And of Levi he said: again it is better to say something like “About the tribe of Levi he said” (Good News Translation) or “About the people of the tribe of Levi….”

Give to Levi: as the Revised Standard Version footnote states, this is from the Septuagint; it is not found in the Hebrew text as we have it. New Revised Standard Version follows Revised Standard Version but adds a Qumran manuscript in support of this addition. It is recommended that it be kept in translation. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({C} rating) prefers the following text:
to Levi your Thummim were given,
and your Urim (to a man, your holy one).

Levi … thy godly one: the name Levi and the expression thy godly one are parallel; thy godly one may be translated “the one who is dedicated to God,” or “you people who are God’s priests.”

The Thummim and Urim were two objects (perhaps stones) used by the priest to determine God’s will (see Exo 28.30; Lev 8.8; 1 Sam 14.41-42). It is not known precisely how they were used. It may be good to give this information in a footnote, as Good News Translation does: “urim and thummim: Two objects used by the priest to determine God’s will.” Contemporary English Version leaves out the reference to Urim and Thummim; but it is recommended that translators retain it.

Thou didst test … thou didst strive: these are parallel and close in meaning. To test someone is to subject that person to hardships and difficulties in order to reveal that person’s character. Another way to express this is “You caused them to endure hardships at Massah, to see what kind of people they were” (see also 8.2). To strive is to fight against. Good News Translation “proved them true” seems too far wide of the mark.

For Massah see 6.16; 9.22; Exo 17.7; for Meribah see 32.51; Exo 17.7.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Good News Translation shows how the first and second parts of this verse hang together; the Levites showed greater loyalty and dedication to Yahweh than to their parents, siblings, and children. Simply to translate all lines as complete, independent statements fails to bring out the meaning of the verse.

Who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’: in many languages there is no need to reproduce the direct speech of the Hebrew text; in a number of cases it will be better to use indirect discourse (see Good News Translation). In all cases the plural forms should be used: “fathers and mothers [or, parents], brothers and sisters [or, siblings], sons and daughters [or, children].” The background for this appears to be the incident narrated in Exo 32.35-39, in which the Levites slaughtered their own people at the command of Yahweh. To regard is to have feeling for, or to be concerned with. In idiomatic English this may be expressed as “They mean nothing to me.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy preserves the same structure for all three, to good effect:

Who said to his parents: “I have never seen you,”
and to his brothers: “I don’t know you,”
and to his children: “I don’t know who you are.”

Either this or Good News Translation can serve as a good model for the translator. In English brothers is exclusive, so “brothers and sisters” should be used. New Revised Standard Version “his kin” includes all relatives, and not simply blood brothers and sisters.

Disowned … ignored: these terms have the same meaning.

They observed thy word: a reader of Revised Standard Version does not know who they are. It refers, of course, to the Levites.

Observed … kept: these terms have the same meaning.

Thy word … thy covenant: these are parallel but not identical; word is a general term for God’s message, God’s laws and commands, and covenant refers to the special relationship between Yahweh and the people of Israel.

We may reverse the order of the clauses in this verse and translate as follows:

• Obeying the LORD’s commands and keeping the agreement that he made with Israel was more important to you than the life of your father or mother, or brothers or sisters, or your own children.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

They shall teach: it is better to use the present tense, “They teach” (New Revised Standard Version; also New International Version); see 17.9-10.

Thy ordinances: see 4.1. For thy law see 1.5. The two terms are equivalent.

Jacob … Israel: these are identical in this context.

They shall put: again the present tense is better, “They place” (New Revised Standard Version).

Before thee … upon thy altar: in this context these are the same; the altar was the place where sacrifices were offered to God.

Incense: see Exo 30.7; Lev 16.12-13. It is an aromatic substance that was used with sacrifices. In cultures where incense or other spices are unknown, translators may use a general term; for example, “sweet smelling things.” For whole burnt offering see 13.16.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Bless … his substance: the noun substance can be used of skill or strength (Good News Translation, and also New International Version “all his skills”); most often it means wealth or property (see 8.18), which is the meaning here. So we may also translate “LORD give the people of this tribe the power to become rich,” or “I pray that the LORD will give you the power to….”

Accept the work of his hands: this does not seem to refer to a single thing, but to everything the Levites do (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

Crush the loins of his adversaries: it may be that in some languages the equivalent of loins (the sexual organs of a man) in this context is still part of current speech; it certainly is not in English. It is better to use a verb like “defeat” or “destroy,” with the direct object “his [or their, or your] enemies.”

That they rise not again: the enemies are to be defeated and remain powerless forever, never a threat to the people of Israel again. Another way to express this is “so that they [the enemies] will never be able to fight you again.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Of Benjamin he said: see the models for other tribes in previous verses.

The beloved of the LORD: see in Gen 44.20; Benjamin was Jacob’s favorite son. It is better to make this a statement with a finite verb: “The tribe that the LORD loves” (similarly Good News Translation), or “Yahweh loves you, people of the tribe of Benjamin.”

He dwells in safety by him: see 12.10; 33.28. He is Benjamin; him is Yahweh. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “He rests securely beside Him.” Another way to render this is “You [the people of the tribe of Benjamin] rest securely beside Yahweh.”

New Revised Standard Version renders the first two lines of this blessing as “The beloved of the LORD rests in safety—the High God * surrounds him all day long—.” The footnote says “Heb above him.” There is a textual problem here. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({B} rating) favors this alternative rendering adopted by New Revised Standard Version, and translators should feel free to follow it as the text to be translated. But instead of “the High God,” the more usual “the Most High” should be used. Contemporary English Version follows this interpretation, with “The LORD most High loves you, tribe of Benjamin.” The adoption of this text results in a change in the first line, as set forth by New Revised Standard Version; instead of four lines (Revised Standard Version) there will be three lines.

He encompasses him all the day long: this is like the New Revised Standard Version text; he is Yahweh and him is the tribe of Benjamin. The verb encompasses means to surround with care, to protect.

Makes his dwelling between his shoulders: this can be understood in two ways:
(1) Benjamin lies safely between the shoulders (meaning, “in the arms”) of Yahweh;
(2) Yahweh lives in “the shoulders,” that is, the hills, of the tribe of Benjamin.

The verb “to dwell” is the one used in 12.11 (see also Isa 8.18). This is a reference to a sanctuary in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin; it may be Shiloh, or Bethel, but it is most probably Jerusalem itself, which was at one time regarded as being in the territory of Benjamin (see Josh 15.8; 18.28). The first interpretation is favored by New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje; the second one is adopted by New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, Osty-Trinquet. It is impossible to rule out either alternative, but on the whole the second interpretation seems more probable. Contemporary English Version reverses the order of the final two lines as follows:

• He will live among your hills
and protect you.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Verses 13-16b are one sentence in Hebrew; it does flow smoothly in English, and in some languages this structure may be kept. But see Good News Translation as a model for breaking it down into smaller units.

Of Joseph: Good News Translation begins, “About the tribe of Joseph.” At no time was there a geographical entity called “The tribe of Joseph.” Two of the tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, were named after the two sons of Joseph, and they appear in verse 17. “Descendants of Joseph” (Contemporary English Version) is a good alternative model.

Blessed by the LORD be his land: an active verb may be better; for example, “May the LORD bless…” (Good News Translation, New International Version), or “I ask the LORD to be kind to you and cause rain to fall on your land.”

With the choicest gifts of heavens above: the Revised Standard Version footnote says this translation is based on two Hebrew manuscripts and a Targum. The Hebrew text as we have it is literally “with the dew.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({A} rating) follows the Hebrew text and recommends a note: “see similar passages in Gen 27.28, 39; 49.25.” The Hebrew noun is “dew,” and translators should stay with this word and not change to “rain” (Good News Translation). So we may translate in the following way: “I ask the LORD to cause dew to come from the sky.” For a comment on dew see 32.2.

The deep that couches beneath: this refers to the vast body of underground water which, according to the Hebrew concept of the world, was the source of springs and rivers (see Gen 49.25). See the description of the land of Canaan in 8.7. The verb couches is used of animals lying down to rest or else lying in wait for prey (in Gen 49.9 it is used of a lion; in Deut 22.6 it is used of a mother bird spreading her wings over her young chicks). If possible, a translation should reproduce the meaning of the Hebrew verb.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Descendants of Joseph,
may the LORD be kind to you
and cause dew to come from the sky
and water to come up from deep beneath the ground.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse continues without a break from verse 13; it is the object of Blessed … be. Expressed in the active voice the connection is “May the LORD be kind to you [bless] and cause….”

Choicest fruits … rich yield: these are two similar expressions for good crops.

Of the sun: that is, the sun as the agent in the growing of good crops. New Jerusalem Bible has “the best of what the sun makes grow,” and New International Version “the best the sun brings forth.” In some languages this may not be a familiar concept, and certain adaptations will have to be made. One possibility is “… will ripen in the sunshine” (Contemporary English Version; similarly Good News Translation).

The rich yield of the months: the Hebrew word for “month” is “moon” (as it is in many other languages); so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “the bounteous crop of the moons,” and New International Version “the finest the moon can yield.” This makes for better parallelism with the previous line; but the idea that the moon helps crops to grow may appear very odd in some cultures. It seems better to translate as months, referring to the crops as they mature during different seasons of the year (see Good News Translation). However, we may retain the idea of months with “Month by month, your fruit will ripen…” (Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The finest produce … the abundance: these are parallel terms, indicating quality and quantity. So we may say “choice fruits” (Contemporary English Version).

The ancient mountains … the everlasting hills: these are parallel expressions and mean the same thing. See Gen 49.26, also of Joseph. The Good News Translation translation will serve as a good alternative model.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .