The Priestly Blessing in Hebrew and English

Three verses, fifteen words, with the English under each verse.

Numbers 6:24-26

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;

יָאֵר יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃

The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;

יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלֽוֹם׃

The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Hebrew text from Unicode/XML Leningrad Codex (UXLC 2.6) (free to copy).
English from The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation (JPS 1917) (public domain).
Compared letter by letter with Miqra according to the Masorah (CC BY-SA).

Sources read on 2 November 2026

When and how this prayer is said

Customarily said by the kohanim to the congregation during the prayers, and by many parents over their children on Friday night.
15 words, about 1 minute to read

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Questions about this prayer

Where does the Priestly Blessing come from?

From the Torah, in Numbers 6:24-26, where God tells Moses to have Aaron and his sons bless the Israelites in these words.

Who says the Priestly Blessing?

Customarily the kohanim, the descendants of Aaron, say it to the congregation during the prayers. Many parents also say it over their children on Friday night.

How long is the Priestly Blessing?

Three verses of 3, 5 and 7 words, 15 words in all.

How long does Birkat Kohanim take?

About 1 minute at a steady pace, 15 words.

The text of the prayer