1 Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.2 And he said: Jehovah has come from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He has shone forth from Mount Paran, and He has come with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand a fiery Law for them.3 Yes, He loves the people; all His saints are in Your hand; they sit down at Your feet; everyone receives Your Words.4 Moses has commanded a Law for us, a heritage for the congregation of Jacob.5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together.6 Let Reuben live, and not die, and let his men be numbered.7 And this he said of Judah: Hear, Jehovah, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.8 And of Levi he said: Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your Godly man, whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah;9 who says of his father and mother, I have not seen them; nor has he acknowledged his brothers, or known his own children; for they have kept Your Word and guarded Your covenant.10 They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your Law. They shall put incense before Your nose, and a whole burnt offering upon Your altar.11 Bless his strength, O Jehovah, and accept the work of his hands; strike the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again.12 Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of Jehovah shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and he shall dwell between His shoulders.13 And of Joseph he said: Blessed of Jehovah is his land, with the excellence of the heavens, with the dew, and the deep lying beneath,14 with the excellent yield of the sun, with the excellent produce of the months,15 with the chief things of the ancient mountains, with the excellence of the enduring hills,16 with the excellence of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush; let it come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.17 His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the oryx; together with them He shall thrust the peoples to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.18 And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents!19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand.20 And of Gad he said: Blessed is he who enlarges Gad; he dwells as a lion, and tears the arm and the crown of the head.21 He saw the first part for himself, because a lawgivers portion was reserved there. He came with the heads of the people; he has administered the justice of Jehovah, and His judgments with Israel.22 And of Dan he said: Dan is a lions whelp; he shall leap from Bashan.23 And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of Jehovah, possess the west and the south.24 And of Asher he said: Asher is most blessed of sons; let him be acceptable to his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; as your days, so your strength.26 There is no one like the Mighty God of Jeshurun, riding the Heavens for your help, and in His majesty upon the clouds.27 The God of old is your refuge, and underneath are the eternal arms. He will thrust out the enemy before you, and say, Destroy!28 And Israel shall dwell alone in safety, the fountain of Jacob in a land of grain and new wine; his heavens shall also drop dew.29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by Jehovah, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall cower before you, and you shall tread down their high places.
1 This is the blessing, bi which Moises, the man of God, blesside the sones of Israel bifor his deeth;2 and seide, The Lord cam fro Syna, and he roos to us fro Seir; he apperide fro the hil of Pharan, and thousandis of seyntis with hym; a lawe of fier in his riythond.3 He louede puplis; alle seyntis ben in his hond, and thei that neiyen to hise feet schulen take of his doctryn.4 Moisis comaundide lawe `to vs, eritage of the multitude of Jacob.5 And the king schal be at the moost riytful, whanne princes of the puple schulen be gaderid togidere with the lynagis of Israel.6 Ruben lyue, and die not, and be he litil in noumbre.7 This is the blessyng of Juda; Lord, here thou the vois of Juda, and brynge in hym to his puple; hise hondis schulen fiyte for hym, and the helpere of hym schal be ayens hise aduersaries.8 Also he seide to Leuy, Thi perfeccioun and thi techyng is of an hooly man, whom thou preuedist in temptacioun, and demedist at the Watris of Ayenseiynge;9 which Leuy seide to his fadir and to his modir, Y knowe not you, and to hise britheren, Y knowe not hem; and knewen not her sones. These kepten thi speche, and these kepten thi couenaunt; A!10 Jacob, thei kepten thi domes, and `thou, Israel, thei kepten thi lawe; thei schulen putte encense in thi strong veniaunce, and brent sacrifice on thin auter.11 Lord, blesse thou the strengthe of hym, and resseyue thou the werkis of his hondis; smyte thou the backis of hise enemyes, and thei that haten hym, rise not.12 And he seide to Benjamyn, The moost loued of the Lord schal dwelle tristili in hym, `that is, in the Lord; he schal dwelle al day as in a chaumbur, and he schal reste bitwixe the schuldris of hym.13 Also he seide to Joseph, `His lond is of the Lordis blessyng; of the applis of heuene, and of the dewe, and of watir liggynge bynethe;14 of the applis of fruytis of the sunne and moone; of the coppe of elde munteyns,15 and of the applis of euerlastynge litle hillis;16 and of the fruytis of the lond, and of the fulnesse therof. The blessyng of hym that apperide in the busch come on the heed of Joseph, and on the cop of Nazarey, `that is, hooli, among hise britheren.17 As the first gendrid of a bole is the feirnesse of hym; the hornes of an vnicorn ben the hornes of hym; in tho he schal wyndewe folkis, `til to the termes of erthe. These ben the multitudis of Effraym, and these ben the thousyndis of Manasses.18 And he seide to Zabulon, Zabulon, be thou glad in thi goyng out, and, Ysacar, in thi tabernaclis.19 Thei schulen clepe puplis to the hil, there thei schulen offre sacrifices of riytfulnesse; whiche schulen souke the flowing of the see as mylk, and hid tresours of grauel.20 And he seide to Gad, Gad is blessid in broodnesse; he restide as a lioun, and he took the arm and the nol.21 And he siy his prinshed, that `the techere was kept in his part; which Gad was with the princes of the puple, and dide the riytfulnesses of the Lord, and his doom with Israel.22 Also he seide to Dan, Dan, a whelp of a lioun, schal flowe largeli fro Basan.23 And he seide to Neptalym, Neptalym schal vse abundaunce, and he schal be ful with blessyngis of the Lord; and he schal welde the see and the south.24 Also he seide to Aser, Aser, be blessid in sones, and plese he hise britheren; dippe he his foot in oile.25 Yrun and bras the scho of hym; as the dai of thi youthe so and thin eelde.26 Noon other god is as the God of the moost riytful, that is, `as the God `of the puple of Israel, gouerned bi moost riytful lawe; the stiere of heuene is thin helpere; cloudis rennen aboute bi the glorie of hym.27 His dwellynge place is aboue, and armes euerlastynge ben bynethe; he schal caste out fro thi face the enemy, and he schal seie, Be thou al to-brokun.28 Israel schal dwelle trustili and aloone; the iye of Jacob in the lond of whete, and of wyn; and heuenes schulen be derk with dew.29 Blessed art thou, Israel; thou puple that art saued in the Lord, who is lijk thee? The scheld of thin help and the swerd of thi glorie is thi God; thin enemyes schulen denye thee, and thou schalt trede her neckis.