Genesis 49

1 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.

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.

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

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

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

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

4 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.

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.

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

Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence their kinship.

6 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.

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.

7 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.

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.

8 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.

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.

9 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?

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?

10 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.

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.

11 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.

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;

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

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

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

Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, and he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be upon Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.

Issachar is a large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds.

15 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.

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

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

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

17 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.

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.

18 I wait for your salvation, God.

I wait for Thy salvation, O Lord.

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

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

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

As for Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21 Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

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

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

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

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

24 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,

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,

25 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.

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.

26 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.

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.

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

Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he devoureth the prey, and at even he divideth the spoil.'

28 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.

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.

29 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,

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,

30 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.

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.

31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, 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 in it were purchased from the sons of Heth."

The field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.'

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

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.