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 latter 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 Assemble yourselves, 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 firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

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 excellency; Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed: Then defiledst thou it: he went up to 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 O my soul, come not thou into their council; Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their selfwill they houghed an 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 was fierce; And their wrath, for it was 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, thee shall thy brethren praise: Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; Thy father’s sons shall bow down before 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 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?

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 the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples 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 Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; He hath washed his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

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 with wine, And his teeth white with milk.

His eyes will be darker than wine, and his teeth 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 upon 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 ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds:

Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.

15 And 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 taskwork.

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 in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the horse’s 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 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

I wait for your salvation, God.

19 Gad, a troop shall press upon him: But he shall press upon their heel.

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

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

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

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.

Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the wall.

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

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

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

24 But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong, By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (From thence is 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 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.

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 The blessings of thy father Have prevailed above 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 him that was separate from his brethren.

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 is a wolf that ravineth: In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at even 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 twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed 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 with 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 Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace:

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 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased 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 made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, 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.