Genesis 49

1 And Jacob sent for his sons, and said, Come together, all of you, so that I may give you news of your fate in future times.

Then Jacob called for his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.

2 Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.

Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.

4 But because you were uncontrolled, the first place will not be yours; for you went up to your father's bed, even his bride-bed, and made it unclean.

Uncontrollable as rushing water, you will not have the preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed. Then you defiled it; you went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.

Simeon and Levi are brothers. Weapons of violence are their swords.

6 Take no part in their secrets, O my soul; keep far away, O my heart, from their meetings; for in their wrath they put men to death, and for their pleasure even oxen were wounded.

O my soul, do not come into their council; do not join in their meetings, for my heart has too much honor for that. For in their anger they killed men. It was for pleasure that they hamstrung oxen.

7 A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.

May their anger be cursed, for it was fierce—and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

8 To you, Judah, will your brothers give praise: your hand will be on the neck of your haters; your father's sons will go down to the earth before you.

Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down before you.

9 Judah is a young lion; like a lion full of meat you have become great, my son; now he takes his rest like a lion stretched out and like an old lion; by whom will his sleep be broken?

Judah is a lion's cub. My son, you have gone up from your victims. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, like a lioness. Who would dare to awaken him?

10 The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah, and he will not be without a law-giver, till he comes who has the right to it, and the peoples will put themselves under his rule.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.

11 Knotting his ass's cord to the vine, and his young ass to the best vine; washing his robe in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes:

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

12 His eyes will be dark with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

His eyes will be as dark as wine, and his teeth as white as milk.

13 The resting-place of Zebulun will be by the sea, and he will be a harbour for ships; the edge of his land will be by Zidon.

Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea. He will be a harbor for ships, and his border will extend to Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:

Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

15 And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.

He sees a good resting place and the pleasant land. He will bend his shoulder to the burden and become a servant for the task.

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

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

17 May Dan be a snake in the way, a horned snake by the road, biting the horse's foot so that the horseman has a fall.

Dan will be a snake beside the road, a poisonous snake in the path that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.

18 I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.

I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

19 Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.

Gad—raiders will attack him, but he will attack them at their heels.

20 Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.

Asher's food will be rich, and he will provide royal delicacies.

21 Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.

Naphtali is a doe let loose; he will have beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;

Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.

23 He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:

The archers will attack him and shoot at him and harass him.

24 But their bows were broken by a strong one, and the cords of their arms were cut by the Strength of Jacob, by the name of the Stone of Israel:

But his bow will remain steady, and his hands will be skillful because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

25 Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:

The God of your father will help you and the Almighty God will bless you with blessings of the sky above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, and blessings of the breasts and womb.

26 Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.

The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains or the desirable things of the ancient hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, even upon the crown of the head of the prince of his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a wolf, searching for meat: in the morning he takes his food, and in the evening he makes division of what he has taken.

Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey, and in the evening he will divide the plunder.”

28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel: and these are the words their father said to them, blessing them; to every one he gave his blessing.

These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. Each one he blessed with an appropriate blessing.

29 And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Then he instructed them and said to them, “I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my forefathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought for a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.

31 There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.

There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.

The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the people of Heth.”

33 And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.

When Jacob finished these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and went to his people.