This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. He said:
“The LORD came from Sinaiand dawned upon us from Seir;he shone forth from Mount Paranand came with myriads of holy ones,with flaming fire at his right hand.Surely you love the people;all the holy ones are in your hand,and they sit down at your feet;each receives your words—the law that Moses gave us,the possession of the assembly of Jacob.So the LORD became King in Jeshurunwhen the leaders of the people gathered,when the tribes of Israel came together.
Let Reuben live and not die,nor his men be few.”
And concerning Judah he said:
“O LORD, hear the cry of Judahand bring him to his people.With his own hands he defends his cause,but may you be a help against his foes.”
Concerning Levi he said:
“Give your Thummim to Leviand your Urim to your godly one,whom you tested at Massahand contested at the waters of Meribah.He said of his father and mother,‘I do not consider them.’He disregarded his brothersand did not know his own sons,for he kept your wordand maintained your covenant.He will teach your ordinances to Jacoband your law to Israel;he will set incense before youand whole burnt offerings on your altar.Bless his substance, O LORD,and accept the work of his hands.Smash the loins of those who rise against him,and of his foes so they can rise no more.”
Concerning Benjamin he said:
“May the beloved of the LORDrest secure in him;God shields him all day long,and upon his shoulders he rests.”
Concerning Joseph he said:
“May his land be blessed by the LORDwith the precious dew from heaven aboveand the deep waters that lie beneath,with the bountiful harvest from the sunand the abundant yield of the seasons,with the best of the ancient mountainsand the bounty of the everlasting hills,with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it,and with the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.May these rest on the head of Josephand crown the brow of the prince of his brothers.His majesty is like a firstborn bull,and his horns are like those of a wild ox.With them he will gore the nations,even to the ends of the earth.Such are the myriads of Ephraim,and such are the thousands of Manasseh.”
Concerning Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys,and Issachar, in your tents.They will call the peoples to a mountain;there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness.For they will feast on the abundance of the seasand the hidden treasures of the sand.”
Concerning Gad he said:
“Blessed is he who enlargesthe domain of Gad!He lies down like a lionand tears off an arm or a head.He chose the best land for himself,because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there.He came with the leaders of the people;he administered the LORD’s justiceand his ordinances for Israel.”
Concerning Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,leaping out of Bashan.”
Concerning Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with favor,full of the blessing of the LORD;he shall take possessionof the sea and the south.”
And concerning Asher he said:
“May Asher be the most blessed of sons;may he be the most favored among his brothersand dip his foot in oil.May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze,and may your strength match your days.”
“There is none like the God of Jeshurun,who rides the heavens to your aid,and the clouds in his majesty.The eternal God is your dwelling place,and underneath are the everlasting arms.He drives out the enemy before you,giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’So Israel dwells securely;the fountain of Jacob lives untroubledin a land of grain and new wine,where even the heavens drip with dew.Blessed are you, O Israel!Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD?He is the shield that protects you,the sword in which you boast.Your enemies will cower before you,and you shall trample their high places.”
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.
And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.
Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.
Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face— no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land, and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.