Genesis 49

1 Then Jacob called for his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in the future.

And Jacob called his sons, and said to them,

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

Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear Israel, hear your father.

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, and outstanding in power.

Ruben, you [are] my firstborn, you my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, [hard and] self-willed.

4 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.

You were insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for you went up to the bed of your father; then you defiled the couch, whereupon you went up.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers. Weapons of violence are their swords.

Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off.

6 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.

Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they killed men, and in their passion they houghed a bull.

7 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.

Cursed be their wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, 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.

Juda, your brethren have praised you, and your hands shall be on the back of your enemies; your father's sons shall do you reverence.

9 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?

Juda is a lion's whelp: from the tender plant, my son, you are gone up, having couched you lie as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him up?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. The nations will obey him.

A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations.

11 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.

Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the branch [of it], he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.

12 His eyes will be as dark as wine, and his teeth as white as milk.

His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea. He will be a harbor for ships, and his border will extend to Sidon.

Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he [shall be] by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances.

15 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.

And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labor, and became a husbandman.

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

Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel.

17 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.

And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward),

18 I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

waiting for the salvation of the Lord.

19 Gad—raiders will attack him, but he will attack them at their heels.

Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, [pursuing him] closely.

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

Aser, his bread [shall be] fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes.

21 Naphtali is a doe let loose; he will have beautiful fawns.

Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.

Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me.

23 The archers will attack him and shoot at him and harass him.

Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached [him], and the archers pressed hard upon him.

24 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.

But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is he that strengthened Israel from the God of your father;

25 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.

and my God helped you, and he blessed you with the blessing of heaven from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of the blessing of the breasts and of the womb,

26 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.

the blessings of your father and your mother—it has prevailed above the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of the brothers of whom he took the lead.

27 Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey, and in the evening he will divide the plunder.”

Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food.

28 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.

All these [are] the twelve sons of Jacob; and their father spoke these words to them, and he blessed them; he blessed each of them according to his blessing.

29 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,

And he said to them, I am added to my people; you shall bury me with my fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Chettite,

30 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.

in the double cave which is opposite Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, the cave which Abraam bought of Ephron the Chettite, for a possession of a sepulchre.

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 Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea;

32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the people of Heth.”

in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, [purchased] of the sons of Chet.

33 When Jacob finished these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and went to his people.

And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people.