Genesis 49
1 And Jacob called his sons, and said to them,
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, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear Israel, hear your father.
Come here, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.
3 Ruben, thou [art] my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, [hard and] self-willed.
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 Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch, whereupon thou wentest up.
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 Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off.
Simeon and Levi are two of the same kind—they use their weapons for destructive violence.
6 Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they slew men, and in their passion they houghed a bull.
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 wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, 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 Juda, thy brethren have praised thee, and thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall do thee reverence.
Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you in respect.
9 Juda is a lion's whelp: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir 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 A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations.
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 the foal of his ass to the branch [of it], he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.
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 more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
His eyes sparkle more than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he [shall be] by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon.
Zebulun will live on the seashore and provide a harbor for ships; his territory will extend towards Sidon.
14 Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances.
Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two saddle bags.
15 And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labour, and became a husbandman.
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 tribe too in Israel.
Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall 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 waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
I trust in you to save me, Lord.
19 Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, [pursuing him] closely.
Raiders will attack Gad, but he will attack their heels.
20 Aser, his bread [shall be] fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes.
Asher will have delicious food—he'll produce fancy food for royalty.
21 Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.
Naphtali is a deer that's free to run; it gives birth to beautiful fawns.
22 Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me.
Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree beside a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.
23 Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached [him], and the archers pressed hard upon him.
The archers viciously attacked him; they shot their arrows at him with hate.
24 But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is he that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father;
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 and my God helped thee, and he blessed thee with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of the blessing 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 and thy mother—it has prevailed above the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of the brothers of whom he took the lead.
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, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food.
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 sons of Jacob; and their father spoke these words to them, and he blessed them; he blessed each of them according to his blessing.
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 said to them, I am added to my people; ye shall bury me with my fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Chettite,
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 double cave which is opposite Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, the cave which Abraam bought of Ephron the Chettite, for a possession of a sepulchre.
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 Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea;
Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there, and I buried Leah there.
32 in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, [purchased] of the sons of Chet.
The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.”
33 And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, 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.
