B'resheet (Gen) 49

1(iv) Then Ya‘akov called for his sons and said,

“Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you

what will happen to you in the acharit-hayamim.

2Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Ya‘akov;

pay attention to Isra’el your father.

3“Re’uven, you are my firstborn,

my strength, the firstfruits of my manhood.

4Though superior in vigor and power

you are unstable as water, so your superiority will end,

because you climbed into your father’s bed

and defiled it — he climbed onto my concubine’s couch!

5“Shim‘on and Levi are brothers,

related by weapons of violence.

6Let me not enter their council,

let my honor not be connected with their people;

for in their anger they killed men,

and at their whim they maimed cattle.

7Cursed be their anger, for it has been fierce;

their fury, for it has been cruel.

I will divide them in Ya‘akov

and scatter them in Isra’el.

8“Y’hudah, your brothers will acknowledge you,

your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,

your father’s sons will bow down before you.

9Y’hudah is a lion’s cub;

my son, you stand over the prey.

He crouches down and stretches like a lion;

like a lioness, who dares to provoke him?

10The scepter will not pass from Y’hudah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his legs,

until he comes to whom [obedience] belongs;

and it is he whom the peoples will obey.

11Tying his donkey to the vine,

his donkey’s colt to the choice grapevine,

he washes his clothes in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes will be darker than wine,

his teeth whiter than milk.

13“Z’vulun will live at the seashore,

with ships anchoring along his coast

and his border at Tzidon.

14“Yissakhar is a strong donkey

lying down in the sheep sheds.

15On seeing how good is settled life

and how pleasant the country,

he will bend his back to the burden,

and submit to forced labor.

16“Dan will judge his people

as one of the tribes of Isra’el.

17Dan will be a viper on the road,

a horned snake in the path

that bites the horse’s heels

so its rider falls off backward.

18I wait for your deliverance, Adonai.

(v) 19“Gad [troop]— a troop will troop on him,

but he will troop on their heel.

20“Asher’s food is rich —

he will provide food fit for a king.

21“Naftali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.

22“Yosef is a fruitful plant,

a fruitful plant by a spring,

with branches climbing over the wall.

23The archers attacked him fiercely,

shooting at him and pressing him hard;

24but his bow remained taut;

and his arms were made nimble

by the hands of the Mighty One of Ya‘akov,

from there, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Isra’el,

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

by El Shaddai, who will bless you

with blessings from heaven above,

blessings from the deep, lying below,

blessings from the breasts and the womb.

26The blessings of your father are more powerful

than the blessings of my parents,

extending to the farthest of the everlasting hills;

they will be on the head of Yosef,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

(vi) 27“Binyamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey,

in the evening still dividing the spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Isra’el, and this is how their father spoke to them and blessed them, giving each his own individual blessing.

29Then he charged them as follows: “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of ‘Efron the Hitti, 30the cave in the field of Makhpelah, by Mamre, in the land of Kena‘an, which Avraham bought together with the field from ‘Efron the Hitti as a burial-place belonging to him — 31there they buried Avraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Yitz’chak and his wife Rivkah, and there I buried Le’ah — 32the field and the cave in it, which was purchased from the sons of Het.”

33When Ya‘akov had finished charging his sons, he drew his legs up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

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Genesis 49

Israel’s Prophecy concerning His Sons

1Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves [around me] that I may tell you what will happen to you and your descendants #See Deut 33, where Moses blesses the same tribes in a similar prophetic way.in the days to come.

2Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob;

And listen to Israel (Jacob) your father.

3“Reuben, you are my #Reuben was the eldest of Jacob’s twelve sons and therefore entitled to the birthright, which would make him successor to his father as head of the family or tribe, and inheritor of a double portion of his father’s estate. But Reuben forfeited all this by his conduct with Bilhah, his father’s concubine (35:22). By adopting Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and giving each of them a portion of the inheritance, Jacob virtually gave Joseph the extra portion of the land that would have gone to Reuben. Judah became the tribal leader in Reuben’s place (49:8-10).firstborn;

My might, the beginning of my strength and vigor,

Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power [that should have been your birthright].

4But unstable and reckless and boiling over like water [in sinful lust], you shall #The fertile land once occupied by the tribe of Reuben was deserted by its settled inhabitants and given over to the tribal nomads of the desert. Because of his behavior, Reuben had forfeited his rights as the firstborn even before Jacob’s prophecy.not excel or have the preeminence [of the firstborn],

Because you went up to your father’s bed [with Bilhah];

You defiled it—he went up to my couch.

5“Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel];

Their swords are weapons of violence and revenge.

6O my soul, do not come into their secret council;

Let not my glory (honor) be united with their assembly [for I knew nothing of their plot];

Because in their anger they killed men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites],

And in their self-will they lamed oxen.

7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;

And their wrath, for it was cruel.

I will divide and disperse them in Jacob,

And #This prophecy was fulfilled when the tribe of Levi received no inheritance except forty-eight towns scattered throughout different parts of Canaan. The tribe of Simeon was originally given only a few towns and villages in the midst of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah (Josh 19:1).scatter them in [the midst of the land of] Israel.

8“Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise;

Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;

Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

9Judah, a lion’s cub;

With the prey, my son, you have gone high up [the mountain].

He stooped down, he crouched like a lion,

And like a lion—who dares rouse him?

10The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah,

Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes,

And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11Tying #I.e. the tribe of Judah.his foal to the [strong] vine

And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

He washes his clothing in wine [because the grapevine produces abundantly],

And his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker and sparkle more than wine,

And his teeth whiter than milk.

13“Zebulun shall dwell at the seashore;

And he shall be a haven (landing place) for ships,

And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14“Issachar is [like] a strong-boned donkey,

Crouching down between the sheepfolds.

15When he saw that the resting place was good

And that the land was pleasant,

He bowed his shoulder to bear [burdens],

And became a servant at forced labor.

16“Dan shall judge his people,

As one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a [venomous] serpent in the way,

A fanged snake in the path,

That bites the horse’s heels,

So that his rider falls backward.

18I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.

19“As for #The Hebrew word from which the name “Gad” is derived has two meanings. In this verse the Hebrew meaning is associated with a “raiding troop” but in 30:11 it is associated with “good fortune.”Gad—a raiding troop shall raid him,

But he shall raid at their heels and assault them [victoriously].

20“Asher’s food [supply] shall be rich and bountiful,

And he shall yield and deliver royal delights.

21“Naphtali is a doe let loose, [a swift warrior,]

Which yields branched antlers (eloquent words).

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough (a main branch of the vine),

A fruitful bough by a spring (a well, a fountain);

Its branches run over the wall [influencing others].

23The [skilled] archers have bitterly attacked and provoked him;

They have shot [at him] and harassed him.

24But his bow remained firm and steady [in the Strength that does not fail],

For his arms were made strong and agile

By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

(By the name of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

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

And by the #Heb Shaddai.Almighty who blesses you

With blessings of the heavens above,

Blessings lying in the deep that couches beneath,

Blessings of the [nursing] breasts and of the [fertile] womb.

26The blessings of your father

Are greater than the blessings of my ancestors [Abraham and Isaac]

Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills;

They shall be on the head of Joseph,

Even on the crown of the head of him who was the distinguished one and the one who is prince among (separate from) his brothers.

27“Benjamin is a #The tribe of Benjamin invariably displayed courage and ferocity, particularly in their war with the other tribes. The tribe of Benjamin was absorbed by the tribe of Judah and is not mentioned after the return from the Babylonian captivity, except in connection with its former land or as the source of some individual person. Ehud, Saul, Jonathan, and the apostle Paul were Benjamites.ravenous wolf;

In the morning he devours the prey,

And at night he divides the spoil.”

28All these are the [beginnings of the] twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one according to the blessing appropriate to him. 29He charged them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field from Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a burial site. 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 in it was purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33When Jacob (Israel) had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was #See note 25:8.gathered to his people [who had preceded him in death].

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