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Deuteronomy 33 :: Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Moses’s Blessings
Deu 33:1

This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.

Deu 33:2

He said:

The LORD came from Sinai

and appeared to them from Seir;

he shone on them from Mount Paran

and came with ten thousand holy ones,[fn]

with lightning[fn] from his right hand[fn] for them.

Deu 33:3

Indeed he loves the people.[fn]

All your[fn] holy ones are in your hand,

and they assemble[fn] at your feet.

Each receives your words.

Deu 33:4

Moses gave us instruction,

a possession for the assembly of Jacob.

Deu 33:5

So he became King in Jeshurun[fn]

when the leaders of the people gathered

with the tribes of Israel.

Deu 33:6

Let Reuben live and not die

though his people become few.

Deu 33:7

He said this about Judah:

LORD, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people.

He fights for his cause[fn] with his own hands,

but may you be a help against his foes.

Deu 33:8

He said about Levi:

Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful one;[fn]

you tested him at Massah

and contended with him at the Waters of Meribah.

Deu 33:9

He said about his father and mother,

“I do not regard them.”

He disregarded his brothers

and didn’t acknowledge his sons,

for they kept your word

and maintained your covenant.

Deu 33:10

They will teach your ordinances to Jacob

and your instruction to Israel;

they will set incense before you

and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

Deu 33:11

LORD, bless his possessions,[fn]

and accept the work of his hands.

Break the back[fn] of his adversaries and enemies,

so that they cannot rise again.

Deu 33:12

He said about Benjamin:

The LORD’s beloved rests[fn] securely on him.

He[fn] shields him all day long,

and he rests on his shoulders.[fn]

Deu 33:13

He said about Joseph:

May his land be blessed by the LORD

with the dew of heaven’s bounty

and the watery depths that lie beneath;

Deu 33:14

with the bountiful harvest from the sun

and the abundant yield of the seasons;

Deu 33:15

with the best products of the ancient mountains

and the bounty of the eternal hills;

Deu 33:16

with the choice gifts of the land

and everything in it;

and with the favor of him

who appeared[fn] in the burning bush.

May these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

Deu 33:17

His firstborn bull has[fn] splendor,

and horns like[fn] those of a wild ox;

he gores all the peoples with them

to the ends of the earth.

Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim,

and such are the thousands of Manasseh.

Deu 33:18

He said about Zebulun:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,

and Issachar, in your tents.

Deu 33:19

They summon the peoples to a mountain;

there they offer acceptable sacrifices.

For they draw from the wealth of the seas

and the hidden treasures of the sand.

Deu 33:20

He said about Gad:

The one who enlarges Gad’s territory

will be blessed.

He lies down like a lion

and tears off an arm or even a head.

Deu 33:21

He chose the best part for himself,

because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him.

He came with the leaders of the people;

he carried out the LORD’s justice

and his ordinances for Israel.

Deu 33:22

He said about Dan:

Dan is a young lion,

leaping out of Bashan.

Deu 33:23

He said about Naphtali:

Naphtali, enjoying approval,

full of the LORD’s blessing,

take[fn] possession to the west and the south.

Deu 33:24

He said about Asher:

May Asher[fn] be the most blessed of the sons;

may he be the most favored among his brothers

and dip his foot in olive oil.

Deu 33:25

May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,

and your strength last as long as you live.

Deu 33:26

There is none like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides the heavens to your aid,

the clouds in his majesty.

Deu 33:27

The God of old is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He drives out the enemy before you

and commands, “Destroy! ”

Deu 33:28

So Israel dwells securely;

Jacob lives untroubled[fn]

in a land of grain and new wine;

even his skies drip with dew.

Deu 33:29

How happy you are, Israel!

Who is like you,

a people saved by the LORD?

He is the shield that protects you,

the sword you boast in.

Your enemies will cringe before you,

and you will tread on their backs.[fn]

CSB Footnotes
LXX reads Mount Paran with ten thousands from Kadesh
Or fiery law ; Hb obscure
Or ones, from his southland to the mountain slopes
Or peoples
Lit his, or its
Hb obscure
= Upright One, referring to Israel, also in v. 26
Or He contends for them
DSS, LXX read Give to Levi your Thummim, your Urim to your favored one
Or abilities
Or waist
Or Let the Lord’s beloved rest
LXX reads The Most High
Or and he dwells among his mountain slopes
Lit dwelt
Some DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg read A firstborn bull ​— ​he has
Lit and his horns are
Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read he will take
= Happy or Blessed; Gn 30:13
Text emended; MT reads Jacob’s fountain is alone
Or high places
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