1 En dit is die seën waarmee Moses, die man van God, die kinders van Israel geseënhet voor sy dood.
2 En hy het gesê: Die HERE het gekom van Sinai en vir hulle opgegaan van Se‹r af; Hy het in ligglans verskyn van die gebergte Paran en gekom van heilige tien duisende af; aan sy regterhand was vlammende vuur vir hulle.
3 Ja, Hy het die stamme lief. Al sy heiliges -- hulle is in u hand; en hulle was gelaer by u voet; elkeen ontvang iets van u uitsprake.
4 Moses het ons die wet beveel, 'n besitting vir die vergadering van Jakob.
5 En Hy het Koning geword in Jesurun, toe die hoofde van die volk vergader het, die stamme van Israel almal saam.
6 Laat Ruben lewe en nie sterwe nie, en laat sy manne 'n aantal wees.
7 En d¡t vir Juda, en hy het gesê: Hoor, HERE, die stem van Juda, en bring hom na sy volk toe; met sy hande het hy geveg vir hulle, en wees U vir hom 'n hulp teenoor sy teëstanders.
8 En van Levi het hy gesê: U Tummim en u Urim is vir die man, u gunsgenoot, u wat deur U beproef is in Massa, met wie U getwis het by die waters van M,riba;
9 wat van sy vader en sy moeder gesê het: Ek sien hom nie, en sy broers nie erken het en van sy seuns niks geweet het nie; want hulle het u woord bewaar en u verbond gehou.
10 Hulle sal Jakob u verordeninge leer en Israel u wet; hulle sal reukwerk voor U neerlê en 'n voloffer op u altaar.
11 Seën, HERE, sy krag, en laat die werk van sy hande U welgevallig wees; verpletter die lendene van die wat teen hom opstaan en hom haat, sodat hulle nie kan opstaan nie.
12 Van Benjamin het hy gesê: Die beminde van die HERE -- hy sal veilig by Hom woon; Hy beskerm hom die hele dag en woon tussen sy berghange.
13 En van Josef het hy gesê: Geseënd deur die HERE is sy land met die kostelikste gawe van die hemel, met dou en met die wêreldvloed wat onder lê,
14 en met die kostelikste voortbrengsels van die son en met die kostelikste gewasse van die mane
15 en met die vernaamste voortbrengsel van die berge van die voortyd en met die kostelikste gawe van die ewige heuwels
16 en met die kostelikste gawe van die aarde en van sy volheid, en die welbehae van Hom wat in die doringbos gewoon het -- laat dit kom op die hoof van Josef en op die hoofskedel van die vors onder sy broers.
17 Sy eersgebore stier -- heerlikheid is syne, en sy horings is buffelhorings; daarmee sal hy die volke stoot, die eindes van die aarde almal saam. En dit is die tien duisende van Efraim, en dit is die duisende van Manasse!
18 En van S,bulon het hy gesê: Verheug jou, S,bulon, oor jou togte, en Issaskar, oor jou tente.
19 Hulle sal volke na die berg roep; daar sal hulle offers van geregtigheid offer; want hulle sal die oorvloed van die see insuig en die verborgenste skatte van die sand.
20 En van Gad het hy gesê: Geseënd is Hy wat vir Gad ruimte maak; hy gaan lê soos 'n leeuin en verskeur die arm, ja, die hoofskedel.
21 En hy het vir hom 'n eerstelingsaandeel uitgekies, want daar was die deel van 'n veldheer bewaar; en hy het gekom na die hoofde van die volk, hy het die geregtigheid van die HERE uitgevoer en sy verordeninge met Israel.
22 En van Dan het hy gesê: Dan is 'n jong leeu wat uit Basan uitspring.
23 En van N ftali het hy gesê: N ftali, versadig van geluk en vol van die seën van die HERE -- neem jy see en suidland in besit!
24 En van Aser het hy gesê: Geseënd is Aser bo die seuns; laat hy die liefling van sy broers wees, en een wat sy voet in olie insteek.
25 Mag jou grendel yster en koper wees, en jou sterkte soos jou dae.
26 Niemand is daar soos God, o Jesurun, wat oor die hemel ry as jou hulp, en oor die wolke in sy hoogheid.
27 Die ewige God is 'n woning, en onder -- ewige arms; en Hy het die vyand voor jou uit verdrywe en gesê: Verdelg!
28 So het Israel dan veilig gaan woon, die bron van Jakob in afsondering, in 'n land van koring en mos; ja, sy hemel laat dou afdrup.
29 Welgeluksalig is jy, o Israel! Wie is soos jy? 'n Volk wat deur die HERE verlos is, die skild van jou hulp en wat die swaard van jou hoogheid is, sodat jou vyande julle al kruipende aan jou onderwerp; maar jy sal op hulle hoogtes stap.
1 Now this is the blessing which Moses, the man of God, gave to 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.
3 All his holy ones are at his hand; they go at his feet; they are lifted up on his wings.
4 Moses gave us a law, a heritage for the people of Jacob.
5 And there was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel came together.
6 Let life not death be Reuben's, let not the number of his men be small.
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
14 And the good things of the fruits of the sun, and the good things of the growth of the moons,
15 And the chief things of the oldest mountains, and the good things of the eternal 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.
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.
18 And of Zebulun he said, Be glad, 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.
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.
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.
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a young lion, springing out from 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.
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.
25 Your shoes will be iron and brass; and as your days, so may your work 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.
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.
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.
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.