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The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

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- Chapter 33 -

1
This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
2
He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us (a) from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.(b)
3
Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet;(c) each receives Your words—
4
the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
5
So the LORD became King in Jeshurun (d) when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes of Israel came together.
6
Let Reuben live and not die, nor (e) his men be few.”
7
And 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.”
8
Concerning Levi he said: “Give Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one,(f) whom You tested at Massah (g) and contested at the waters of Meribah.(h)
9
He 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 (i) Your word and maintained Your covenant.
10
He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
11
Bless 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.”
12
Concerning Benjamin he said: “May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields (j) him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.”
13
Concerning 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,
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with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons,
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with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
16
with 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.
17
His 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.”
18
Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.
19
They 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.”
20
Concerning 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.
21
He 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.”
22
Concerning Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.”
23
Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the LORD; he shall take possession of the sea (k) and the south.”
24
And 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.
25
May 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.
27
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
28
So Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine, where even the heavens drip with dew.
29
Blessed 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.”

Footnotes

(a)33:2 LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew upon them
(b)33:2 Or with myriads of holy ones from the south, from His mountain slopes
(c)33:3 Or they follow in Your steps
(d)33:5 Jeshurun means the upright one, a term of endearment for Israel; also in verse 26.
(e)33:6 Or but let
(f)33:8 DSS and LXX; MT does not include to Levi; literally Let Your Perfections and Your Lights be to Your godly one.
(g)33:8 Massah means testing; see Exodus 17:7.
(h)33:8 Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7.
(i)33:9 Hebrew they kept, most likely referring to Levi in the plural; similarly twice in verse 10
(j)33:12 LXX; Hebrew He shields
(k)33:23 Or the west
1
This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2
He said, “The LORD came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them.(a)
3
Yes, he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words.
4
Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5
He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.
6
“Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.”
7
This is for Judah. He said, “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah. Bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself. You shall be a help against his adversaries.”
8
About Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.
9
He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant.
10
They shall teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you, and whole burnt offering on your altar.
11
LORD, bless his skills. Accept the work of his hands. Strike through the hips of those who rise up against him, of those who hate him, that they not rise again.”
12
About Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the LORD will dwell in safety by him. He covers him all day long. He dwells between his shoulders.”
13
About Joseph he said, “His land is blessed by the LORD, for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath,
14
for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield,
15
for the best things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16
for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush.(b) Let this come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
17
Majesty belongs to the firstborn of his herd. His horns are the horns of the wild ox. With them he will push all the peoples to the ends of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim. They are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18
About Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents.
19
They will call the peoples to the mountain. There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20
About Gad he said, “He who enlarges Gad is blessed. He dwells as a lioness, and tears the arm and the crown of the head.
21
He provided the first part for himself, for the lawgiver’s portion was reserved for him. He came with the heads of the people. He executed the righteousness of the LORD, His ordinances with Israel.”
22
About Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps out of Bashan.”
23
About Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, full of the LORD’s blessing, Possess the west and the south.”
24
About Asher he said, “Asher is blessed with children. Let him be acceptable to his brothers. Let him dip his foot in oil.
25
Your bars will be iron and bronze. As your days, so your strength will be.
26
“There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies.
27
The eternal God is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’
28
Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine. Yes, his heavens drop down dew.
29
You are happy, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, the sword of your excellency? Your enemies will submit themselves to you. You will tread on their high places.”

Footnotes

(a)33:2 another manuscript reads “He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.”
(b)33:16 i.e., the burning bush of Exodus 3:3 .
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