Genesis 49

1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of 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 Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

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

3 Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the first-fruits of my strength; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

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

4 Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it — he went up to my 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 are brethren; weapons of violence their kinship.

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

6 Let my soul not come into their council; unto their assembly let my glory not be united; for in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed oxen.

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 anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and 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 Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall bow down before 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 lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

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 depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

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 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washeth his garments in wine, and his vesture 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 shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

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

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, and he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be upon 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 large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds.

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

15 For he saw a resting-place that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under task-work

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, as one of the tribes of Israel.

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

17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, so that his rider falleth 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 wait for Thy salvation, O Lord.

I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

19 Gad, a troop shall troop upon him; but he shall troop upon their heel.

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

20 As for Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield 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 let loose; he will have beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain; its branches run over the wall.

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

23 The archers have dealt bitterly with him, and shot at him, and hated him;

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

24 But his bow abode firm, and the arms of his hands were made supple, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, from thence, from the Shepherd, 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 thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath, 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 mighty beyond the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the prince 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 is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he devoureth the prey, and at even he divideth 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, and this is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

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, and said unto them: 'I am to be gathered unto 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 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 cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-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 they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

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 that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.'

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

33 And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered unto 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.