Genesis 49

1 Jacob [Supplanter] called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

And Jacob called to his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob [Supplanter]. Sh'ma ·Hear obey· unto Israel [God prevails], your father.

Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.

3 “Reuben [See, a son!], you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4 Boiling over like water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed; then defiled you it: he went up to my couch.

5 “Simeon [Hearing] and Levi [United with] are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

6 My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

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

7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob [Supplanter], and scatter them in Israel [God prevails].

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 [Praised], your brothers will yadah ·extend hands in thankful praise· to you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.

Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you.

9 Judah [Praised] is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, you are 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 [Praised], nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [Him to whom obedience belongs]. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.

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

11 Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; he has washed his garments in wine, his robes 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 red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

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

13 “Zebulun [Living together] will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

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

14 “Issachar [Hire, Reward] is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

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 [He judged] will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel [God prevails].

Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan [He judged] will be a serpent on the trail, an adder 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 bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18 I have waited for your yishu'ah ·salvation·, Adonai.

I have waited for your salvation, O LORD.

19 “A troop will press on Gad [Good fortune], but he will press on their heel.

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

20 “Asher [Happy]’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.

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

21 “Naphtali [My wrestling] is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

Naphtali is a hind let loose: he gives goodly words.

22 “Joseph [May he add] is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

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

23 The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecute him:

The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

24 But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the 'Avir Ya'akov [Mighty One of Supplanter], (from there is the Ro'i [Shepherd Provider], the 'Even Isra'el [Stone of God prevails]),

But his bow stayed in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel: )

25 even by the God of your father, who will help you; by Shaddai [Almighty], who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the racham ·womb of compassionate love·.

Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph [May he add], on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

The blessings of your 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 brothers.

27 “Benjamin [Son of right hand, Son of south] is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”

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

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel [God prevails], and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spoke to them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 He enjoined 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 [Fawn-like] the Hittite [Descendant of Trembling fear],

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 [Double], which is before Mamre [Bitter, Fatness], in the land of Canaan [Humbled], which Abraham [Father of a multitude] bought with the field from Ephron [Fawn-like] the Hittite [Descendant of Trembling fear] as a burial place.

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 burial plot.

31 There they buried Abraham [Father of a multitude] and Sarah [Princess], his wife. There they buried Isaac [Laughter] and Rebekah [Securely bound], his wife, and there I buried Leah [Weary]:

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 therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth [Trembling fear].”

The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

33 When Jacob [Supplanter] finished enjoining words to his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered to his people.