Genesis 49

1 And Jacob calleth unto his sons and saith, 'Be gathered together, and I declare to you that which doth happen with you in the latter end of the days.

Jacob 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.

2 'Be assembled, and hear, sons of Jacob, And hearken unto Israel your father.

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

3 Reuben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength;

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

4 Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!

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.

5 Simeon and Levi [are] brethren! Instruments of violence — their espousals!

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

6 Into their secret, come not, O my soul! Unto their assembly be not united, O mine honour; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will eradicated a prince.

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.

7 Cursed [is] their anger, for [it is] fierce, And their wrath, for [it is] sharp; I divide them in Jacob, And I 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! thou — thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand [is] on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to 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 A lion's whelp [is] Judah, For prey, my son, thou hast gone up; He hath bent, he hath crouched as a lion, And as a lioness; who causeth him to arise?

Judah 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?

10 The sceptre turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his [is] the obedience of peoples.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. The obedience of the peoples will be to him.

11 Binding to the vine his ass, And to the choice vine the colt of his ass, He hath washed in wine his clothing, And in the blood of grapes his covering;

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.

12 Red [are] eyes with wine, And white [are] teeth with milk!

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

13 Zebulun at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he [is] for a haven of ships; And his side [is] unto Zidon.

“Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

14 Issacher [is] a strong ass, Crouching between the two folds;

“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

15 And he seeth rest that [it is] good, And the land that [it is] pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.

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.

16 Dan doth judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel;

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

17 Dan is a serpent by the way, An adder by the path, Which is biting the horse's heels, And its rider falleth backward.

Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.

18 For Thy salvation I have waited, Jehovah!

I have waited for your salvation, LORD.

19 Gad! a troop assaulteth him, But he assaulteth last.

“A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

20 Out of Asher his bread [is] fat; And he giveth dainties of a king.

“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.

21 Naphtali [is] a hind sent away, Who is giving beauteous young ones.

“Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph [is] a fruitful son; A fruitful son by a fountain, Daughters step over the wall;

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

23 And embitter him — yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;

The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:

24 And his bow abideth in strength, And strengthened are the arms of his hands By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, Whence is a shepherd, a son of Israel.

But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

25 By the God of thy father who helpeth thee, And the Mighty One who blesseth thee, Blessings of the heavens from above, Blessings of the deep lying under, Blessings of breasts and womb; —

even by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

26 Thy father's blessings have been mighty Above the blessings of my progenitors, Unto the limit of the heights age-during They are for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of the one Separate [from] his brethren.

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

27 Benjamin! a wolf teareth; In the morning he eateth prey, And at evening he apportioneth spoil.'

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”

28 All these [are] the twelve tribes of Israel, and this [is] that which their father hath spoken unto them, and he blesseth them; each according to his blessing he hath blessed them.

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

29 And he commandeth them, and saith unto them, 'I am being gathered unto my people; bury me by my fathers, at the cave which [is] in the field of Ephron the Hittite;

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 Hittite,

30 in the cave which [is] in the field of Machpelah, which [is] on the front of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-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 from Ephron the Hittite 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 Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

32 the purchase of the field and of the cave which [is] in it, [is] from Sons of Heth.'

the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.”

33 And Jacob finisheth commanding his sons, and gathereth up his feet unto the bed, and expireth, and is gathered unto his people.

When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.