Genesis 49

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

2Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob;

And hearken unto Israel your father.

3Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength;

The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

4Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence;

Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed;

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

5Simeon and Levi are brethren;

Weapons of violence are their swords.

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

Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united;

For in their anger they slew a man,

And in their self-will they hocked an ox.

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, thee shall thy brethren 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 a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,

Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

Until Shiloh come;

And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

11Binding his foal unto the vine,

And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine;

He hath washed his garments in wine,

And his vesture 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 a haven of ships;

And his border shall be upon Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass,

Couching down between the sheepfolds:

15And he saw a resting-place that it was good,

And the land that it was pleasant;

And he bowed his shoulder to bear,

And became a servant under taskwork.

16Dan shall judge his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent in the way,

An adder in the path,

That biteth the horse’s heels,

So that his rider falleth backward.

18I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

19Gad, a troop shall press upon him;

But he shall press upon their heel.

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,

A fruitful bough by a fountain;

His branches run over the wall.

23The archers have sorely grieved him,

And shot at him, and persecuted 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 thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

25Even 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 coucheth beneath,

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 is a wolf that raveneth:

In the morning he shall devour the prey,

And at even he shall divide the spoil.

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 from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. 31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah— 32the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth. 33And when Jacob made an end of charging 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's Last Words to His Sons

1Then Jacob called his sons, and said: “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

2Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob;

listen to Israel your father.

3Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might and the first fruits of my vigor,

excelling in rank and excelling in power.

4Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel

because you went up onto your father's bed;

then you defiled it—you#49.4 Gk Syr Tg: Heb he went up onto my couch!

5Simeon and Levi are brothers;

weapons of violence are their swords.

6May I never come into their council;

may I not be joined to their company—

for in their anger they killed men,

and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.

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, your brothers shall praise you;

your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

your father's sons shall bow down before you.

9Judah is a lion's whelp;

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,

like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?

10The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until tribute comes to him;#49.10 Or until Shiloh comes or until he comes to Shiloh or (with Syr) until he comes to whom it belongs

and the obedience of the peoples is his.

11Binding his foal to the vine

and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,

he washes his garments in wine

and his robe in the blood of grapes;

12his eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth whiter than milk.

13Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea;

he shall be a haven for ships,

and his border shall be at Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong donkey,

lying down between the sheepfolds;

15he saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant;

so he bowed his shoulder to the burden,

and became a slave at forced labor.

16Dan shall judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a snake by the roadside,

a viper along the path,

that bites the horse's heels

so that its rider falls backward.

18I wait for your salvation, O Lord.

19Gad shall be raided by raiders,

but he shall raid at their heels.

20Asher's#49.20 Gk Vg Syr: Heb From Asher food shall be rich,

and he shall provide royal delicacies.

21Naphtali is a doe let loose

that bears lovely fawns.#49.21 Or that gives beautiful words

22Joseph is a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough by a spring;

his branches run over the wall.#49.22 Meaning of Heb uncertain

23The archers fiercely attacked him;

they shot at him and pressed him hard.

24Yet his bow remained taut,

and his arms#49.24 Heb the arms of his hands were made agile

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25by the God of your father, who will help you,

by the Almighty#49.25 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai who will bless you

with blessings of heaven above,

blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of your father

are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains,

the bounties#49.26 Cn Compare Gk: Heb of my progenitors to the boundaries of the everlasting hills;

may they be on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey,

and at evening dividing the spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.

Jacob's Death and Burial

29Then he charged them, saying to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors—in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah— 32the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

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