Genesis 49

1 And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days.

Then Jacob summoned his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together so that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

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

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

3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the the firstfruits of my virility, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

4 Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my bed.

Uncontrolled as the waters, you will not have excel, because you went up to your father's bed, you went up and defiled my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords.

Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

6 My soul, come not into their council; Mine honour, be not united with their assembly; For in their anger they slew men, And in their wantonness houghed oxen.

May I never enter their council. May my honor never be joined with their assembly. For in their anger they killed men, and for pleasure they hamstrung oxen.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it [was] violent; And their rage, for it [was] cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

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

8 Judah — [as to] thee, thy brethren will praise thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children will bow down to thee.

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; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, And as a lioness: who will rouse him up?

Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you rise up. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

10 The sceptre will not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. And it is he whom the peoples will obey.

11 He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine; He washeth his dress in wine, And his garment in the blood of grapes.

Binding his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine. He will wash his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.

12 The eyes are red with wine, And the teeth [are] white with milk.

His eyes will be darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side [toucheth] upon Sidon.

Zebulun will dwell at the seashore, and he will be a harbor for ships, and his border will be at Sidon.

14 Issachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles.

Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.

15 And he saw the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And was a tributary servant.

When he sees a good resting place, that the land is pleasant, he will bend his back to the burden, and become a slave doing forced labor.

16 Dan will judge his people, As another of the tribes of Israel.

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

17 Dan will be a serpent on the way, A horned snake on the path, Which biteth the horse's heels, So that the rider falleth backwards.

Dan will be a serpent on the road, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward.

18 I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

I wait for your salvation, God.

19 Gad — troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel.

Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will raid at their heels.

20 Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give royal dainties.

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

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose; He giveth goodly words.

Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough; A fruitful bough by a well; [His] branches shoot over the wall.

Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son by a spring. His branches run over a wall.

23 The archers have provoked him, And shot at, and hated him;

The archers will attack him with bitterness, and shoot at him, and harass him.

24 But his bow abideth firm, And the arms of his hands are supple By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:

Yet his bow will remain steady, and his arms will be made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 From the God of thy father, and he will help thee; And from the Almighty, and he will bless thee — With blessings of heaven from above, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, With blessings of the breast and of the womb.

by the God of your father, who will help you, and El Shaddai, who will bless you with blessings of the sky above, blessings of the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of thy father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, and the bounty of the everlasting hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

27 Benjamin — [as] a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty.

Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey, and at evening he will divide the plunder."

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

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed each one with his own individual blessing.

29 And he charged them, and said to them, I am gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Then he instructed 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 Hethite,

30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite to Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite along with the field for a possession of a sepulchre.

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hethite as a burial place.

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

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

32 The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is in it, was from the children of Heth.

The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the sons of Heth."

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.

When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he drew his legs up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.