

12Of Benjamin he said,

“May the beloved of the LORD live in security beside Him

Who shields him all the day long,

And he lives between His shoulders.”

13Of Joseph he said,

“Blessed of the LORD be his land,

With the choice things of heaven, with the dew,

And from the deep waters lying beneath,

14And with the choice yield of the sun,

And the choice produce of the months;

15And with the [l]best things of the ancient mountains,

With the choice things of the everlasting hills,

16And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness,

And the favor 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 the wild ox;

With them he will 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.”

18Of Zebulun he said,

“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,

And, Issachar, in your tents.

19“They will call peoples to the mountain;

There they will offer righteous sacrifices;

For they will [n]draw out the abundance of the seas,

And the hidden treasures of the sand.”

20Of Gad he said,

“Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad;

He lies down as a [o]lion,

And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.

21“Then he [p]selected the choicest part for himself,

For there the ruler’s portion was [q]reserved;

And he came with the leaders of the people;

He executed the justice of the LORD,

And His ordinances with Israel.”

22Of Dan he said,

“Dan is a lion’s cub;

He leaps out from Bashan.”

23Of Naphtali he said,

“Naphtali, satisfied with favor,

And full of the blessing of the LORD,

Take possession of the sea and the south.”

24Of Asher he said,

“More blessed than sons is Asher;

May he be favored by his brothers,

And may he dip his foot in olive oil.

25“Your [r]bars will be iron and bronze,

And as your days, so will your strength be.

26“There is no one like the God of [s]Jeshurun,

Who rides the heavens [t]to your help,

And the clouds in His majesty.

27“The eternal God is a [u]hiding place,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

And He drove out the enemy from you,

And said, ‘Destroy!’

28“So Israel lives in security,

The fountain of Jacob secluded,

In a land of grain and new wine;

His heavens also drip down dew.

29“Blessed are you, Israel;

Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,

The shield of your help,

And He who is the sword of your majesty!

So your enemies will cringe before you,

And you will trample on their high places.”