1 This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the children of Israel before he died.
2 He said: "The LORD came from Sinai and rose like the dawn upon them from Seir; he shone out from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones; from his right hand came a fiery law for them.
3 Truly he loves the peoples; all his holy ones are in your hand. They bow down at your feet, each receiving your words.
4 Moses gave us a law, a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
5 He became king in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, all the tribes of Israel together.
6 May Reuben live and not die, though his men be few."
7 And this is what he said about Judah: "Listen, LORD, to the cry of Judah, and bring him back to his people. With his own hands he fights for himself; be his help against his foes."
8 About Levi he said: "Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your faithful one, whom you tested at Massah and with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah,
9 who said of his father and mother, 'I do not regard them.' He did not recognize his brothers or acknowledge his own sons, for they observed your word and kept your covenant.
10 They will teach your rules to Jacob and your law to Israel. They will set incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
11 Bless his substance, LORD, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Crush the loins of those who rise against him, of those who hate him, so that they never rise again."
12 About Benjamin he said: "Let the beloved of the LORD dwell securely beside him. He covers him all day long, and he dwells between his shoulders."
13 About Joseph he said: "May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious gifts of heaven, with the dew, and with the deep that lies below,
14 with the precious yield of the sun and the precious crops brought forth by the months,
15 with the best from the ancient mountains and the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 with the precious things of the earth and all that fills it, and with the goodwill of the one who dwelt in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the one set apart from his brothers.
17 His firstborn bull has splendor, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the peoples, all together, to the ends of the earth. Such are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh."
18 About Zebulun he said: "Be glad, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer righteous sacrifices, for they will draw on the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand."
20 About Gad he said: "Blessed be the one who makes room for Gad! Gad lies there like a lioness, tearing at arm and scalp.
21 He picked out the best part for himself, for a ruler's portion was kept there. He came with the leaders of the people; he carried out the righteousness of the LORD and his ordinances with Israel."
22 About Dan he said: "Dan is a lion's whelp, springing out of Bashan."
23 About Naphtali he said: "Naphtali, abounding in favor and filled with the blessing of the LORD, possess the west and the south."
24 About Asher he said: "Most blessed of the sons is Asher. May he be the favorite of his brothers, and may he bathe his feet in oil.
25 Your bolts will be iron and bronze, and your strength will last as long as your days.
26 There is none like God, Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you and the clouds in his majesty.
27 The God of ancient days is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drove out the enemy before you and said, 'Destroy!'
28 So Israel lives in safety, Jacob's spring apart by itself, in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drip with dew.
29 How blessed you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that helps you and the sword of your triumph. Your enemies will come cringing to you, and you will trample on their high places."