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.
Jacob called his sons together, and said, “Gather round so I can tell you what's going to happen to you in the future.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.
Come here, sons of Jacob, and listen to 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 firstborn, conceived when I was strong, born when I was vigorous! You were above all others is position, above all others 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 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.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Simeon and Levi are two of the same kind—they use their weapons for destructive violence.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you in respect.
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?
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?
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.
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.
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:
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.
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
His eyes sparkle more than wine, and his teeth are whiter than 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.
Zebulun will live on the seashore and provide a harbor for ships; his territory will extend towards Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two saddle bags.
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.
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.
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 by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
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.
18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD.
I trust in you to save me, Lord.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Raiders will attack Gad, but he will attack their heels.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
Asher will have delicious food—he'll produce fancy food for royalty.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he gives goodly words.
Naphtali is a deer that's free to run; it gives birth to beautiful fawns.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree beside a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
The archers viciously attacked him; they shot their arrows at him with hate.
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 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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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 vicious wolf. In the morning he destroys his enemies, in the evening he divides the loot.”
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 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.
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,
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.
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.
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.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there, and I buried Leah there.
32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.”
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.
When Jacob finished giving these instructions he pulled up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his forefathers in death.
