Genesis 49
49
Jacob Blesses His Sons
1Then Jacob called his sons to him. He said, “Come here to me, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future.
2“Come together and listen, sons of Jacob.
Listen to Israel, your father.”
3“Reuben, my first son, you are my strength.
Your birth showed I could be a father.
You have the highest position among my sons,
and you are the most powerful.
4But you are uncontrolled like water,
so you will no longer lead your brothers.
This is because you got into your father’s bed
and shamed me by having sexual relations with my slave girl.
5“Simeon and Levi are brothers
who used their swords to do violence.
6I will not join their secret talks,
and I will not meet with them to plan evil.
They killed men because they were angry,
and they crippled oxen just for fun.
7May their anger be cursed, because it is too violent.
May their violence be cursed, because it is too cruel.
I will divide them up among the tribes of Jacob
and scatter them through all the tribes of Israel.
8“Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You will grab your enemies by the neck,
and your brothers will bow down to you.
9Judah is like a young lion.
You have returned from killing, my son.
Like a lion, he stretches out and lies down to rest,
and no one is brave enough to wake him.
10Kings will come from Judah’s family;
someone from Judah will always be on the throne.
Judah will rule until Shiloh comes,
and the nations will obey him.
11He ties his donkey to a grapevine,
his young donkey to the best branch.
He can afford to use wine to wash his clothes
and the best wine to wash his robes.
12His eyes are dark like the color of wine,
and his teeth are as white as the color of milk.
13“Zebulun will live near the sea.
His shore will be a safe place for ships,
and his land will reach as far as Sidon.
14“Issachar is like a strong donkey
who lies down while carrying his load.
15When he sees his resting place is good
and how pleasant his land is,
he will put his back to the load
and become a slave.
16“Dan will rule his own people
like the other tribes in Israel.
17Dan will be like a snake by the side of the road,
a dangerous snake lying near the path.
That snake bites a horse’s leg,
and the rider is thrown off backward.
18“Lord, I wait for your salvation.
19“Robbers will attack Gad,
but he will defeat them and drive them away.
20“Asher’s land will grow much good food;
he will grow food fit for a king.
21“Naphtali is like a female deer that runs free,
that has beautiful fawns.
22“Joseph is like a grapevine that produces much fruit,
a healthy vine watered by a spring,
whose branches grow over the wall.
23Archers attack him violently
and shoot at him angrily,
24but he aims his bow well.
His arms are made strong.
He gets his power from the Mighty God of Jacob
and his strength from the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25Your father’s God helps you.
God Almighty blesses you.
He blesses you with rain from above,
with water from springs below,
with many babies born to your wives,
and many young ones born to your animals.
26The blessings of your father are greater
than the blessings of the oldest mountains,
greater than the good things of the long-lasting hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
on the forehead of the one who was separated from his brothers.
27“Benjamin is like a hungry wolf.
In the morning he eats what he has caught,
and in the evening he divides what he has taken.”
28These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He gave each son the blessing that was right for him. 29Then Israel gave them a command and said, “I am about to die. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30That cave is in the field of Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and cave from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place. 31Abraham and Sarah his wife are buried there. Isaac and Rebekah his wife are buried there, and I buried my wife Leah there. 32The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittite people.” 33After Jacob finished talking to his sons, he lay down. He put his feet back on the bed, took his last breath, and died.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Genesis 49
49
Jacob Blesses His Sons
Dt 33:1–29
1Jacob called to his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, so that I may tell you what will befall you in the last days. # Nu 24:14; Jer 23:20
2Gather yourselves together and hear, sons of Jacob,
and listen to your father Israel. # Ps 34:11
3Reuben, # Ge 29:32; Nu 2:10; Dt 27:13; Jos 13:8–23; Eze 48:6; Rev 7:5 you are my firstborn,
my might and the beginning of my strength, # Dt 21:17
the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.
4Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
because you went up to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—he went up to my couch. # Ge 35:22; Dt 27:20
5Simeon # Nu 2:12–13; Dt 27:12; Jos 19:1–9; Eze 48:24; Rev 7:7 and Levi # Nu 1:49; Dt 27:12; Jos 21; Eze 48:6; Rev 7:7 are brothers; # Ge 29:33–34
weapons of violence are their swords. # Ge 34:25–31
6Let my soul not enter into their council; # Ps 26:9
let my glory not be united with their assembly;
for in their anger they killed men
and in their self-will they hamstrung oxen. # Ge 34:30
7Cursed 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.
8Judah, # Nu 2:3–4; Dt 27:12; Jos 15; Eze 48:7; Rev 5:5; 7:5 your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down before you. # Ge 27:29; 1Ch 5:2
9Judah is a lion’s cub; # Rev 5:5
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
and as a lion, who dares rouse him? # Nu 24:9
10The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh comes;
and to him will be the obedience of the people. # Nu 24:17; Ps 60:7
11He tethers his foal to the vine,
and his colt to the choicest vine;
he washes his garments in wine,
his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
13Zebulun # Ge 30:20; Nu 2:7–8; Dt 27:13; 33:18–19; Jos 19:10–16; Eze 48:26; Mt 4:13–15; Rev 7:8 shall dwell at the haven of the sea;
and he shall be a haven of ships.
His border shall be at Sidon.
14Issachar # Ge 30:18; Nu 2:5–6; Dt 27:12; Jos 19:17–23; 1Ch 12:32; Eze 48:25; Rev 7:7 is a strong donkey,
lying down between two burdens;
15he saw that a resting place was good,
and that the land was pleasant;
so he bowed his shoulder to bear the burden
and became a slave to forced labor.
16Dan # Ge 30:6; Nu 2:25–26; Dt 27:13; 33:22; Jos 19:40–48; Eze 48:1 shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17Dan shall be a serpent by the road,
a viper on the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider will fall backward.
18I wait for Your salvation, O Lord! # Ps 119:166, 174
19Gad # Ge 30:11; Nu 2:14–15; Dt 27:13; Jos 13:24–28; Eze 48:27; Rev 7:5 shall be attacked by raiding bands,
but he shall raid at their heels.
20Asher’s # Ge 30:13; Nu 2:27–28; Dt 27:13; 33:24–25; Jos 19:24–31; Eze 48:2; Lk 2:36; Rev 7:6 food shall be rich,
and he shall yield royal delicacies.
21Naphtali # Ge 30:8; Nu 2:29–30; Dt 27:13; 33:23; Jos 19:32–39; Eze 48:3; Mt 4:13–15; Rev 7:6 is a doe set loose;
he gives beautiful words.
22Joseph # Dt 27:12; Jos 13:29–33; 16; 17:1–13; Eze 48:26; Rev 7:8 is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring,
whose branches run over the wall.
23The archers bitterly attacked him,
they shot at him and hated him. # Ge 37:28
24But his bow remained firm.
His arms were agile
because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, # Ps 132:2, 5
because of the Shepherd, the rock of Israel,
25because of the God of your father who will help you,
and by the Almighty who will bless you
with blessings from heaven above, # Ge 17:1; 28:13
blessings from the deep that lies beneath,
the blessings of the breasts and the womb.
26The blessings of your father have surpassed
the blessings of my fathers,
up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. # Dt 33:15–16; Hab 3:6
They will be on the head of Joseph,
and on the crown of the head of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27Benjamin # Ge 35:18; Nu 2:22–23; Dt 27:12; Jos 18:11–28; Jdg 20:21; 1Sa 9:1–2; Eze 48:23; Ro 11:1; Rev 7:8 is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
and at night he divides the spoil.”
28These are all the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, each with the blessing appropriate to him.
The Death of Jacob
29Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, # Ge 47:30; 50:13 30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 31They buried Abraham and Sarah his wife there. # Ge 25:9 They buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife there, # Ge 35:29 and I buried Leah there. 32The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”
33When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. # Ge 25:8
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