Genesis 49

Jacobs Last Words to His Sons

1 And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:2 Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your fathers bed; Then you defiled it He went up to my couch.5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your fathers children shall bow down before you.9 Judah is a lions whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkeys colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.13 Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.14 Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;15 He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.16 Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horses heels So that its rider shall fall backward.18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!19 Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.20 Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.21 Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Jacobs Death and Burial

29 Then he charged 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 of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for 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 there were purchased from the sons of Heth.33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

GENESIS 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

1 Jacob called his sons together and said:
My sons, I am Jacob,
your father Israel.

2 Come, gather around,
as I tell your future.

3 Reuben, you are my oldest,
born at the peak of my powers;
you were an honored leader.

4 Uncontrollable as a flood,
you slept with my wife
and disgraced my bed.
And so you no longer deserve
the place of honor.

5 Simeon and Levi,
you are brothers,
each a gruesome sword.

6 I never want to take part
in your plans or deeds.
You slaughtered people
in your anger,
and you crippled cattle
for no reason.

7 Now I place a curse on you
because of
your fierce anger.
Your descendants
will be scattered
among the tribes of Israel.

8 Judah, you will be praised
by your brothers;
they will bow down to you,
as you defeat your enemies.

9  t My son, you are a lion
ready to eat your victim!
You are terribly fierce;
no one will bother you.

10 You will have power and rule
until nations obey yout
and come bringing gifts.

11 You will tie your donkey
to a choice grapevine
and wash your clothes
in wine from those grapes.

12 Your eyes are darker than wine,
your teeth whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun, you will settle
along the seashore
and provide safe harbors
as far north as Sidon.

14 Issachar, you are a strong donkey
resting in the meadows.t

15 You found them so pleasant
that you worked too hard
and became a slave.

16 Dan, t you are the tribe
that will bring justice
to Israel.

17 You are a snake that bites
the heel of a horse,
making its rider fall.

18 Our [Lord], I am waiting
for you to save us.

19 Gad, t you will be attacked,
then attack your attackers.

20 Asher, you will eat food
fancy enough for a king.

21 Naphtali, you are a wild deer
with lovely fawns.t

22 Joseph, you are a fruitful vine
growing near a stream
and climbing a wall.t

23 Enemies attacked with arrows,
refusing to show mercy.

24 But you stood your ground,
swiftly shooting back
with the help of Jacob's God,
the All-Powerful One—
his name is the Shepherd,
Israel's mighty rock.t

25 Your help came from the God
your father worshiped,
from God All-Powerful.
God will bless you with rain
and streams from the earth;
he will bless you
with many descendants.

26 My son, the blessings I give
are better than the promise
of ancient mountains
or eternal hills.t
Joseph, I pray these blessings
will come to you,
because you are the leader
of your brothers.

27 Benjamin, you are a fierce wolf,
destroying your enemies
morning and evening.

28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is how Jacob gave each of them their proper blessings.

Jacob's Death

29-31  t Jacob told his sons:
Soon I will die, and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there, and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too.

32 Both the cave and the land that goes with it were bought from the Hittites.
33  t When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed and died.