Genesis 49
1 And Jacob called his sons, and said to them: Gather yourselves together that I may tell you the things that 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 Gather yourselves together, and hear, O ye sons of Jacob, hearken to Israel your father:
Assemble yourselves and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.
3 Ruben, my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow: excelling in gifts, greater in command.
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the the firstfruits of my virility, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not: because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed, and didst defile his 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 brethren: vessels of iniquity, waging war.
Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.
6 Let not my soul go into their counsel, nor my glory be in their assembly: because in their fury they slew a man, and in their selfwill they undermined 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 fury, because it was stubborn: and their wrath because it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and will 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 Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise: thy hands shall be on the necks of thy enemies: the sons of thy father shall bow down 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 Juda is a lion’s whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up: resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him?
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 sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations.
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 Tying his foal to the vineyard, and his ass, O my son, to the vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.
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 are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
His eyes will be darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 Zabulon shall dwell on the sea shore, and in the road of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.
Zebulun will dwell at the seashore, and he will be a harbor for ships, and his border will be at Sidon.
14 Issachar shall be a strong ass lying down between the borders.
Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.
15 He saw rest that it was good: and the land that it was excellent: and he bowed his shoulder to carry, and became a servant under 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 like another tribe in Israel.
Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels that his rider may 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 will look for thy salvation, O Lord.
I wait for your salvation, God.
19 Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall be girded backward.
Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will raid at their heels.
20 Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.
Asher's food will be rich, and he will provide royal delicacies.
21 Nephtali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.
Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
22 Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold; the daughters run to and fro upon the wall.
Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son by a spring. His branches run over a wall.
23 But they that held darts provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.
The archers will attack him with bitterness, and shoot at him, and harass him.
24 His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, 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 The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, with the 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 are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers: until the desire of the everlasting hills should come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among 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 a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening 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: these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed every one, with their proper blessings.
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, saying: I am now going to be gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,
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 Over against Mambre in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought together with the field of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to bury in.
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 him, and Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried.
There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah.
The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the sons of Heth."
33 And when he had ended the commandments, wherewith he instructed his sons, he drew up his feet upon the bed, and died: and he 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.
