Deuteronomy · Bible in Basic English
Deuteronomy 33 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Now this is the blessing which Moses, the man of God, gave to the children of Israel before his death.
1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2 He said, The Lord came from Sinai, dawning on them from Seir; shining out from Mount Paran, coming from Meribath Kadesh: from his right hand went flames of fire: his wrath made waste the peoples.
2 He said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them.
3 All his holy ones are at his hand; they go at his feet; they are lifted up on his wings.
3 Yes, he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words.
4 Moses gave us a law, a heritage for the people of Jacob.
4 Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 And there was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel came together.
5 He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.
6 Let life not death be Reuben's, let not the number of his men be small.
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.”
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: he said, Give ear, O Lord, to the voice of Judah and make him one with his people: let your hands take up his cause, and be his help against his attackers.
7 This is for Judah. He said, “Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah. Bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself. You shall be a help against his adversaries.”
8 And of Levi he said, Give your Thummim to Levi and let the Urim be with your loved one, whom you put to the test at Massah, with whom you were angry at the waters of Meribah;
8 About Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.
9 Who said of his father, Who is he? and of his mother, I have not seen her; he kept himself separate from his brothers and had no knowledge of his children: for they have given ear to your word and kept your agreement.
9 He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant.
10 They will be the teachers of your decisions to Jacob and of your law to Israel: the burning of perfumes before you will be their right, and the ordering of burned offerings on your altar.
10 They shall teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you, and whole burnt offering on your altar.
11 Let your blessing, O Lord, be on his substance, may the work of his hands be pleasing to you: may those who take up arms against him and all who have hate for him, be wounded through the heart, never to be lifted up again.
11 Yahweh, bless his skills. Accept the work of his hands. Strike through the hips of those who rise up against him, of those who hate him, that they not rise again.”
12 And of Benjamin he said, Benjamin is the loved one of the Lord, he will be kept safe at all times; he will be covered by the Most High, resting between his arms.
12 About Benjamin he said, “The beloved of Yahweh will dwell in safety by him. He covers him all day long. He dwells between his shoulders.”
13 And of Joseph he said, Let the blessing of the Lord be on his land; for the good things of heaven on high, and the deep waters flowing under the earth,
13 About Joseph he said, “His land is blessed by Yahweh, for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath,
14 And the good things of the fruits of the sun, and the good things of the growth of the moons,
14 for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield,
15 And the chief things of the oldest mountains, and the good things of the eternal hills,
15 for the best things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 The good things of the earth and all its wealth, the good pleasure of him who was seen in the burning tree: may they come on the head of Joseph, on the head of him who was prince among his brothers.
16 for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let this come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.
17 He is a young ox, glory is his; his horns are the horns of the mountain ox, with which all peoples will be wounded, even to the ends of the earth: they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.
17 Majesty belongs to the firstborn of his herd. His horns are the horns of the wild ox. With them he will push all the peoples to the ends of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim. They are the thousands of Manasseh.”
18 And of Zebulun he said, Be glad, Zebulun, in your going out; and, Issachar, in your tents.
18 About Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will send out the word for the people to come to the mountain, taking there the offerings of righteousness: for the store of the seas will be theirs, and the secret wealth of the sand.
19 They will call the peoples to the mountain. There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, the hidden treasures of the sand.”
20 Of Gad he said, A blessing be on him who makes wide the limits of Gad: he takes his rest like a she-lion, taking for himself the arm and the crown of the head.
20 About Gad he said, “He who enlarges Gad is blessed. He dwells as a lioness, and tears the arm and the crown of the head.
21 He kept for himself the first part, for his was the ruler's right: he put in force the righteousness of the Lord, and his decisions for Israel.
21 He provided the first part for himself, for the lawgiver’s portion was reserved for him. He came with the heads of the people. He executed the righteousness of Yahweh, His ordinances with Israel.”
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a young lion, springing out from Bashan.
22 About Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps out of Bashan.”
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, made glad with grace and full of the blessing of the Lord: the sea and its fishes will be his.
23 About Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, full of Yahweh’s blessing, Possess the west and the south.”
24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher have the blessing of children; may he be pleasing to his brothers, and let his foot be wet with oil.
24 About Asher he said, “Asher is blessed with children. Let him be acceptable to his brothers. Let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your shoes will be iron and brass; and as your days, so may your work be.
25 Your bars will be iron and bronze. As your days, so your strength will be.
26 No other is like the God of Jeshurun, coming on the heavens to your help, and letting his glory be seen in the skies.
26 “There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies.
27 The God of your fathers is your safe resting-place, and under you are his eternal arms: driving out the forces of your haters from before you, he said, Let destruction overtake them.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’
28 And Israel is living in peace, the fountain of Jacob by himself, in a land of grain and wine, with dew dropping from the heavens.
28 Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine. Yes, his heavens drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel: who is like you, a people whose saviour is the Lord, whose help is your cover, whose sword is your strength! All those who are against you will put themselves under your rule, and your feet will be planted on their high places.
29 You are happy, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh, the shield of your help, the sword of your excellency? Your enemies will submit themselves to you. You will tread on their high places.”
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Joshua 14:6; Psalm 90:1; 2 Timothy 3:17; 2 Peter 1:21; John 14:27
- 2 Habakkuk 3:3; Jude 14; Revelation 5:11; Psalm 68:17; Judges 5:4–5
- 3 Luke 10:39; Malachi 1:2; Deuteronomy 7:6–8; Acts 22:3; Ephesians 2:4–5
- 4 Psalm 119:111; John 7:19; John 1:17; Deuteronomy 9:26–29; Psalm 119:72
- 5 Deuteronomy 32:15; Judges 17:6; Genesis 36:31; Judges 8:22; Exodus 18:19
- 6 Genesis 49:8; Numbers 32:31–32; Joshua 22:1–9; Genesis 49:3–4
- 7 Genesis 49:8–12; Psalm 21:8; Psalm 20:2; Revelation 20:10–15; 1 Corinthians 15:25
- 8 Exodus 17:7; Exodus 28:30; Numbers 20:13; Leviticus 8:8; Psalm 106:16
- 9 Matthew 10:37; Exodus 32:25–29; Jeremiah 18:18; Leviticus 21:11; Luke 14:26
- 10 Psalm 51:19; Leviticus 10:11; Deuteronomy 17:9–11; Exodus 30:7–8; Ezekiel 43:27
- 11 2 Samuel 24:23; Ezekiel 43:27; Ezekiel 20:40–41; Amos 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:8
- 12 2 Chronicles 15:2; Psalm 91:4; Matthew 23:37; Isaiah 37:35; Isaiah 51:16
- 13 Genesis 49:22–26; Micah 5:7; Proverbs 3:20; Genesis 27:28–29; Isaiah 18:4
- 14 Psalm 8:3; Psalm 65:9–13; Leviticus 26:4; Psalm 74:16; Deuteronomy 28:8
- 15 Habakkuk 3:6; Genesis 49:26; James 5:7
- 16 Acts 7:35; Exodus 3:2–4; Psalm 24:1; Genesis 49:26; Psalm 89:11
- 17 Numbers 23:22; 1 Kings 22:11; Psalm 44:5; Genesis 48:19; 1 Chronicles 5:1
- 18 Genesis 49:13–15; Joshua 19:11; Judges 5:14
- 19 Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 60:5; Psalm 4:5; Exodus 15:17; Psalm 50:13–15
- 20 Genesis 49:19; 1 Chronicles 12:8–14; Micah 5:8; Joshua 13:8; 1 Chronicles 12:37–38
- 21 Joshua 4:12–13; Judges 5:2; Numbers 32:1–6; Joshua 22:1–4; Judges 5:11
- 22 Joshua 19:47; Judges 18:27; Judges 16:30; Judges 13:24–25; Judges 15:15
- 23 Genesis 49:21; Jeremiah 31:14; Psalm 36:8; Matthew 4:16; Matthew 4:13
- 24 Genesis 49:20; Job 29:6; Romans 14:18; Proverbs 3:3–4; Psalm 128:6
- 25 Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:13; Psalm 138:3; Colossians 1:11; Isaiah 40:29
- 26 Exodus 15:11; Isaiah 43:11–13; Habakkuk 3:8; Jeremiah 10:6; Psalm 104:3
- 27 Psalm 90:1–2; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 46:1; Isaiah 25:4; Psalm 91:1–2
- 28 Numbers 23:9; Genesis 27:28; Jeremiah 23:6; Exodus 33:16; Revelation 21:27
- 29 Isaiah 45:17; Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 115:9–11; Deuteronomy 4:7–8; 2 Samuel 7:23
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Of whom Moses also says in Deuteronomy, when blessing Levi, "Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not known thee; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, and he disinherited his own sons: he kept Thy commandments, and observed Thy covenant." But who are they that have left father and mother, and have said adieu to all …
… of idols, but even to stone them; and in Deuteronomy again, admiring these, He saith, "Who said unto his father, and to his mother, I have not seen thee; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, and his own sons he disowned: he kept Thy oracles." And if Paul gives many directions touching parents, commanding us to obey them in all …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… "They mount up to heaven." Moses, blessing the tribe of Joseph, desires for it the fruits and the dews of heaven, of the suns of summer and the conjunctions of the moon, and blessings from the tops of the mountains and from the everlasting hills, in one word, from all which fertilises the earth.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)