Genesis 49

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

1Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, “Gather around me, and I will tell you what will happen to each of you in the days to come.

2“Come and listen, you sons of Jacob;

listen to Israel, your father.

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength,

the child of my vigorous youth.

You are first in rank and first in power.

4But you are as unruly as a flood,

and you will be first no longer.

For you went to bed with my wife;

you defiled my marriage couch.

5“Simeon and Levi are two of a kind;

their weapons are instruments of violence.

6May I never join in their meetings;

may I never be a party to their plans.

For in their anger they murdered men,

and they crippled oxen just for sport.

7A curse on their anger, for it is fierce;

a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel.

I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob;

I will disperse them throughout Israel.

8“Judah, your brothers will praise you.

You will grasp your enemies by the neck.

All your relatives will bow before you.

9Judah, my son, is a young lion

that has finished eating its prey.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down;

like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

10The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,#49:10a Hebrew from between his feet.

until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,#49:10b Or until tribute is brought to him and the peoples obey; traditionally rendered until Shiloh comes.

the one whom all nations will honor.

11He ties his foal to a grapevine,

the colt of his donkey to a choice vine.

He washes his clothes in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13“Zebulun will settle by the seashore

and will be a harbor for ships;

his borders will extend to Sidon.

14“Issachar is a sturdy donkey,

resting between two saddlepacks.#49:14 Or sheepfolds, or hearths.

15When he sees how good the countryside is

and how pleasant the land,

he will bend his shoulder to the load

and submit himself to hard labor.

16“Dan will govern his people,

like any other tribe in Israel.

17Dan will be a snake beside the road,

a poisonous viper along the path

that bites the horse’s hooves

so its rider is thrown off.

18I trust in you for salvation, O Lord!

19“Gad will be attacked by marauding bands,

but he will attack them when they retreat.

20“Asher will dine on rich foods

and produce food fit for kings.

21“Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.

22“Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey,

the foal of a wild donkey at a spring—

one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.#49:22 Or Joseph is a fruitful tree, / a fruitful tree beside a spring. / His branches reach over the wall. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.

23Archers attacked him savagely;

they shot at him and harassed him.

24But his bow remained taut,

and his arms were strengthened

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

25May the God of your father help you;

may the Almighty bless you

with the blessings of the heavens above,

and blessings of the watery depths below,

and blessings of the breasts and womb.

26May my fatherly blessings on you

surpass the blessings of my ancestors,#49:26 Or of the ancient mountains.

reaching to the heights of the eternal hills.

May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,

who is a prince among his brothers.

27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

devouring his enemies in the morning

and dividing his plunder in the evening.”

28These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he told his sons good-bye. He blessed each one with an appropriate message.

Jacob’s Death and Burial

29Then Jacob instructed them, “Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. 32It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.”

33When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.

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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. # 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 no longer excel,

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

and you defiled it — he # 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 # 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. # Or sheepfolds

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.

17He will be a snake by the road,

a viper beside the path,

that bites the horses’ 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 # 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 # Lit daughters climb over the wall. # Hb obscure

23The archers attacked him,

shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

24Yet his bow remained steady,

and his strong # Lit and the hands of his 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 # 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 # Or of the mountains

and # Lit to the bounty of the eternal hills. # Hb obscure # Dt 33:15-16

May they rest on the head of Joseph,

on the crown 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, 12 in all, and this was 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 fathers # Gn 47:30 in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. # 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 Hittite as a burial site. # 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 Hittites.” 33When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and died. He was gathered to his people.

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