Deuteronomy, chapter 33
Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
oses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying:
2The Lord came from Mount Sinai.
From Edom, he gave light to his people,
and his glory was shining from Mount Paran.
Thousands of his warriors were with him,
and fire was at his right hand.
3The Lord loves the tribes of Israel,
and he protects his people.
They listen to his words and worship at his feet.
* 4I called a meeting of the tribes of Israel
and gave you God's Law.
5Then you and your leaders made the Lord your king.
6Tribe of Reuben, you will live,
even though your tribe will always be small.
7The Lord will listen to you, tribe of Judah,
as you beg to come safely home.
You fought your enemies alone;
now the Lord will help you.
8At Massah and Meribah Spring, the Lord tested you,
tribe of Levi.
You were faithful, and so the priesthood belongs
to the Levi tribe.
9Protecting Israel's agreement with the Lord
was more important to you
than the life of your father or mother,
or brothers or sisters, or your own children.
10You teach God's laws to Israel,
and at the place of worship
you offer sacrifices and burn incense.
11I pray that the Lord will bless everything you do,
and make you strong enough
to crush your enemies.
12The Lord Most High loves you, tribe of Benjamin.
He will live among your hills and protect you.
13Descendants of Joseph, the Lord will bless you
with precious water from deep wells
and with dew from the sky.
14Month by month, your fruit will ripen
in the sunshine.
15You will have a rich harvest
from the slopes of the ancient hills.
16The Lord who appeared in the burning bush
wants to give you the best the land can produce,
and it will be a princely crown on Joseph's head.
17The armies of Ephraim and Manasseh
are majestic and fierce like a bull or a wild ox.
They will run their spears through faraway nations.
18Be happy, Zebulun, as your boats set sail;
be happy, Issachar, in your tents.
19The sea will make you wealthy,
and from the sandy beach you will get treasure.
So invite the other tribes to celebrate with you
and offer sacrifices to God.
20Tribe of Gad, the Lord will bless you with more land.
So shout his praises!
Your tribe is like a lion ripping up its victim.
21Your leaders met together
and chose the best land for your tribe,
but you obeyed the Lord and helped the other tribes.
22Tribe of Dan, you are like a lion cub,
startled by a snake.
23The Lord is pleased with you, people of Naphtali.
He will bless you and give you the land
to the west and the south.
24The Lord's greatest blessing is for you, tribe of Asher.
You will be the favorite of all the other tribes.
You will be rich with olive oil
25and have strong town gates with bronze and iron bolts.
Your people will be powerful for as long as they live.
26Israel, no other god is like ours—
the clouds are his chariot as he rides across the skies
to come and help us.
27The eternal God is our hiding place;
he carries us in his arms.
When God tells you to destroy your enemies,
he will make them run.
28Israel, you will live in safety; your enemies will be gone.
The dew will fall from the sky,
and you will have plenty of grain and wine.
29The Lord has rescued you and given you more blessings
than any other nation.
He protects you like a shield and is your majestic sword.
Your enemies will bow in fear,
and you will trample on their backs.