1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. |
2 "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel. |
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power. |
4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father's bed,
onto my couch and defiled it. |
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers-
their swords1 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. are weapons of violence. |
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. |
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel. |
8 "Judah,2 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise . your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father's sons will bow down to you. |
9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness-who dares to rouse him? |
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs3 49:10 Or until Shiloh comes ; or until he comes to whom tribute belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his. |
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes. |
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.4 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk |
13 "Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon. |
14 "Issachar is a rawboned5 49:14 Or strong donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.6 49:14 Or campfires |
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor. |
16 "Dan7 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice . will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel. |
17 Dan will be a serpent by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse's heels
so that its rider tumbles backward. |
18 "I look for your deliverance, O LORD . |
19 "Gad8 49:19 Gad can mean attack and band of raiders . will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels. |
20 "Asher's food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king. |
21 "Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.9 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words |
22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.10 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill |
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility. |
24 But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed11 49:23,24 Or archers will attack ? will shoot ? will remain ? will stay limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, |
25 because of your father's God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty,12 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai who blesses you
with blessings of the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
blessings of the breast and womb. |
26 Your father's blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than13 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among14 49:26 Or the one separated from his brothers. |
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder." |
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. |
29 Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, |
30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. |
31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. |
32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.15 49:32 Or the sons of Heth " |
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. |
