Study Desk

Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death.

And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

He said, "The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of myriads of holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.

And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

"Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone takes of Your words.

Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

"Moses issued to us the Law, A possession for the assembly of Jacob.

Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

"And He was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people gathered, The tribes of Israel together.

And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.

"May Reuben live and not die, Nor may his people be few."

Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

And this was regarding Judah; so he said: "Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, And bring him to his people. With his hands he contended for them, And may You be a help against his adversaries."

And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord , the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

Of Levi he said, "Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to Your godly man, Whom You tested at Massah, With whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;

And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

Who said of his father and his mother, 'I did not consider them'; And he did not acknowledge his brothers, Nor did he regard his own sons, For they kept Your word, And complied with Your covenant.

Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

"They will teach Your ordinances to Jacob, And Your Law to Israel. They shall put incense before You, And whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.

"LORD, bless his strength, And accept the work of his hands; Smash the hips of those who rise up against him, And those who hate him, so that they do not rise again."

Bless, Lord , his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

Of Benjamin he said, "May the beloved of the LORD live in security beside Him Who shields him all the day long, And he lives between His shoulders."

And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

Of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the LORD be his land, With the choice things of heaven, with the dew, And from the deep waters lying beneath,

And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

And with the choice yield of the sun, And the choice produce of the months;

And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

And with the best things of the ancient mountains, With the choice things of the everlasting hills,

And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

And with the choice things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let it come to the head of Joseph, And to the top of the head of the one who was prince among his brothers.

And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

"As the firstborn of his ox, majesty is his, And his horns are the horns of the wild ox; With them he will gore the peoples All at once, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, And those are the thousands of Manasseh."

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And, Issachar, in your tents.

And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.

"They will call peoples to the mountain; There they will offer righteous sacrifices; For they will draw out the abundance of the seas, And the hidden treasures of the sand."

They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

Of Gad he said, "Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad; He lies down as a lion, And tears the arm, also the crown of the head.

And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

"Then he selected the choicest part for himself, For there the ruler's portion was reserved; And he came with the leaders of the people; He executed the justice of the LORD, And His ordinances with Israel."

And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord , and his judgments with Israel.

Of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's cub; He leaps out from Bashan."

And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

Of Naphtali he said, "Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Take possession of the sea and the south."

And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord : possess thou the west and the south.

Of Asher he said, "More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in olive oil.

And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

"Your bars will be iron and bronze, And as your days, so will your strength be.

Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, And the clouds in His majesty.

There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

"The eternal God is a hiding place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from you, And said, 'Destroy!'

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

"So Israel lives in security, The fountain of Jacob secluded, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drip down dew.

Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

"Blessed are you, Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help, And He who is the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you, And you will trample on their high places."

Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord , the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.