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 last days.

Then Jacob summoned his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together so that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

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

3 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].

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the the firstfruits of my virility, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

4 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.

Uncontrolled as the waters, you will not have excel, because you went up to your father's bed, you went up and defiled my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence are their swords.

Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

6 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.

May I never enter their council. May my honor never be joined with their assembly. For in their anger they killed men, and for pleasure they hamstrung oxen.

7 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.

Cursed be their anger, for it has been fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 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.

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 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?

Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you rise up. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

10 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.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. And it is he whom the peoples will obey.

11 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;

Binding his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine. He will wash his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.

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

His eyes will be darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 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.

Zebulun will dwell at the seashore, and he will be a harbor for ships, and his border will be at Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong-boned ass, couching down between the stables.

Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.

15 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.

When he sees a good resting place, that the land is pleasant, he will bend his back to the burden, and become a slave doing forced labor.

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 on the path, that biteth the horse in the heels, so that his rider falleth backward.

Dan will be a serpent on the road, a viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward.

18 For thy salvation, I hope, O Lord.

I wait for your salvation, God.

19 Gad, troops will band against him; but he shall wound their heel.

Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will raid at their heels.

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

Asher's food will be rich, and he will provide royal delicacies.

21 Naphtali is [like] a fleet hind; he bringeth pleasant words.

Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; the branches of which run over the wall.

Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son by a spring. His branches run over a wall.

23 And they embittered his life, and they shot at him, and they hated him, the men of the arrows.

The archers will attack him with bitterness, and shoot at him, and harass him.

24 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.

Yet his bow will remain steady, and his arms will be made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 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;

by the God of your father, who will help you, and El Shaddai, who will bless you with blessings of the sky above, blessings of the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 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.

The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, and the bounty of the everlasting hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

27 Benjamin shall be as a wolf that rendeth: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at evening he shall divide the spoil.

Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey, and at evening he will divide the plunder."

28 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.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed each one with his own individual blessing.

29 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,

Then he instructed 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 Hethite,

30 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,

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hethite as a burial place.

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 his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah.

32 Purchasing the field and the cave that is therein from the children of Heth.

The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the sons of Heth."

33 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.

When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he drew his legs up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.