Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel

331 This is the blessing, with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 He said,

“Yahweh came from Sinai,
And rose from Seir to them.
He shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came from the ten thousands of holy ones.
At his right hand was a fiery law for them. 3 Yes, he loves the people.
All his saints are in your hand.
They sat down at your feet;
Everyone shall receive of your words. 4 Moses commanded us a law,
An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. 5 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;
Nor let his men be few.” 7 This is the blessing of Judah: and 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 Of Levi he said,

“Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one,
whom you proved at Massah,
with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah; 9 who said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him;’
Neither did he acknowledge his brothers,
Nor did he know his own children:
For they have observed your word,
and keep your covenant. 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 Yahweh, bless his substance.
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 Of Benjamin he said,

“The beloved of Yahweh shall dwell in safety by him.
He covers him all the day long.
He dwells between his shoulders.” 13 Of 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 for the precious things of the fruits of the sun,
for the precious things of the growth of the moons, 15 for the chief things of the ancient mountains,
for the precious things of the everlasting hills, 16 for the precious things of the earth and its fullness,
the good will of him who lived in the bush [1].
Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph,
On the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers. 17 The firstborn of his herd, majesty is his.
His horns are the horns of the wild ox.
With them he shall push the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth:
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim.
They are the thousands of Manasseh.”

18 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 will offer sacrifices of righteousness,
for they shall draw out the abundance of the seas,
the hidden treasures of the sand.” 20 Of Gad he said,

“He who enlarges Gad is blessed.
He dwells as a lioness,
and tears the arm, yes, the crown of the head. 21 He provided the first part for himself,
for there was the lawgiver’s portion reserved.
He came with the heads of the people.
He executed the righteousness of Yahweh,
His ordinances with Israel.”

22 Of Dan he said,

“Dan is a lion’s cub
that leaps out of Bashan.” 23 Of Naphtali he said,

“Naphtali, satisfied with favor,
full of the blessing of Yahweh,
Possess the west and the south.” 24 Of Asher he said,

“Asher is blessed with children.
Let him be acceptable to his brothers.
Let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Your bars shall be iron and brass.
As your days, so your strength will be.

26 “There is none like God, Jeshurun,
who rides on the heavens for your help,
In his excellency on the skies. 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 Israel dwells in safety;
the fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine.
Yes, his heavens drop down dew. 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 shall submit themselves to you.
You shall tread on their high places.”

Israel Conquers Og of Bashan

31 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 Yahweh said to me, “Don’t fear him; for I have delivered him, and all his people, and his land, into your hand; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 3 So Yahweh our God delivered into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we struck him until none was left to him remaining. 4 We took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we didn’t take from them; sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars; besides the unwalled towns a great many. 6 We utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every inhabited city, with the women and the little ones. 7 But all the livestock, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves. 8 We took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon; 9 (which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir;) 10 all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, to Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 (For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; isn’t it in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was its length, and four cubits its breadth, after the cubit of a man.)

Reuben, Gad, and Half of Manasseh Settle East of the Jordan

12 This land we took in possession at that time: from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead, and its cities, gave I to the Reubenites and to the Gadites: 13 and the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og, gave I to the half-tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, even all Bashan. (The same is called the land of Rephaim. 14 Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them, even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth Jair, to this day.) 15 I gave Gilead to Machir. 16 To the Reubenites and to the Gadites I gave from Gilead even to the valley of the Arnon, the middle of the valley, and the border of it, even to the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; 17 the Arabah also, and the Jordan and the border of it, from Chinnereth even to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah eastward. 18 I commanded you at that time, saying, “Yahweh your God has given you this land to possess it: you shall pass over armed before your brothers the children of Israel, all the men of valor. 19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your livestock, (I know that you have much livestock), shall abide in your cities which I have given you, 20 until Yahweh gives rest to your brothers, as to you, and they also possess the land which Yahweh your God gives them beyond the Jordan: then you shall return every man to his possession, which I have given you.”

21 I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, “Your eyes have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to these two kings: so shall Yahweh do to all the kingdoms where you go over. 22 You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God, he it is who fights for you.”

Moses Not Permitted to Enter Canaan

23 I begged Yahweh at that time, saying, 24 “Lord Yahweh, you have begun to show your servant your greatness, and your strong hand: for what god is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to your works, and according to your mighty acts? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.” 26 But Yahweh was angry with me for your sakes, and didn’t listen to me; and Yahweh said to me, “Let it suffice you; speak no more to me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and see with your eyes: for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But commission Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you shall see.” 29 So we abode in the valley over against Beth Peor.