Old Testament · Law

Deuteronomy chapter 33

This is the that Moses, the , spoke over the people of Israel before he died:He said: “ came from Sinai, he over them from Seir, he from Mount Paran. He arrived from among , lightning streaming from his right hand.”Yes, he his peoples. are held in your hand. They sat at your feet, each one receiving your words.Moses gave us — the of the community of Jacob.And he became king over when the leaders of the people gathered, all the tribes of Israel together as one.“Let live and not die out, though his numbers be few.”And this is what he said about : “Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah, and bring him back to his people. With his own hands he fights for himself — be his help against his enemies.”About Levi he said: “Your belong to your — the one you tested at , the one you challenged at the waters of .”The one who said of his father and mother, ‘I have no regard for them’ — who refused to acknowledge his brothers and did not know his own children. For they guarded your word and kept your .They teach Jacob your and Israel your . They place incense before you and on your altar. all he does, Yahweh, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Shatter the backs of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him — so they never rise again.About Benjamin he said: “The one Yahweh rests secure beside him. He shelters him all day long, and the one who loves him .”About Joseph he said: “ by Yahweh is his land — with the finest gifts from the skies above, with the ,”with the finest things the sun , with the finest things each month pushes up,with the best from the , with the richness of the everlasting hills,with the finest things of the earth and everything in it, and the of . Let all this rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the one .His — what majesty is his! His horns are the horns of a . With them he gores the nations, driving them to the ends of the earth. These are the tens of thousands of Ephraim, these are the thousands of Manasseh.About Zebulun he said: “, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents.”They call peoples to the mountain where they offer . For they draw from the abundance of the seas and the .About Gad he said: “ is the one who makes room for Gad! He , tearing off an arm — even a head.”He chose the best portion for himself, for a was kept there. He marched at the head of the people, carrying out Yahweh’s and his decisions alongside Israel.About Dan he said: “Dan is a that leaps out from Bashan.”About Naphtali he said: “Naphtali, , full to the brim with Yahweh’s — take possession of and the south.”About Asher he said: “ of the sons is Asher. Let him be loved by his brothers, and let him .”“Your will be iron and bronze, and your strength will last as long as your days.”“There is no one like the — he to help you, across the skies in his majesty.” is your , and underneath are the . He drove out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy them!’So Israel lives in safety, flows undisturbed in a land of grain and , where even the skies drip with dew., Israel! Who is like you — a people by Yahweh? He is your shield, your helper, your . Your enemies will come crawling to you, and you will march across their backs.