New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death.
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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, and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran. With him were myriads of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own.
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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 Indeed, O favorite among peoples, all his holy ones were in your charge; they marched at your heels, accepted direction from you.
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All his holy ones are at his hand; they go at his feet; they are lifted up on his wings.
4 Moses charged us with the law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.
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Moses gave us a law, a heritage for the people of Jacob.
5 There arose a king in Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled— the united tribes of Israel.
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And there was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel came together.
6 May Reuben live, and not die out, even though his numbers are few.
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Let life not death be Reuben's, let not the number of his men be small.
7 And this he said of Judah: O Lord, give heed to Judah, and bring him to his people; strengthen his hands for him, and be a help against his adversaries.
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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 to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your loyal one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah;
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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 and mother, "I regard them not"; he ignored his kin, and did not acknowledge his children. For they observed your word, and kept your covenant.
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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 teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law; they place incense before you, and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
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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 Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those that hate him, so that they do not rise again.
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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 Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord rests in safety— the High God surrounds him all day long— the beloved rests between his shoulders.
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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: Blessed by the Lord be his land, with the choice gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that lies beneath;
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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 with the choice fruits of the sun, and the rich yield of the months;
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And the good things of the fruits of the sun, and the good things of the growth of the moons,
15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains, and the abundance of the everlasting hills;
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And the chief things of the oldest mountains, and the good things of the eternal hills,
16 with the choice gifts of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of the one who dwells on Sinai. Let these come on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
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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 A firstborn bull—majesty is his! His horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he gores the peoples, driving them to the ends of the earth; such are the myriads of Ephraim, such the thousands of Manasseh.
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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: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents.
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And of Zebulun he said, Be glad, Zebulun, in your going out; and, Issachar, in your tents.
19 They call peoples to the mountain; there they offer the right sacrifices; for they suck the affluence of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.
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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 And of Gad he said: Blessed be the enlargement of Gad! Gad lives like a lion; he tears at arm and scalp.
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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 chose the best for himself, for there a commander's allotment was reserved; he came at the head of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his ordinances for Israel.
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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 lion's whelp that leaps forth from Bashan.
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And of Dan he said, Dan is a young lion, springing out from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, sated with favor, full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the west and the south.
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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: Most blessed of sons be Asher; may he be the favorite of his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil.
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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 bars are iron and bronze; and as your days, so is your strength.
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Your shoes will be iron and brass; and as your days, so may your work be.
26 There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, majestic through the skies.
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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 He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old; he drove out the enemy before you, and said, "Destroy!"
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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 So Israel lives in safety, untroubled is Jacob's abode in a land of grain and wine, where the heavens drop down dew.
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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 saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread on their backs.
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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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.