Genesis 49

Jacob's Blessing

1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob;

And hearken unto Israel your father.

3Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength,

The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel;

Because thou wentest up to thy father's bed;

Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

5Simeon and Levi are brethren;

Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

6O my soul, come not thou into their secret;

Unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united:

For in their anger they slew a man,

And in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

7Cursed 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.

8Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:

Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies;

Thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

9Judah is a lion's whelp:

From the prey, my son, thou art gone up:

He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

And as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,

Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

Until Shiloh come;

And unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

11Binding his foal unto the vine,

And his ass's colt unto the choice vine;

He washed his garments in wine,

And his clothes in the blood of grapes:

12His eyes shall be red with wine,

And his teeth white with milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea;

And he shall be for an haven of ships;

And his border shall be unto Zidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass

Couching down between two burdens:

15And he saw that rest was good,

And the land that it was pleasant;

And bowed his shoulder to bear,

And became a servant unto tribute.

16Dan shall judge his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent by the way,

An adder in the path,

That biteth the horse heels,

So that his rider shall fall backward.

18I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

19Gad, a troop shall overcome him:

But he shall overcome at the last.

20Out of Asher his bread shall be fat,

And he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose:

He giveth goodly words.

22Joseph is a fruitful bough,

Even a fruitful bough by a well;

Whose branches run over the wall:

23The archers have sorely grieved him,

And shot at him, and hated him:

24But his bow abode in strength,

And the arms of his hands were made strong

By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;

(From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee;

And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee

With blessings of heaven above,

Blessings of the deep that lieth under,

Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26The blessings of thy father

Have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors

Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:

They shall be on the head of Joseph,

And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf:

In the morning he shall devour the prey,

And at night he shall divide the spoil.

Death of Jacob

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. 29And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in 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 for a possession of a buryingplace. 31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. 33And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

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Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

1Jacob called his sons together and said:

My sons, I am Jacob,

your father Israel.

2Come, gather around,

as I tell your future.

3Reuben, you are my oldest,

born at the peak of my powers;

you were an honored leader.

4Uncontrollable as a flood,

you slept with my wife

and disgraced my bed.

And so you no longer deserve

the place of honor.

5Simeon and Levi,

you are brothers,

each a gruesome sword.

6I never want to take part

in your plans or deeds.

You slaughtered people

in your anger,

and you crippled cattle

for no reason.

7Now I place a curse on you

because of

your fierce anger.

Your descendants

will be scattered

among the tribes of Israel.

8Judah, you will be praised

by your brothers;

they will bow down to you,

as you defeat your enemies.

9 # Nu 24.9; Rev 5.5. My son, you are a lion

ready to eat your victim!

You are terribly fierce;

no one will bother you.

10You will have power and rule

until nations obey you#49.10 until … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

and come bringing gifts.

11You will tie your donkey

to a choice grapevine

and wash your clothes

in wine from those grapes.

12Your eyes are darker than wine,

your teeth whiter than milk.

13Zebulun, you will settle

along the seashore

and provide safe harbors

as far north as Sidon.

14Issachar, you are a strong donkey

resting in the meadows.#49.14 resting … meadows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

15You found them so pleasant

that you worked too hard

and became a slave.

16Dan,#49.16 Dan: In Hebrew “Dan” means “justice” or “judgment.” you are the tribe

that will bring justice

to Israel.

17You are a snake that bites

the heel of a horse,

making its rider fall.

18Our Lord, I am waiting

for you to save us.

19Gad,#49.19 Gad: In Hebrew “Gad” sounds like “attack.” you will be attacked,

then attack your attackers.

20Asher, you will eat food

fancy enough for a king.

21Naphtali, you are a wild deer

with lovely fawns.#49.21 with lovely fawns: Or “speaking lovely words.”

22Joseph, you are a fruitful vine

growing near a stream

and climbing a wall.#49.22 wall: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

23Enemies attacked with arrows,

refusing to show mercy.

24But 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.#49.24 mighty rock: The Hebrew text has “rock,” which is sometimes used in poetry to compare the Lord to a mountain where his people can run for protection from their enemies.

25Your 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.

26My son, the blessings I give

are better than the promise

of ancient mountains

or eternal hills.#49.26 eternal hills: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

Joseph, I pray these blessings

will come to you,

because you are the leader

of your brothers.

27Benjamin, you are a fierce wolf,

destroying your enemies

morning and evening.

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

Jacob's Death

29-31 # Gn 23.3-20; Gn 25.9,10; Gn 35.28,29. 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. 32Both the cave and the land that goes with it were bought from the Hittites.

33 # Ac 7.15. When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed and died.

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