Deuteronomy · Free Bible Version
Deuteronomy 33 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 The following is the blessing that Moses the man of God gave to the Israelites before he died.
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 Mount Sinai and shone on us from Mount Seir; he blazed out from Mount Paran coming with ten thousand holy ones, holding flaming fire at his right hand.
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 How much you love the people; you hold all the holy ones in your hand. They sit down at your feet to listen to your words:
3 Yes, he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words.
4 the law that Moses delivered to us that belongs to all the Israelites.
4 Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 The Lord became King in Israel when the people's leaders gathered, when the tribes of Israel assembled.
5 He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.
6 To Reuben he said, “May he live and not die, but may he only have a few men.”
6 “Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.”
7 To Judah he said: “Lord, please hear the cry of Judah and reunite him with his people. Even though he fights for himself, may you help him against his enemies.”
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 To Levi he said: “Your Thummim were given to Levi and your Urim to those dedicated to God, the ones you tested at Massah and argued with 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 Levi said that he didn't pay attention to his father and mother, that he didn't acknowledge his brothers, and that he didn't recognize his children. The Levites did what you said 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 teach your regulations to Jacob and your law to Israel. They will place incense before you, and sacrifice whole burnt 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 Lord, please bless what they have, and accept their service for you. Destroy those who attack them; make sure their enemies never rise 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 To Benjamin he said: “May the one the Lord loves be kept safe and secure in the Lord. The Lord always protects him, letting him rest on his shoulders.”
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 To Joseph he said: “May the Lord bless his land with the best gifts of heaven—with the dew and water from the depths below;
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 with the best crops ripened by the sun and the best produce of the seasons;
14 for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield,
15 with the finest contributions of the ancient mountains and the best materials of the everlasting hills;
15 for the best things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills,
16 with the best gifts of the land and everything in it, along with the appreciation of the one who was in the burning bush. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph like a crown for this 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 as majestic as a firstborn bull; his horns are like those of a wild ox. He will use them to gore the nations, driving them to the ends of the earth. The horns represent 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 To Zebulun he said: “Celebrate, Zebulun, in your travels and Issachar, in your tents.
18 About Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents.
19 They will summon the peoples to a mountain; will offer the appropriate sacrifices there. They will enjoy the rich produce of the seas and from trading on the seashores.”
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 To Gad he said: “Blessed is he who makes Gad's territory larger! Gad is like a lion lying in wait, ready to rip off an arm or a 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 chose the best land for himself, for he was allocated a ruler's share. He met with the people's leaders; he did what the Lord said was right, following the Lord's regulations 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 To Dan he said: “Dan is a young lion that leaps out of Bashan.”
22 About Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps out of Bashan.”
23 To Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is really favored, full of the Lord's blessing. He shall take over the land to the west and south.”
23 About Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, full of Yahweh’s blessing, Possess the west and the south.”
24 To Asher he said: “May Asher be blessed more than all the other sons; may he be favored above his brothers and bathe his feet in olive 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 May the bolts of your gate be strong as iron and bronze, and may you be strong all your life.”
25 Your bars will be iron and bronze. As your days, so your strength will be.
26 There is no one like the God of Israel, who rides across the heavens to come to help you; who rides the clouds in majesty.
26 “There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies.
27 The eternal God is your home, and he holds you up with his everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy ahead of you, and gives the order, “Destroy him!”
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 As a result Israel lives in peace; Jacob has no trouble in a country of grain and new wine, where the heavens drip with dew.
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 How blessed you are, Israel! Is there anyone like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is the shield that protects you, the sword that gives you confidence. Your enemies will tremble before you, and you shall tread them underfoot.
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)