Genesis 49

1 And Jacob called to his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

And Jacob sent for his sons, and said, Come together, all of you, so that I may give you news of your fate in future times.

2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.

Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:

4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed; then defiled you it: he went up to my couch.

But because you were uncontrolled, the first place will not be yours; for you went up to your father's bed, even his bride-bed, and made it unclean.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.

6 O my soul, come not you into their secret; to their assembly, my honor, be not you united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they dig down a wall.

Take no part in their secrets, O my soul; keep far away, O my heart, from their meetings; for in their wrath they put men to death, and for their pleasure even oxen were wounded.

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.

A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.

8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you.

To you, Judah, will your brothers give praise: your hand will be on the neck of your haters; your father's sons will go down to the earth before you.

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, you are gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Judah is a young lion; like a lion full of meat you have become great, my son; now he takes his rest like a lion stretched out and like an old lion; by whom will his sleep be broken?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the gathering of the people be.

The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah, and he will not be without a law-giver, till he comes who has the right to it, and the peoples will put themselves under his rule.

11 Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass’s colt to the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

Knotting his ass's cord to the vine, and his young ass to the best vine; washing his robe in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes:

12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

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

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be to Zidon.

The resting-place of Zebulun will be by the sea, and he will be a harbour for ships; the edge of his land will be by Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:

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

And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.

16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

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

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

May Dan be a snake in the way, a horned snake by the road, biting the horse's foot so that the horseman has a fall.

18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD.

I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.

19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.

20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he gives goodly words.

Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;

23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:

24 But his bow stayed in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel: )

But their bows were broken by a strong one, and the cords of their arms were cut by the Strength of Jacob, by the name of the Stone of Israel:

25 Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:

26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brothers.

Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.

27 Benjamin shall shred as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

Benjamin is a wolf, searching for meat: in the morning he takes his food, and in the evening he makes division of what he has taken.

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

These are the twelve tribes of Israel: and these are the words their father said to them, blessing them; to every one he gave his blessing.

29 And he charged 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 Hittite,

And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock 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 of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burial plot.

In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.

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

There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.

32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered to his people.

And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.