Genesis 49

¹Then Jacob called his sons, and he said to them: “Gather together, so that I may announce what will happen to you in the last days.

²Gather together and listen, O sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

³Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength and the beginning of my sorrow: first in gifts, greater in authority.

⁴You are being poured out like water, may you not increase. For you climbed onto your father’s bed, and you defiled his resting place.

⁵The brothers Simeon and Levi: vessels of iniquity waging war.

⁶Let not my soul go by their counsel, nor my glory be within their meeting. For in their fury they killed a man, and in their self-will they undermined a wall.

⁷Cursed be their fury, because it was obstinate, and their indignation, because it was harsh. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel.

⁸Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be at the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father will reverence you.

⁹Judah is a lion’s young. You have gone up to the prey, my son. While resting, you have lain like a lion. And just like a lioness, who would rouse him?

¹⁰The scepter from Judah and the leader from his thigh will not be taken away, until he who will be sent arrives, and he will be the expectation of Gentiles.

¹¹Tying his young colt to the vineyard, and his donkey, O my son, to the vine, he will wash his robe in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape.

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

¹³Zebulun will live at the seashore and by the outpost of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.

¹⁴Issachar will be a strong donkey, reclining between the borders.

¹⁵He saw that rest would be good, and that the land was excellent. And so he bent his shoulder to carry, and he became a servant under tribute.

¹⁶Dan will judge his people just like any other tribe in Israel.

¹⁷Let Dan be a snake in the way, a viper in the path, biting the hooves of horses, so that his rider may fall backward.

¹⁸I will wait for your salvation, O Lord.

¹⁹Gad, being girded, will fight before him. And he himself will be girded backward.

²⁰Asher: his bread will be fat, and he will provide delicacies to the kings.

²¹Naphtali is a stag sent forth, offering words of eloquent beauty.

²²Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and stately to behold; the daughters run back and forth on the wall.

²³But those who held darts, provoked him, and they contend with him, and they envied him.

²⁴His bow sits in strength, and the bands of his arms and hands have been let loose by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob. From there he went forth as a pastor, the stone of Israel.

²⁵The God of your father will be your helper, and the Almighty will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the abyss that lies beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

²⁶The blessings of your father are strengthened by the blessings of his fathers, until the desire of the hills of eternity shall arrive. May they be at the head of Joseph, and at the summit of the Nazarite, among his brothers.

²⁷Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning he will eat the prey, and in the evening he will divide the spoil.”

²⁸All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. These things their father spoke to them, and he blessed each one with their proper blessings.

²⁹And he instructed them, saying: “I am being gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

³⁰opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought, along with its field, from Ephron the Hittite, as a possession for burial.

³¹There they buried him, with his wife Sarah.” And there Isaac was buried with his wife Rebekah. There also Leah lies preserved.

³²And having finished these commands by which he instructed his sons, he drew his feet onto the bed, and he passed away. And he was gathered to his people.

Genesis 49

¹And 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.

²Gather yourselves together, and hear, O ye sons of Jacob, hearken to Israel, your father:

³Ruben, my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow; excelling in gifts, greater in command.

⁴Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, and didst defile his couch.

⁵Simeon and Levi brethren: vessels of iniquity waging war.

⁶Let 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 self-will they undermined a wall.

⁷Cursed 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.

⁸Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise: thy hand shall be on the necks of thy enemies; the sons of thy father shall bow down to thee.

⁹Juda 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?

¹⁰The 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.

¹¹Tying 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.

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

¹³Zabulon shall dwell on the seashore, and in the road of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.

¹⁴Issachar shall be a strong ass, lying down between the borders.

¹⁵He 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.

¹⁶Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel.

¹⁷Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, that his rider may fall backward.

¹⁸I will look for thy salvation, O Lord.

¹⁹Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall be girded backward.

²⁰Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.

²¹Nephthali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.

²²Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold: the daughters run to and fro upon the wall;

²³But they that held darts, provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.

²⁴His 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.

²⁵The 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.

²⁶The 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.

²⁷Benjamin a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall divide the spoil.

²⁸All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed every one with their proper blessings.

²⁹And 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,

³⁰Over against Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought together with the field, of Ephron the Hethite, for a possession to bury in.

³¹There they buried him, and Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca, his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried.

³²And 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.