charge to your children, that they may keep, and perform all 47 the words of this law; for this is not a vain thing for you; for

it is your life; and, for the sake of this word, you shall prolong your days in the land to which you are going, to cross the

Jordan to take possession. 48 Then the Lord spoke to Moses that day, saying, Go up

the mountain Abarim, to that mount Nabo, which is in the

land of Moab, fronting Jericho, and take a view of the land of 49 Chanaan, which I give to the children of Israel ; and die on 50 the mount to which thou goest up, and be gathered to thy peo

ple, in the same manner as thy brother Aaron died on mount 51 Or, and was gathered to his people, because you disobeyed

among the children of Israel, at the water of strife, 52 at Kades, in the wilderness of Sin. Because you did not hal

low me among the children of Israel, thou shalt see the land at

a distance, but shalt not go in thither. XXXIII. Now this is the blessing with which Moses, the man

of God blessed the children of Israel, before his death; and

my word

he said,

2

3

4

The Lord came from Sina
And shined upon us out of Seir;
He hasted from mount Paran,
With myriads from Kades;
His angels with him on his right.

He compassionated his people ;
All the sanctified are under thy sway,
But these are immediately under thee.

From His words Moses received the law
Which he gave in charge to us,
An inheritance for the assemblies of Jacob.

Let Him therefore be chief among the beloved.
When the chiefs of peoples assemble with the tribes of Is-

rael,
Let Reuben live and not die,
And Symeon though he be few in number.

Now this was the blessing of Juda
Hear, O Lord, the voice of Juda!
And until thou comest to his people;
Let his hands contend for them,

5

6

7

And be thou his help from enemies.

And of Levi he said
Assign ye to Levi his manifestations,
And his truth to this man for the Holy One
Whom they tried at Temptation.
Whom they reviled at the water of Contradiction.
With regard to him who saith to his father and to his

mother
I have not beheld thee,
And hath not acknowledged his brethren,
And hath renounced his own children,
He it is who hath observed thine Oracles
And diligently kept thy covenant.

Let them explain thy rules of rectitude for Jacob
And thy law for Israel:
Let them lay incense continually,
When thou art angry, on thine altar.

Bless, O Lord, his endeavours,
And accept the works of his hands.
Pierce the loins of enemies,
Who have risen up against him:
And let them who hate him never rise up.

And of Benjamin he said,
Beloved! He shall dwell securely under the Lord.
God overshadoweth him continually,
And hath taken up his rest between his shoulders.

And of Joseph he said,
His land is a special blessing of the Lord
On account of heavenly seasons and dew,
And on account of abysses of fountains from beneath,
And on account of the productions, in due season
Of the sun's revolutions and the changes of the moon,

As his land of plenty is beautified
With summits of ancient mountains
And with summits of everlasting hills ;
So may the things acceptable
To him who appeared in the bush,
Come upon the head of Joseph;
He indeed is glorified

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13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

In being the head over brothers.
His beauty is that of a firstling bull,
His horns are the horns of an Unicorn,
With these he will push the nations at once,
Even from the limits of the land.
These are the myriads of Ephraim;
And these the thousands of Manasses.

And of Zabulon he said,
Rejoice, O Zabulon, in thine outgoings;
And let Issachar rejoice in his abodes.

They shall utterly root out nations.
And there you shall invoke,
And there offer the sacrifice of righteousness.
For the riches of the sea shall feed thee,
And a commerce with the dwellers on the sea coast.

And of Gad he said
Blessed is he who enlargeth Gad.
Like a lion he lay down to rest,
Having broken an arm and a chief.
He took a view of his portion
Because land was there divided.
When chiefs assembled with the leaders of tribes;
The Lord executed Justice
And determined his cause with Israel.

And of Dan he said
Dan is a lion's whelp;
He will make excursions beyond Basan.

And of Nephthaleim he said,
Nephthaleim hath abundance of good things;
May he be filled with blessings from the Lord !
He shall possess the west and the south.

And of Aser he said,
Aser is blessed with children,
He will be acceptable to his brethren.
He shall bathe his foot in oil,
His shoe shall be iron and brass.

As thy days so shall be thy strength.
There is none like the God of the Beloved.
He who rideth on the heaven is thy helper,

22

23

24

25

26

And he is mighty to give support.
27 The governance of God will protect thee

When under the power of everlasting arms.
He will drive out the enemy before thee,

Saying, Be devoted to destruction! 28 And Israel shall dwell securely alone,

In the land of Jacob, fed with corn and wine :

And the heaven shall drop with dew for thee. 29 Blessed art thou, O Israel!

Who is like thee, O people saved by the Lord!
Thy helper will protect thee,
His sword shall be thy boast,

Thine enemies shall submit to thee,

- And thou shalt ride upon their neck. XXXIV. Then Moses went up from Araboth Moab to mount

Nabo, to the top of Phasga, which is over against Jericho, and

the Lord shewed him all the land of Galaad, even to Dan, and 2 all the land of Nephthaleim, and all the land of Ephraim, and

Manasses, and all the land of Juda, even to the farther sea, and 3 the wilderness, and the country around Jericho, the city of palm 4 trees, even to Segor. And the Lord said to Moses, This is the

land which I solemnly promised to Abraham, and Isaak, and Jacob, saying, To your seed I will give it. I have pointed it

out to thine eyes, but thou shalt not go thither. 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died, by the command 6 of the Lord, in the land of Moab; and he was buried at Gai

near the house of Phogor. But none knoweth his sepulchre at

this day. 7 Though Moses was an hundred and twenty years old, his 8 eyes were not dim, nor was his natural strength abated. And

the children of Israel mourned for Moses, in Araboth Moab, 9 by the Jordan, over against Jericho, thirty days. And when the

days of mourning for Moses were fulfilled, as Joshua son of Nave was filled with a spirit of wisdom, (for Moses had laid his

hands upon him) the children of Israel hearkened to him, and 10 did as the Lord commanded Moses. But there no more arose

a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, on Pharao and his servants, and on all his

VOL. I.

Z z

land, the great miracles, and the strong hand, which Moses eshibited in the sight of all Israel.

JOSHUA.

1. After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua, son of 2 Nave, the lieutenant of Moses, saying, My servant Moses is

dead, now therefore arise, and cross the Jordan, thou and all 3 the people, into the land which I give them. Every place, on

which you tread with the sole of your feet, I will give you, as 4 I said to Moses. The wilderness, and yonder Antilibanus, to

the river, the great river Euphrates, and to the farthest sea, at 5 the setting of the sun, shall be your boundaries. Not a man

shall withstand you all the days of thy life. As I was with Mo6 ses, so will I be with thee. I will never leave thee, nor forsake

thee. Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt parcel out

to this people the land, which I solemnly promised their fa7 thers to give to them. Therefore be strong, and courageous,

to watch, and to do as my servant Moses commanded. Thou 8 must not deviate from them, to the right or to the left. That

thou mayst clearly understand all that thou art to do, the book of the Law must never be out of thy mouth. Thou must study it day and night, that thou mayst know how to do all that are written. Then shalt thou be prospered; and thou wilt make thy

ways prosperous; and then thou shalt have a good understand9 ing. Behold I have commanded thee; be strong and coura

geous: fear not, nor be dismayed; for the Lord thy God is

with thee whithersoever thou goest. 10 Upon this Joshua gave orders to the officers of the people,

saying; Go through the camp of the people, and give them or11 ders, saying, Prepare all necessary provisions; for in three days

you are to cross the Jordan, to go in and take possession of the 12 land which the Lord the God of your fathers giveth you. Then

Joshua said to Reuben, and Gad, and to the half of the tribe 13 of Manasses, Remember what Moses the servant of the Lord

commanded you saying; The Lord your God hath given you 14 rest, and hath given you this land. Let your wives, and your

children, and your cattle abide in the land which he hath given yoy; but you, all your able bodied men, well equipt, shall cross