Genesis 49

1  AND JACOB called for his sons and said, Gather yourselves together [around me], that I may tell you what shall befall you in the latter or last days.2  Gather yourselves together and hear, you sons of Jacob; and hearken to Israel your father.3  Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the beginning (the firstfruits) of my manly strength and vigor; [your birthright gave you] the preeminence in dignity and the preeminence in power.4  But unstable and boiling over like water, you shall not excel and have the preeminence [of the firstborn], because you went to your father’s bed; you defiled it--he went to my couch! 5  Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel]; their swords are weapons of violence. 6  O my soul, come not into their secret council; unto their assembly let not my honor be united [for I knew nothing of their plot], because in their anger they slew men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites], and in their self-will they disabled oxen.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, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.9  Judah, a lion’s cub! With the prey, my son, you have gone high up [the mountain]. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, and like a lioness--who dares provoke and rouse him? 10  The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11  Binding His foal to the vine and His donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washes His garments in wine and His clothes in the blood of grapes. 12  His eyes are darker and more sparkling than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk.13  Zebulun shall live toward the seashore, and he shall be a haven and a landing place for ships; and his border shall be toward Sidon.14  Issachar is a strong-boned donkey crouching down between the sheepfolds.15  And he saw that rest was good and that the land was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear [his burdens] and became a servant to tribute [subjected to forced labor].16  Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.17  Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites at the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.18  I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.19  Gad--a raiding troop shall raid him, but he shall raid at their heels and assault them [victoriously].20  Asher’s food [supply] shall be rich and fat, and he shall yield and deliver royal delights.21  Naphtali is a hind let loose which yields lovely fawns.22  Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well (spring or fountain), whose branches run over the wall.23  Skilled archers have bitterly attacked and sorely worried him; they have shot at him and persecuted him.24  But his bow remained strong and steady and rested in the Strength that does not fail him, for the arms of his hands were made strong and active by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25  By the God of your father, Who will help you, and by the Almighty, Who will bless you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings lying in the deep beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.26  The blessings of your father [on you] are greater than the blessings of my forefathers [Abraham and Isaac on me] and are as lasting as the bounties of the eternal hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was the consecrated one and the one separated from his brethren and [the one who] is prince among them.27  Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at night dividing the spoil.28  All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one according to the blessing suited to him.29  He charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my [departed] people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,30  In the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field of Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a cemetery. 31  There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.32  The purchase of the field and the cave that is in it was from the sons of Heth.33  When Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his [departed] people.

1. Mosebok 49

Jakobs velsignelse

1 Jakob kalte sine sønner til seg og sa: Kom sammen, så vil jeg forkynne dere hva som skal hende dere i kommende tider:
t

2 Jakobs sønner, kom sammen og ¬hør,
hør på Israel, deres far!

3 Ruben, min førstefødte er du,
min kraft og den første frukt av ¬min manndom,
fremst i heder, størst i makt. t

4 Du bruser over som vannet,
men du skal ikke ha ¬noe fortrinn.
For du steg opp i din fars seng,
da vanæret du den – du lå ¬på mitt leie. t

5 Simeon og Levi er brødre.
Voldsvåpen er deres sverd. t

6 Jeg vil ikke møte i deres råd,
vil ikke være med i deres ¬forsamling.
For i sinne slo de menn i hjel,
og egenrådig skamskar de ¬okser.

7 Forbannet være så heftig ¬en harme,
et sinne så veldig som deres!
Jeg vil splitte dem i Jakob
og spre dem utover i Israel. t

8 Juda, deg priser dine brødre;
din hånd tar fiendene i nakken,
din fars sønner bøyer seg ¬for deg. t

9 En løveunge er Juda!
Fra rov er du kommet hjem, ¬min sønn.
Han legger seg til ro ¬og strekker seg som løven,
som løvinnen – hvem våger ¬å vekke ham? t

10 Kongespir skal ikke vike ¬fra Juda
eller herskerstav fra hans føtter
til den rette kongen kommer,
han som folkene skal lyde. t t

11 Han binder sitt esel i vintreet,
sin fole ved den edle ranke.
Han vasker sin kledning i vin,
sin kjortel i drueblod.

12 Hans øyne er mørkere enn vin,
hans tenner er hvitere enn melk.

13 Sebulon bor ved havets kyst,
ved stranden der skipene ¬legger til,
med ryggen vendt mot Sidon. t

14 Jissakar er et sterkbygd esel
som ligger mellom kløvkurvene.

15 Han så at det var godt å hvile,
og at landet var fagert.
Da bøyde han nakken ¬under byrden
og ble en ufri trell.
t

16 Dan skal dømme sitt folk,
han som de andre Israels ¬stammer. t

17 Dan skal være en slange ¬ved veien,
en farlig slange på stien;
den biter hesten i hælene,
så rytteren faller bakover.

18 – Jeg venter på din frelse, ¬Herre.

19 Gad blir overfalt ¬av røverflokker,
men faller selv i hælene på dem.
t

20 Asjers føde er fet,
han setter fram kongelige ¬retter. t

21 Naftali er en hind som løper fritt;
han taler fagre ord.

22 Josef er et ungt frukttre,
et ungt frukttre ved kilden;
grenene klatrer opp ¬etter muren.

23 Bueskytterne egget ham,
de skjøt og satte etter ham.

24 Men hans bue er fast og sterk,
smidige er hans armer ¬og hender.
Han får hjelp av Jakobs ¬Veldige,
av ham som er hyrden, ¬Israels Klippe, t

25 av din fars Gud – han skal ¬hjelpe deg,
Gud Den Allmektige – han ¬signe deg
med signing fra himmelen ¬oventil,
med signing fra havdypet ¬der nede,
med signing fra bryst ¬og morsliv. t

26 Din fars velsignelser er rikere
enn de eldgamle fjells ¬velsignelser,
enn de evige høyders herlighet.
La dem komme over Josefs ¬hode,
over issen til ham
som er høvding blant sine ¬brødre!

27 Benjamin er en rovgrisk ulv.
Om morgenen eter han byttet,
om kvelden skifter han hærfang. t

28 Dette er alle Israels stammer, tolv i tallet. Og dette sa deres far til dem da han velsignet dem. Hver av dem gav han en egen velsignelse.

Jakobs død og gravferd

32 Marken og hulen der er kjøpt fra hetittene.»
33 Da Jakob hadde gitt sine påbud til sønnene, trakk han føttene opp i sengen. Så utåndet han og gikk til sine fedre.