Genesis 49

1 And Jacob called to his sons, and said, gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

Jacob called his sons together, and said, “Gather round so I can tell you what's going to happen to you in the future.

2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken to Israel your father.

Come here, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.

3 Reuben, thou are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

Reuben. You are my firstborn, conceived when I was strong, born when I was vigorous! You were above all others is position, above all others in power.

4 Boiling over as water, thou shall not have the pre-eminence, because thou went up to thy father's bed, then thou defiled it; he went up to my couch.

But you boil over like water, so you won't be above anyone anymore, because you went and slept with my concubine; you violated my marriage bed.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence are their swords.

Simeon and Levi are two of the same kind—they use their weapons for destructive violence.

6 O my soul, come not thou into their council, to their assembly, my glory, be not thou united, for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hocked an ox.

I refuse to be part of their decisions; I refuse to participate in what they do. For they killed men in their anger; they crippled cattle just for fun.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

I curse their anger because it is too harsh; I curse their fury because it is too cruel! I will separate their descendants throughout Jacob; I will scatter them throughout Israel.

8 Judah, thy brothers shall praise thee. Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies. Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee.

Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you in respect.

9 Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, thou have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him up?

My son Judah is a young lion coming back from eating its prey. He crouches and lies down like a lion. Like a lion, who would dare to disturb him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and to him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

Judah will always hold the scepter, and the staff of authority will always be at his feet until Shiloh comes; the nations will obey him.

11 Binding his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

He ties his donkey to the vine, his donkey's colt to the best vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the red juice of grapes.

12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

His eyes sparkle more than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and he shall be for a haven of ships. And his border shall be upon Sidon.

Zebulun will live on the seashore and provide a harbor for ships; his territory will extend towards Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong donkey, couching down between the sheepfolds.

Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two saddle bags.

15 And he saw a resting place that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant. And he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under task work.

He sees that the place where he's resting is good, and the land is lovely, so he's willing to lower his back to accept the burden and to work as a slave.

16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.

Dan will be as dangerous as a snake beside the road, a viper by the path that bites the horse's heel, throwing its rider off backwards.

18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

I trust in you to save me, Lord.

19 Gad, a troop shall press upon him, but he shall press upon their heel.

Raiders will attack Gad, but he will attack their heels.

20 Out of the Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

Asher will have delicious food—he'll produce fancy food for royalty.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose. He gives goodly words.

Naphtali is a deer that's free to run; it gives birth to beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a fountain, his branches run over the wall.

Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree beside a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.

23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and persecute him,

The archers viciously attacked him; they shot their arrows at him with hate.

24 but his bow abode in strength. And the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

But he held his bow steady, and his arms and hands moved quickly in the strength of the Mighty One of Jacob, who is called the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

25 even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that couches beneath, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

The God of your father will help you and the Almighty will bless you with blessings from the heavens above, with blessings from the depths below, with blessings for many children.

26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my forefathers to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

The blessings your father received were greater than the blessings of his forefathers, more than the blessings of the eternal mountains. May they be upon the head of Joseph, on the forehead of the one set apart as a leader from his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a wolf that ravens. In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at evening he shall divide the spoil.

Benjamin is a vicious wolf. In the morning he destroys his enemies, in the evening he divides the loot.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is it that their father spoke to them and blessed them; every man according to his blessing he blessed them.

These are all of the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father told them as he blessed them, each according to their respective blessings.

29 And he ordered them, and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Then he gave them the following instructions: “I'm going to die soon. Bury me with my forefathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place.

This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought together with the field from Ephron the Hittite to own as a burial site.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah,

Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there, and I buried Leah there.

32 the field and the cave that is in it, which was purchased from the sons of Heth.

The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.”

33 And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.

When Jacob finished giving these instructions he pulled up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his forefathers in death.