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 called for his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.
2 Gather yourselves together, 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 beginning of my strength; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power [should be thine].
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, and outstanding 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.
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 are their swords.
Simeon and Levi are brothers. Weapons of violence are their swords.
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.
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 is fierce; and their wrath, for it is 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, 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. 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 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 Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.
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 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 from wine, and his teeth white from milk.
His eyes will be as dark as wine, and his teeth as white as 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 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 strong-boned ass, couching down between the stables.
Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.
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.
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 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 snake beside the road, a poisonous snake in 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, Yahweh.
19 Gad, troops will band against him; but he shall wound their heel.
Gad—raiders will attack him, but he will attack them 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 let loose; he will have 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 bough, a fruitful bough near a spring, whose branches climb over the 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 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.
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 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;
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 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 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 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 hungry wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey, and in the 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.
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 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 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 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, 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 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 people 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 these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and went to his people.
