Genesis 49

1 Jacob called his sons together, and said, “Gather round so I can tell you what's going to happen to you in the future.

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days.

2 Come here, sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

3 Reuben. You are my firstborn, conceived when I was strong, born when I was vigorous! You were above all others is position, above all others in power.

Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the first-fruits of my strength; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.

4 But you boil over like water, so you won't be above anyone anymore, because you went and slept with my concubine; you violated my marriage bed.

Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it — he went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are two of the same kind—they use their weapons for destructive violence.

Simeon and Levi are brethren; weapons of violence their kinship.

6 I refuse to be part of their decisions; I refuse to participate in what they do. For they killed men in their anger; they crippled cattle just for fun.

Let my soul not come into their council; unto their assembly let my glory not be united; for in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed oxen.

7 I curse their anger because it is too harsh; I curse their fury because it is too cruel! I will separate their descendants throughout Jacob; I will scatter them throughout 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, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. Your father's sons shall bow down to you in respect.

Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall bow down before thee.

9 My son Judah is a young lion coming back from eating its prey. He crouches and lies down like a lion. Like a lion, who would dare to disturb him?

Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

10 Judah will always hold the scepter, and the staff of authority will always be at his feet until Shiloh comes; the nations will obey him.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

11 He ties his donkey to the vine, his donkey's colt to the best vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the red juice of grapes.

Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washeth his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes;

12 His eyes sparkle more than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

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

13 Zebulun will live on the seashore and provide a harbor for ships; his territory will extend towards Sidon.

Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, and he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be upon Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two saddle bags.

Issachar is a large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds.

15 He sees that the place where he's resting is good, and the land is lovely, so he's willing to lower his back to accept the burden and to work as a slave.

For he saw a resting-place that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under task-work

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

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

17 Dan will be as dangerous as a snake beside the road, a viper by the path that bites the horse's heel, throwing its rider off backwards.

Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, so that his rider falleth backward.

18 I trust in you to save me, Lord.

I wait for Thy salvation, O Lord.

19 Raiders will attack Gad, but he will attack their heels.

Gad, a troop shall troop upon him; but he shall troop upon their heel.

20 Asher will have delicious food—he'll produce fancy food for royalty.

As for Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21 Naphtali is a deer that's free to run; it gives birth to beautiful fawns.

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

22 Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree beside a spring, whose branches climb over the wall.

Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain; its branches run over the wall.

23 The archers viciously attacked him; they shot their arrows at him with hate.

The archers have dealt bitterly with him, and shot at him, and hated him;

24 But he held his bow steady, and his arms and hands moved quickly in the strength of the Mighty One of Jacob, who is called the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

But his bow abode firm, and the arms of his hands were made supple, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, from thence, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,

25 The God of your father will help you and the Almighty will bless you with blessings from the heavens above, with blessings from the depths below, with blessings for many children.

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 coucheth beneath, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

26 The blessings your father received were greater than the blessings of his forefathers, more than the blessings of the eternal mountains. May they be upon the head of Joseph, on the forehead of the one set apart as a leader from his brothers.

The blessings of thy father are mighty beyond the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of the prince among his brethren.

27 Benjamin is a vicious wolf. In the morning he destroys his enemies, in the evening he divides the loot.”

Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth; in the morning he devoureth the prey, and at even he divideth the spoil.'

28 These are all of the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father told them as he blessed them, each according to their respective blessings.

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

29 Then he gave them the following instructions: “I'm going to die soon. Bury me with my forefathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

And he charged them, and said unto them: 'I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought together with the field from Ephron the Hittite to own as a burial site.

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 for a possession of a burying-place.

31 Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there, and I buried Leah there.

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 were bought from the Hittites.”

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

33 When Jacob finished giving these instructions he pulled up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his forefathers in death.

And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered unto his people.