49
1 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 Assemble
yourselves, and
hear, you sons
of Jacob.
Listen to Israel,
your father.
3 “Reuben,
you are my
firstborn, my
might, and the
beginning of my
strength,
excelling in dignity,
and excelling in
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.
5 “Simeon
and Levi
are brothers.
Their swords are
weapons of
violence.
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.
7 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.
Your hand will
be on the
neck of your
enemies.
Your father’s
sons will bow
down before you.
9 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
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 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 His
eyes will be
red with wine,
his teeth white
with milk.
13 “Zebulun
will dwell at
the haven of
the sea.
He will be
for a haven
of ships.
His border will
be on Sidon.
14 “Issachar
is a strong
donkey,
lying down between
the saddlebags.
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.
16 “Dan
will judge his
people,
as one of the
tribes of Israel.
17 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 I
have waited for
your salvation,
LORD.
19 “A
troop will press on
Gad,
but he will press
on their heel.
20 “Asher’s
food will be
rich.
He will produce
royal dainties.
21 “Naphtali
is a doe set
free,
who bears beautiful fawns.
22 “Joseph
is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine
by a spring.
His branches run
over the wall.
23 The archers
have severely grieved
him,
shot at him,
and persecuted him:
24 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 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 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
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 what
their father spoke
to them, and
blessed them. He
blessed everyone according
to his own
blessing.
29 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 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:
32 the
field and the
cave that
is therein, which
was purchased from
the children of
Heth.”
33 When
Jacob finished
charging his sons,
he gathered up his
feet into the
bed, breathed his
last breath, and
was gathered to
his people.