1 Nowe this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death, and said, 2 The Lord came from Sinai, and rose vp from Seir vnto them, and appeared clearely from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of Saints, and at his right hand a firie Lawe for them. 3 Though hee loue the people, yet all thy Saints are in thine handes: and they are humbled at thy foete, to receiue thy words. 4 Moses commanded vs a Lawe for an inheritance of the Congregation of Iaakob. 5 Then he was among the righteous people, as King, when the heades of the people, and the tribes of Israel were assembled. 6 Let Reuben liue, and not die, though his men be a small nomber. 7 And thus he blessed Iudah, and said, Heare, O Lord, the voyce of Iudah, and bring him vnto his people: his hands shalbe sufficient for him, if thou helpe him against his enemies. 8 And of Leui he said, Let thy Thummim and thine Vrim be with thine Holy one, whome thou diddest proue in Massah, and didst cause him to striue at the waters of Meribah. 9 Who said vnto his father and to his mother, I haue not seene him, neither knewe he his brethren, nor knewe his owne children: for they obserued thy word, and kept thy couenant. 10 They shall teach Iaakob thy iudgements, and Israel thy Lawe: they shall put incense before thy face, and the burnt offring vpon thine altar. 11 Blesse, O Lord, his substance, and accept the worke of his handes: smite through ye loynes of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not againe. 12 Of Beniamin he said, The beloued of the Lord shall dwell in safetie by him: the Lord shall couer him all the day long, and dwell betweene his shoulders. 13 And of Ioseph hee sayde, Blessed of the Lord is his land for the sweetenesse of heauen, for the dewe, and for the depth lying beneath, 14 And for the sweete increase of the sunne, and for the sweete increase of the moone, 15 And for the sweetenes of the top of the ancient mountaines, and for the sweetenes of the olde hilles, 16 And for the sweetenesse of the earth, and abundance thereof: and the good will of him that dwelt in the bushe, shall come vpon the head of Ioseph, and vpon the toppe of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 17 His beautie shalbe like his first borne bullock, and his hornes as the hornes of an vnicorne: with them hee shall smite the people together, euen the endes of the world: these are also the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh. 18 And of Zebulun he sayd, Reioice, Zebulun, in thy going out, and thou Isshachar in thy tents. 19 They shall call ye people vnto the mountaine: there they shall offer the sacrifices of righteousnesse: for they shall sucke of the abundance of the sea, and of the treasures hid in the sand. 20 Also of Gad he said, Blessed be hee that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, that catcheth for his praye the arme with the head. 21 And hee looked to himselfe at the beginning, because there was a portion of the Lawe-giuer hid: yet hee shall come with the heades of the people, to execute the iustice of the Lord, and his iudgements with Israel. 22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lions whelp: he shall leape from Bashan. 23 Also of Naphtali he sayd, O Naphtali, satisfied with fauour, and filled with the blessing of the Lord, possesse the West and the South. 24 And of Asher he saide, Asher shalbe blessed with children: he shalbe acceptable vnto his brethren, and shall dippe his foote in oyle. 25 Thy shooes shalbe yron and brasse, and thy strength shall continue as long as thou liuest. 26 There is none like God, O righteous people, which rideth vpon the heauens for thine helpe, and on the cloudes in his glory. 27 The eternall God is thy refuge, and vnder his armes thou art for euer: hee shall cast out the enemie before thee, and will say, Destroy them. 28 Then Israel the fountaine of Iaakob shall dwell alone in safetie in a lande of wheat, and wine: also his heauens shall drop the dewe. 29 Blessed art thou, O Israel: who is like vnto thee, O people saued by the Lord, the shielde of thine helpe, and which is the sword of thy glorie? therefore thine enemies shall bee in subiection to thee, and thou shalt tread vpon their hie places.
Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
1 These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died.
2 The Lord came from Mount Sinai;
he rose like the sun over Edom
and shone on his people from Mount Paran.
Ten thousand angels were with him,
a flaming fire at his right hand.
3 The Lord loves his people
and protects those who belong to him.
So we bow at his feet
and obey his commands.
4 We obey the Law that Moses gave us,
our nation's most treasured possession.
5 The Lord became king of his people Israel
when their tribes and leaders were gathered together.
6 Moses said about the tribe of Reuben:
“May Reuben never die out,
Although their people are few.”
7 About the tribe of Judah he said:
“Lord, listen to their cry for help;
Unite them again with the other tribes.
Fight for them, Lord,
And help them against their enemies.”
8 About the tribe of Levi he said:
“You, Lord, reveal your will by the Urim and Thummim
Through your faithful servants, the Levites;
You put them to the test at Massah
And proved them true at the waters of Meribah.
9 They showed greater loyalty to you
Than to parents, brothers, or children.
They obeyed your commands
And were faithful to your covenant.
10 They will teach your people to obey your Law;
They will offer sacrifices on your altar.
11 Lord, help their tribe to grow strong;
Be pleased with what they do.
Crush all their enemies;
Let them never rise again.”
12 About the tribe of Benjamin he said:
“This is the tribe the Lord loves and protects;
He guards them all the day long,
And he dwells in their midst.”
13 About the tribe of Joseph he said:
“May the Lord bless their land with rain
And with water from under the earth.
14 May their land be blessed with sun-ripened fruit,
Rich with the best fruits of each season.
15 May their ancient hills be covered with choice fruit.
16 May their land be filled with all that is good,
Blessed by the goodness of the Lord,
Who spoke from the burning bush.
May these blessings come to the tribe of Joseph,
Because he was the leader among his brothers.
17 Joseph has the strength of a bull,
The horns of a wild ox.
His horns are Manasseh's thousands
And Ephraim's ten thousands.
With them he gores the nations
And pushes them to the ends of the earth.”
18 About the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar he said:
“May Zebulun be prosperous in their trade on the sea,
And may Issachar's wealth increase at home.
19 They invite foreigners to their mountain
And offer the right sacrifices there.
They get their wealth from the sea
And from the sand along the shore.”
20 About the tribe of Gad he said:
“Praise God, who made their territory large.
Gad waits like a lion
To tear off an arm or a scalp.
21 They took the best of the land for themselves;
A leader's share was assigned to them.
They obeyed the Lord's commands and laws
When the leaders of Israel were gathered together.”
22 About the tribe of Dan he said:
“Dan is a young lion;
He leaps out from Bashan.”
23 About the tribe of Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is richly blessed by the Lord's good favor;
Their land reaches to the south from Lake Galilee.”
24 About the tribe of Asher he said:
“Asher is blessed more than the other tribes.
May he be the favorite of his brothers,
And may his land be rich with olive trees.
25 May his towns be protected with iron gates,
And may he always live secure.”
26 People of Israel, no god is like your God,
riding in splendor across the sky,
riding through the clouds to come to your aid.
27 God has always been your defense;
his eternal arms are your support.
He drove out your enemies as you advanced,
and told you to destroy them all.
28 So Jacob's descendants live in peace,
secure in a land full of grain and wine,
where dew from the sky waters the ground.
29 Israel, how happy you are!
There is no one like you,
a nation saved by the Lord.
The Lord himself is your shield and your sword,
to defend you and give you victory.
Your enemies will come begging for mercy,
and you will trample them down.