B'resheet (Gen) 49
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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49
Jacob Assembles His Sons
1Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather together that I may tell you what will befall you in the last days.
2“Assemble together and hear, O sons of Jacob;
And listen to Israel your father.
3¶“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might and the beginning of my vigor,
# 49:3 Lit preeminence Preeminent in dignity and #49:3 Lit preeminencepreeminent in strength.
4“#49:4 Or Boiling over; lit RecklessnessUncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,
Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.
5¶“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Their swords are implements of violence.
6“Let my soul not enter into their council;
Let not my glory be united with their assembly;
Because in their anger they killed #49:6 Lit a manmen,
And in their self-will they hamstrung #49:6 Lit an oxoxen.
7“Cursed be their anger, for it is strong;
And their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will divide them amongst Jacob,
And scatter them in Israel.
8¶“Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9“Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He #49:9 Lit bows downcrouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lioness, who #49:9 Lit shalldares rouse him up?
10“The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
# 49:10 Or Until he comes to Shiloh, Until he comes to whom it belongs Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11“#49:11 Lit Binding ofHe ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12“His eyes are #49:12 Or darker thandark from wine,
And his teeth #49:12 Or whiter thanwhite from milk.
13¶“Zebulun will dwell at the seashore;
And he shall be a shore for ships,
And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
14¶“Issachar is #49:14 Lit a donkey of bonea strong donkey,
Lying down between the #49:14 Or saddlebagssheepfolds.
15“And he saw that a resting place was good
And that the land was pleasant,
So he bowed his shoulder to bear burdens,
And became a slave at forced labor.
16¶“Dan shall render justice to his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17“Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned snake in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that his rider falls backward.
18“For Your salvation I hope, O Yahweh.
19¶“As for Gad, #49:19 Lit a raiding bandraiders shall raid him,
But he will raid at their #49:19 Lit heelheels.
20¶“#49:20 Lit FromAs for Asher, his #49:20 Or breadfood shall be #49:20 Lit fatrich,
And he will yield royal dainties.
21¶“Naphtali is a doe let loose,
He gives beautiful words.
22¶“Joseph is a fruitful #49:22 Lit sonbough,
A fruitful #49:22 Lit sonbough by a spring;
Its #49:22 Lit daughtersbranches run over a wall.
23“And the archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him,
And they bore a grudge against him;
24But his bow remained #49:24 In an unyielding positionfirm,
And #49:24 Lit the arms of his handshis arms were agile,
From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,
25From the God of your father who helps you,
And #49:25 Or withby the #49:25 Heb ShaddaiAlmighty who blesses you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26“The blessings of your father
Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors
Up to the #49:26 Or desire; lit limitutmost bound of the everlasting hills;
May they be on the head of Joseph,
And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
27¶“Benjamin is a #49:27 Lit a wolf that tearsravenous wolf;
In the morning he devours the prey,
And in the evening he divides the spoil.”
Jacob Breathes His Last
28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. So he blessed them. He blessed them, every one #49:28 Lit according to his blessingwith the blessing appropriate to him. 29Then he commanded 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, 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 possession for a burial site. 31There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33So Jacob finished commanding his sons. And he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
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