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 to his sons, and said, Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days.

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

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob: and hearken to Israel your father.

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

Reuben, thou [art] my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellence of dignity, and the excellence of power:

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.

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; 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. Weapons of violence are their swords.

Simeon and Levi [are] brethren: instruments of cruelty [are in], their habitations.

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.

O my soul, come not thou into their secret; to their assembly, my honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall.

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 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, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand [shall be] on the neck of thy enemies: thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

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?

Judah [is] a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou hast gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion: who shall rouse 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.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh shall come: and to him [shall be] the gathering of the people.

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 his ass's colt to the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

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

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

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he [shall be] for a haven of ships; and his border [shall be] to Zidon.

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

Issachar [is] a strong ass, couching down between two burdens:

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 he saw that rest [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute.

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 snake beside the road, a poisonous snake in the path that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18 I wait for your salvation, Yahweh.

I have waited for thy salvation O LORD.

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

Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

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

Out of Asher his bread [shall be] fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

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

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

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

Joseph [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall:

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

The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated 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 his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob: from thence [is] the shepherd the stone of Israel:

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.

[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 lieth beneath, blessings 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 thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to 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.

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

Benjamin shall raven [as] a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

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 tribes of Israel: and this [is it] which their father spoke to them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

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 charged 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 Hittite.

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 cave that [is] in the field of Machpelah, which [is] before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-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 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 people of Heth.”

The purchase of the field and of the cave that [is] in it, [was] from the children of Heth.

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 when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his people.