Moses Blesses the Twelve Tribes
1This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
2He said:
“The LORD came from Sinai
and dawned upon us from Seir;
He shone forth from Mount Paran
and came with myriads of holy ones,
with flaming fire at His right hand.
3Surely You love the people;
all the holy ones are in Your hand,
and they sit down at Your feet;
each receives Your words—
4the law that Moses gave us,
the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5So the LORD became King in Jeshurun
when the leaders of the people gathered,
when the tribes of Israel came together.
6Let Reuben live and not die,
nor his men be few.”
7And concerning Judah he said:
“O LORD, hear the cry of Judah
and bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause,
but may You be a help against his foes.”
8Concerning Levi he said:
“Give Your Thummim to Levi
and Your Urim to Your godly one,
whom You tested at Massah
and contested at the waters of Meribah.
9He said of his father and mother,
‘I do not consider them.’
He disregarded his brothers
and did not know his own sons,
for he kept Your word
and maintained Your covenant.
10He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob
and Your law to Israel;
he will set incense before You
and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11Bless his substance, O LORD,
and accept the work of his hands.
Smash the loins of those who rise against him,
and of his foes so they can rise no more.”
12Concerning Benjamin he said:
“May the beloved of the LORD
rest secure in Him;
God shields him all day long,
and upon His shoulders he rests.”
13Concerning Joseph he said:
“May his land be blessed by the LORD
with the precious dew from heaven above
and the deep waters that lie beneath,
14with the bountiful harvest from the sun
and the abundant yield of the seasons,
15with the best of the ancient mountains
and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
16with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it,
and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph
and crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.
17His majesty is like a firstborn bull,
and his horns are like those of a wild ox.
With them he will gore the nations,
even to the ends of the earth.
Such are the myriads of Ephraim,
and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18Concerning Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,
and Issachar, in your tents.
19They will call the peoples to a mountain;
there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.
For they will feast on the abundance of the seas
and the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20Concerning Gad he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges
the domain of Gad!
He lies down like a lion
and tears off an arm or a head.
21He chose the best land for himself,
because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.
He came with the leaders of the people;
he administered the LORD’s justice
and His ordinances for Israel.”
22Concerning Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
leaping out of Bashan.”
23Concerning Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with favor,
full of the blessing of the LORD;
he shall take possession
of the sea and the south.”
24And concerning Asher he said:
“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;
may he be the most favored among his brothers
and dip his foot in oil.
25May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,
and may your strength match your days.”
26“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
who rides the heavens to your aid,
and the clouds in His majesty.
27The eternal God is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He drives out the enemy before you,
giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
28So Israel dwells securely;
the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled
in a land of grain and new wine,
where even the heavens drip with dew.
29Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?
He is the shield that protects you,
the sword in which you boast.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you shall trample their high places.”
