Genesis 49
1 Jacob called his sons together, and said, “Gather round so I can tell you what's going to happen to you in the future.
And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Come here, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.
Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
3 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.
Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power [should be thine].
4 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.
Unstable as water, thou shalt not have the excellence; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou the one who ascended my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are two of the same kind—they use their weapons for destructive violence.
Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence are their swords.
6 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.
Into their secret shall my soul not come; unto their assembly my spirit shall not be united; for in their anger they slew the man, and in their self-will they lamed the ox.
7 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.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you in respect.
Judah, thou art the one thy brothers shall praise, thy hand shall be on the neck of thy enemies; thy father's children shall bow down unto thee.
9 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?
Like a lion's whelp, O Judah, from the prey, my son, thou risest: he stoopeth down, he croucheth as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him up?
10 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.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet; until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 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.
He bindeth unto the vine his foal, and to the vine-branch his ass's colt; he washeth his garments in wine, and in the blood of grapes his clothes;
12 His eyes sparkle more than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
His eyes shall be red from wine, and his teeth white from milk.
13 Zebulun will live on the seashore and provide a harbor for ships; his territory will extend towards Sidon.
Zebulun shall dwell at the margin of the seas; and he shall be at the haven of ships; and his border shall be near to Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two saddle bags.
Issachar is a strong-boned ass, couching down between the stables.
15 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.
And when he saw the resting-place that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant, he bent his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 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.
Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder on the path, that biteth the horse in the heels, so that his rider falleth backward.
18 I trust in you to save me, Lord.
For thy salvation, I hope, O Lord.
19 Raiders will attack Gad, but he will attack their heels.
Gad, troops will band against him; but he shall wound their heel.
20 Asher will have delicious food—he'll produce fancy food for royalty.
Out of Asher cometh fat bread, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a deer that's free to run; it gives birth to beautiful fawns.
Naphtali is [like] a fleet hind; he bringeth pleasant words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree beside a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.
Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; the branches of which run over the wall.
23 The archers viciously attacked him; they shot their arrows at him with hate.
And they embittered his life, and they shot at him, and they hated him, the men of the arrows.
24 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.
But his bow abode in strength, and his arm and his hands remained firm; from the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, from there thou becamest the shepherd, the stone of Israel.
25 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.
From the God of thy father, who will help thee; and from the Almighty, who will bless thee, with blessings of heaven above, with blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath, with blessings of the breasts, and of the womb;
26 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.
With the blessings of thy father that have excelled the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: these shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a vicious wolf. In the morning he destroys his enemies, in the evening he divides the loot.”
Benjamin shall be as a wolf that rendeth: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at evening he shall divide the spoil.
28 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.
All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve in number; and this is what their father spoke unto them, and wherewith he blessed them; every one according to his proper blessing blessed he them.
29 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.
And he charged them and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me near my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 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.
In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which field Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession as a burying-place,
31 Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there, and I buried Leah there.
(There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah, )
32 The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.”
Purchasing the field and the cave that is therein from the children of Heth.
33 When Jacob finished giving these instructions he pulled up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his forefathers in death.
And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed; and he departed this life, and was gathered unto his people.
