Genesis 49
1
And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather yourselves and I will tell you what
will happen to you in the days to come. 2 Gather yourselves and hear, sons of
Jacob; yea, listen to your father Israel: 3 Reuben, you are my first-born, my
strength and the firstfruit of my power; excellence
of dignity and excellence of might. 4 Like boiling water you shall not excel,
for you went up to the bed of your father; then you defiled it; he went up to
my couch. 5 Simeon and Levi, brothers; their weapons are instruments of
violence. 6 Let not my soul come into their counsel; let not my spirit be
joined to their company. For in their anger they killed a man; and in selfwill they hamstrung a bull. 7 Cursed be their anger,
for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in
Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel. 8 Judah, may your brothers praise
you, your hand be on the neck of your enemies. May the sons of your father bow
themselves to you. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp. My son, you have risen up from
the prey; he stoops, he crouches like a lion; and like a lioness, who can rouse
him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawmaker from between
his feet, until Shiloh come, and the obedience of the peoples to him. 11
Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass's colt to the choice vine, he washes
his clothing in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes
shall be dark from wine and his teeth white from milk. 13 Zebulun shall live at
the seashore, and he shall be a haven of ships, even his border beside Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15 And he saw a
resting place that it was good, and that the land was pleasant. And he bowed
his shoulder to bear, and became a tribute slave. 16 Dan shall judge his
people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Let Dan be a serpent on the way, a
horned snake on the path that bites the horses' heels, and its rider falls
backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, O Jehovah. 19 Gad, a raiding
band shall attack him, and he shall attack their heel. 20 Out of Asher his
bread shall be fat, and he shall give a king's delicacies. 21 Naphtali is a
deer let loose giving one beautiful sayings. 22 Joseph is a fruitful son, a
fruitful son by a spring; his branches run over a wall. 23 And the masters of
arrows harass him, and shoot, and an archer lurks for him. 24 His bow abides in
strength, and the hands of his arms are made agile by the hands of the Mighty
One of Jacob, from the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. 25 From the God of your
father, may He help you. And may the Almighty bless you with blessings of
Heaven from above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the
breasts and womb. 26 The blessings of your father are above the blessings of my
offspring, to the limit of everlasting hills; may they be for the head of
Joseph and for the crown of the leader of his brothers. 27 Benjamin is a wolf
that tears. In the morning he devours the prey, and at evening he divides the
spoil. 28 All these were the tribes of Israel, two and ten. And this is what
their father spoke to them. And he blessed them, each one with what was
according to his blessing, he blessed them. 29 And he commanded them, and said
to them, I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me beside my fathers, at
the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre,
in the land of Canaan, the field which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
for a burying place. 31 They buried Abraham and his wife Sarah there, and they
buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and I buried Leah there; 32 the purchase of
the field and the cave in it, from the sons of Heth.
33 And Jacob finished commanding his sons, and he gathered his feet into the
bed. And he expired, and
was gathered to his people.