Genesis 49

1 And Jacob called to his sons, and said, Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last 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 to Israel your father.

Assemble yourselves and hear, 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 excellence of dignity, and the excellence 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 excel; 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: instruments of cruelty [are in], their habitations.

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

6 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.

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, 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.

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 hast gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion: 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 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.

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 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:

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 a haven of ships; and his border [shall be] to 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 two burdens:

Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.

15 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.

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 by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall 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 overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

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, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] 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 hated 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 [God] 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 lieth 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 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.

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 shall raven [as] a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night 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] which their father spoke to 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 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.

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 of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place.

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 purchase of the field and of the cave that [is] in it, [was] 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 had made an end of commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to 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.