Deuteronomy 33

1This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced over the Israelites before he died. 2He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and rose like the dawn on them from Seir; he shone out from Mount Paran and came from among myriads of holy ones; from his right hand came a law of fire for them. 3Truly he loves the peoples; all his holy ones are in your hand. They sit down at your feet, and each receives your words. 4Moses gave us a law to keep, the inheritance of the assembly of Jacob. 5So he became king in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, all the tribes of Israel together. 6May Reuben live and not die out, even though his men are few.

7This he said of Judah: Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. He fights for his cause with his own hands; be his help against his enemies.

8Of Levi he said: Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful one, the man you tested at Massah, with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah, 9who said of his father and mother, ‘I have no regard for them.’ He would not acknowledge his brothers or claim his own children, for they kept your word and guarded your covenant. 10They teach your rulings to Jacob and your law to Israel; they set incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 11Bless his strength, LORD, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Crush the loins of all who rise against him and of those who hate him, so that they never rise again.

12Of Benjamin he said: The one the LORD loves lives in safety beside him; he shelters him all day long, and Benjamin rests between his shoulders.

13Of Joseph he said: Blessed by the LORD be his land with the finest gifts of the sky, with dew, and with the deep waters that lie below, 14with the best that the sun brings forth and the richest crops of every month, 15with the finest yield of the ancient mountains and the choicest gifts of the everlasting hills, 16with the best gifts of the earth and all that fills it, and the favor of him who dwelt in the bush. May all this rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the one set apart from his brothers. 17In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he gores the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, such are the thousands of Manasseh.

18Of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go out, and you, Issachar, in your tents. 19They will call peoples to the mountain, and there they will offer right sacrifices; for they will draw from the wealth of the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand.

20Of Gad he said: Blessed is the one who gives Gad room to grow! He lies down like a lion and tears off arm and scalp. 21He chose the best land for himself, for a commander’s share was kept for him there. He marched with the leaders of the people; he carried out the justice of the LORD and his rulings together with Israel.

22Of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s cub that springs out from Bashan. 23Of Naphtali he said: Naphtali, rich in favor and full of the blessing of the LORD, take possession of the lake and the south.

24Of Asher he said: Most blessed of the sons is Asher; may he be the favorite of his brothers and dip his feet in oil. 25Your bolts will be iron and bronze, and your strength will last as long as your days. 26There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to help you and through the skies in his majesty. 27The God of old is a refuge, and underneath are arms that last forever. He drove out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy them!’ 28So Israel lives in safety, Jacob’s spring secure by itself, in a land of grain and new wine, where his skies drop dew. 29How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people the LORD has saved? He is the shield that helps you and the sword that brings you triumph. Your enemies will come cringing to you, and you will tread upon their heights.”