Moses Blesses the Tribes of Israel
1 Moses was a prophet, and before he died, he blessed the tribes of Israel by saying:
2 The Lord came from Mount Sinai.
From Edom, he gave light
to his people,
and his glory was shining
from Mount Paran.
Thousands of his warriors
were with him, and fire
was at his right hand.
3 The Lord loves the tribes
of Israel,
and he protects his people.
They listen to his words
and worship at his feet.
* 4 I called a meeting
of the tribes of Israel
and gave you God's Law.
5 Then you and your leaders
made the Lord your king.
6 Tribe of Reuben, you will live,
even though your tribe
will always be small.
7 The Lord will listen to you,
tribe of Judah, as you beg
to come safely home.
You fought your enemies alone;
now the Lord will help you.
8 At Massah and Meribah Spring,
the Lord tested you,
tribe of Levi.
You were faithful,
and so the priesthood belongs
to the Levi tribe.
9 Protecting Israel's agreement
with the Lord
was more important to you
than the life of your father
or mother,
or brothers or sisters,
or your own children.
10 You teach God's laws to Israel,
and at the place of worship
you offer sacrifices
and burn incense.
11 I pray that the Lord will bless
everything you do,
and make you strong enough
to crush your enemies.
12 The Lord Most High loves you,
tribe of Benjamin.
He will live among your hills
and protect you.
13 Descendants of Joseph,
the Lord will bless you
with precious water
from deep wells
and with dew from the sky.
14 Month by month, your fruit
will ripen in the sunshine.
15 You will have a rich harvest
from the slopes
of the ancient hills.
16 The Lord who appeared
in the burning bush
wants to give you the best
the land can produce,
and it will be a princely crown
on Joseph's head.
17 The armies of Ephraim
and Manasseh
are majestic and fierce
like a bull or a wild ox.
They will run their spears
through faraway nations.
18 Be happy, Zebulun,
as your boats set sail;
be happy, Issachar,
in your tents.
19 The sea will make you wealthy,
and from the sandy beach
you will get treasure.
So invite the other tribes
to celebrate with you
and offer sacrifices to God.
20 Tribe of Gad,
the Lord will bless you
with more land.
So shout his praises!
Your tribe is like a lion
ripping up its victim.
21 Your leaders met together
and chose the best land
for your tribe,
but you obeyed the Lord
and helped the other tribes.
22 Tribe of Dan,
you are like a lion cub,
startled by a snake.
23 The Lord is pleased with you,
people of Naphtali.
He will bless you
and give you the land
to the west and the south.
24 The Lord's greatest blessing
is for you, tribe of Asher.
You will be the favorite
of all the other tribes.
You will be rich with olive oil
25 and have strong town gates
with bronze and iron bolts.
Your people will be powerful
for as long as they live.
26 Israel, no other god
is like ours—
the clouds are his chariot
as he rides across the skies
to come and help us.
27 The eternal God
is our hiding place;
he carries us in his arms.
When God tells you
to destroy your enemies,
he will make them run.
28 Israel, you will live in safety;
your enemies will be gone.
The dew will fall from the sky,
and you will have plenty
of grain and wine.
29 The Lord has rescued you
and given you more blessings
than any other nation.
He protects you like a shield
and is your majestic sword.
Your enemies will bow in fear,
and you will trample
on their backs.
Moses ma sere ondaya komihoko omurongo na vivari vya Israel
1 Indji ondji ri ondaya, Moses, omukarere wa Ndjambi, ndja sera na yo Ovaisrael ngunda e hiya ṱa.
2 Neye wa tja nai: “Muhona
wa za kondundu Sinai,
eye wa yeruruka otja eyuva kombanda ya Edom,
eye wa yerisa ondjerera okuza kondundu Paran.
Ovaengeri omayovi omurongo va ri puna ye,
norururumo rwomuriro rwa ri meke re rokunene.
3 Muhona wa suvera otjiwaṋa tje,
neye u tjevera imba mbe ri ove.
Neṱe tu haama pozombaze ze
okukara nonḓuviro komambo we;
4 Moses we tu rakiza inga omatwako
otja otjirumatwa tjombongo ya Jakob.
5 Muhona wa karira ombara mOisrael
oviuru vyotjiwaṋa tji vya wongara,
imbi omihoko vya Israel avihe kumwe.
6 “Moses wa tja nai ohunga notjiwaṋa tja Ruben:
Ruben nga kare nomuinyo, nu a ha koka,
nandarire kutja ovandu ve ovaṱiṱi motjivaro.”
7 Nu ohunga nomuhoko wa Juda wa tja nai:
“Muhona, zuvira eraka ra Juda!
Nu mu kotora kotjiwaṋa tje.
Mu rwira Muhona,
Nu ove rira ombatero ye kovemupirukire.”
8 Nu ohunga nomuhoko wa Levi wa tja nai:
“Ove, Muhona, vandurura
ombango yoye no Urim no Tumim,
okutja notjinyo tjovakarere voye
ovaṱakame, imba Ovalevi!
Ove we ve rorera mOmasa
nu wa kara nozombata na
wo pomeva wa Meriba.
9 Owo va kara nouṱakame kove
okukapita ihe na ina, novangu nomarumbi,
poo novanatje vawo.
Nowo va ṱakamisa omatwako woye
nave kakatere komerikutiropamwe na ove.
10 Owo mave hongo otjiwaṋa tjoye
Israel omaraerero nomatwako woye;
mave punguhire ombunguhiro
oningiririsiwa kotjipunguhiro tjoye.
11 Muhona, sera ondaya
kotjiwaṋa tjawo tji hare omasa;
Noviungura vyomake wawo ngavi tjate kove;
Nyanyaura ovanavita na wo novevepirukire;
Ve tjita kutja ave ha sekama rukwao.”
12 Komuhoko wa Benjamin eye wa tja nai:
“Imbwi omuhoko Muhona
mbwa suvera nu mbwe u tjevera.
Eye u uhongorera eyuva arihe,
nu u tura mokati kawo.”
13 Nu komuhoko wa Josef eye wa tja nai:
“Muhona nga sere ondaya kehi rawo nombura
nomueme nomeva ngu maye zu kehi yehi.
14 Ehi rawo ngari serwe ondaya novihape
oviwa ovimanise, mbi mavi hapisiwa i eyuva,
noviwa ovimanise avihe,
mbi mave nyomokisiwa i omieze;
15 Ozondundu zawo zoruveze
orukuru nga ze urisiwe novihape oviwa,
16 nehi rawo nga ri urisiwe noviṋa avihe oviwa,
nu a raserwa ondaya i ouwa
ovimanise wa Muhona,
Ngwa hungira motjimbuku tjaa tji yaka omuriro,
ozondaya nḓa azehe komuhoko wa Josef,
eye tjinga a ri otjiuru tjomarumbi we.
17 Josef una omasa tjimuna owo tjimburu,
nozonya ze ze ri tjimuna inḓa zotjimburu;
ma tuu na zo oviwaṋa avihe
kumwe nga komayandero wehi.
Ovandu omayovi omurongo
mave varerwa ku Efraim,
neyovi rimwe ku Manasse.”
18 Komuhoko wa Sebulon na Isakar
eye wa tja nai:
“Ṋingapara, Sebulon,
momauyenda woye wokuvare,
na ove, Isakar, nozondanda zoye.
19 Owo mave isanene oviwaṋa kozondundu;
nu ingo oku mave kapunguhira
ozombunguhiro ozosemba.
Tjinga amave isa outumbe
wawo momeva kokuvare,
novihuze oviundikwa,
mbi ri meheke pomukuro wokuvare.”
20 Komuhoko wa Gad eye wa tja nai:
“Muhona nga hivirikwe ngwa
tjitira Gad oruveze oruparanga;
eye ma karangavara otja ongeyama onḓenḓu,
na nyondorora okuoko notjikongo tjotjiuru.
21 Nowo ve ritoororera indi ehi ewa tjinene pu aehe,
tjinga ava pwikirwa orukondwa rwomunane.
Nowo va kara nonḓuviro kamazikamisiro
nomatwako wa Muhona
indu ovanane va Israel tjaa ve wongara pamwe.”
22 Nu komuhoko wa Dan eye wa tja nai:
“Dan ongeyama omutanda
ndja purukuta mObasan.”
23 Nu komuhoko wa Naftali eye wa tja nai:
“Naftali wa serwa ondaya i otjari tja Muhona;
Owini wehi re, okuza kOmuronga
wa Galilea nga keyuva kokumuho.”
24 Nu komuhoko wa Aser eye wa tja nai:
“Aser wa serwa ondaya pomihoko avihe omikwao,
eye nga kare omuingona mokati kovazamumwe ve,
nehi re ngari ure nomiti vyomiṋinga.
25 Ovihuro vye ngavi kare
nondjeverero yomivero vyovitenda,
nu ngunda e nomuinyo, nga kare norusuvo.
26 “Vaisrael, kape na Ndjambi
ngwa sana na Ndjambi weṋu,
ngu wondja keyuru a rire omuvatere woye,
na movikamba moutongame we.
27 Ndjambi waaruhe eye omaundiro woye,
nu omaoko we waaruhe ondjamo kove.
Neye wa ramba ovanavita na ove komurungu woye,
na tja: ‘Ve nyona avehe!’
28 Ozondekurona za Jakob va tura mohange,
mehi nde ura nomueme okuza keyuru notuharwi.
29 Israel, oove omuṋingandu!
Owaṋi ngu ri otja ove?
Otjiwaṋa tji tja kuturwa i Muhona.
Muhona omuini onguri
oruvao nengaruvyo rwoye,
okukuyama nokukupa outoṋi.
Ovanavita na ove mave ya okuriheka otjari,
nove mo ve ṋiṋikizire pehi.”
