Genesis 49
1 And Jacob called his sons, and said to them: Gather yourselves together that I may tell you the things that shall befall you in the last days.
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 Gather yourselves together, and hear, O ye sons of Jacob, hearken to Israel your father:
Assemble yourselves and listen, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.
3 Ruben, my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow: excelling in gifts, greater in command.
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.
4 Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not: because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed, and didst defile his couch.
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 brethren: vessels of iniquity, waging war.
Simeon and Levi are brothers. Weapons of violence are their swords.
6 Let not my soul go into their counsel, nor my glory be in their assembly: because in their fury they slew a man, and in their selfwill they undermined a wall.
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 Cursed be their fury, because it was stubborn: and their wrath because it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them 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 Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise: thy hands shall be on the necks of thy enemies: the sons of thy father shall 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 Juda is a lion’s whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up: resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him?
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 sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations.
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 Tying his foal to the vineyard, and his ass, O my son, to the vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.
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 are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
His eyes will be as dark as wine, and his teeth as white as milk.
13 Zabulon shall dwell on the sea shore, and in the road of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.
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 shall be a strong ass lying down between the borders.
Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.
15 He saw rest that it was good: and the land that it was excellent: and he bowed his shoulder to carry, and became a servant under tribute.
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 shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel.
Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels that his rider may fall backward.
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 will look for thy salvation, O Lord.
I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.
19 Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall be girded backward.
Gad—raiders will attack him, but he will attack them at their heels.
20 Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.
Asher's food will be rich, and he will provide royal delicacies.
21 Nephtali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.
Naphtali is a doe let loose; he will have beautiful fawns.
22 Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold; the daughters run to and fro upon the wall.
Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.
23 But they that held darts provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.
The archers will attack him and shoot at him and harass him.
24 His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, 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 The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
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 The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers: until the desire of the everlasting hills should come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.
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 a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall divide the spoil.
Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey, and in the evening he will divide the plunder.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed every one, with their proper blessings.
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 charged them, saying: I am now going to be gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,
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 Over against Mambre in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought together with the field of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to bury in.
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 they buried him, and Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried.
There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the people of Heth.”
33 And when he had ended the commandments, wherewith he instructed his sons, he drew up his feet upon the bed, and died: and he was gathered to 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.
