Genesis 49

1¶ And 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, principal in dignity, and the principal in power.

4Unstable as water, thou shalt not be principal because thou didst go up to thy father’s bed; then thou became defiled, going up to my couch.

5¶ Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of injustice are their weapons.

6Let my soul not enter into their secret; nor let my honour join their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their own will they dug down a wall.

7Cursed be their anger, which is strong, and their wrath, which is hard; I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

8¶ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s sons 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 be taken from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

11Binding his foal unto the vine and his ass’s colt unto the choice roots; he washed his garments in wine and his covering in the blood of grapes;

12His eyes red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13¶ Zebulun shall dwell at the port of the sea; and he shall be for a port 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 bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18I have waited for thy saving health, O Lord.

19Gad, an army shall invade him, but he shall invade at the last.

20Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield delight unto the king.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose, who shall give forth a good word.

22¶ Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a fountain, whose daughters run over the wall.

23The arches 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 one of Jacob; from there did the stone of Israel shepherd,

25by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the deep that lies under, with blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of thy father were greater than the blessings of my progenitors; unto the borders of the eternal hills they shall be upon the head of Joseph and on the crown of the Nazarite of his brethren.

27Benjamin, ravening wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil.

28¶ All these were the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke unto them and blessed them; each 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 sons of Heth.

33And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed and expired and was gathered unto his people.

The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International

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Genesis 49

Jacob’s Last Words

1Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.#49:1 Or in the last days#Nm 24:14; Dt 4:30; 31:29; Is 2:2; Jr 23:20; Dn 2:28; 10:14; Hs 3:5

2Come together and listen, sons of Jacob;

listen to your father Israel:

3Reuben, you are my firstborn,#Gn 29:32

my strength and the firstfruits of my virility,#Dt 21:17

excelling in prominence, excelling in power.

4Turbulent as water, you will not excel,

because you got into your father’s bed#Gn 35:22

and you defiled it — he#49:4 LXX, Syr, Tg read you got into my bed.

5Simeon and Levi are brothers;

their knives are vicious weapons.#Gn 34:25,30

6May I never enter their council;

may I never join their assembly.

For in their anger they kill men,

and on a whim they hamstring oxen.

7Their anger is cursed, for it is strong,

and their fury, for it is cruel!

I will disperse them throughout Jacob

and scatter them throughout Israel.#Ex 32:28; Nm 3:5–13; Dt 33:10; Jos 19:1–9; 1Ch 4:24–39; 2Ch 34:6; Neh 11:25–28

8Judah, your brothers will praise you.#Gn 29:35

Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down to you.#Gn 27:29; 1Ch 5:2

9Judah is a young lion#Nm 24:9; Ezk 19:5–7; Mc 5:8; Rv 5:5 —

my son, you return from the kill.

He crouches; he lies down like a lion

or a lioness — who dares to rouse him?

10The scepter will not depart from Judah

or the staff from between his feet

until he whose right it is comes#49:10 Or until tribute comes to him, or until Shiloh comes, or until he comes to Shiloh#Nm 2:9; 10:14; 24:17; Jdg 1:1–2; Ps 60:7; 108:8; Ezk 21:27

and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.#Ps 2:6–9; 72:8–11; Is 42:1,4; 49:6

11He ties his donkey to a vine,

and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine.

He washes his clothes in wine

and his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13Zebulun will live by the seashore

and will be a harbor for ships,

and his territory will be next to Sidon.#Dt 33:19; Jos 19:10–16

14Issachar is a strong donkey

lying down between the saddlebags.#49:14 Or sheep pens

15He saw that his resting place was good

and that the land was pleasant,

so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load

and became a forced laborer.#Jdg 5:15–16

16Dan will judge his people#Dt 33:22; Jdg 13:2,25; 18:25–27

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan will be a snake by the road,

a viper beside the path,

that bites the horse’s heels

so that its rider falls backward.

18I wait for your salvation, Lord.

19Gad will be attacked by raiders,

but he will attack their heels.#Dt 33:20; 1Ch 5:18–22; Jr 49:1

20Asher’s#49:19–20 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads their heel. 20 From Asher food will be rich,

and he will produce royal delicacies.#Dt 33:24–25; Jos 19:24–31; Jdg 5:17; 1Kg 4:7

21Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.#Jos 19:32–39

22Joseph is a fruitful vine,

a fruitful vine beside a spring;

its branches#49:22 Lit daughters climb over the wall.#49:22 Hb obscure

23The archers attacked him,

shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

24Yet his bow remained steady,

and his strong arms were made agile

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,#Gn 31:42; Ps 132:2,5; Is 1:24; 49:26

by the name of#49:24 Syr, Tg; MT reads Jacob, from there the Shepherd,#Gn 48:15; Ps 23:1; Jr 31:10 the Rock of Israel,#Ps 118:22; Is 28:16; 1Pt 2:6–8

25by the God of your father who helps you,

and by the Almighty who blesses you

with blessings of the heavens above,

blessings of the deep that lies below,

and blessings of the breasts and the womb.

26The blessings of your father excel

the blessings of my ancestors#49:26 Or of the mountains

and#49:26 Lit to the bounty of the ancient hills.#49:26 Hb obscure#Dt 33:15–16

May they rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

27Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey.

In the morning he devours the prey,

and in the evening he divides the plunder.”#Jdg 5:14; 20:21; 1Sm 14:47–48

28These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

Jacob’s Burial Instructions

29Then he commanded them, “I am about to be gathered to my people.#Gn 25:8 Bury me with my ancestors#Gn 47:30 in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite.#Gn 23:16–20; 50:13 30The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.#Gn 23:3–20 31Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there,#Gn 23:19; 25:9 Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there,#Gn 35:29 and I buried Leah there.#Gn 48:7 32The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites.” 33When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.

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