Genesis 49

1Then Jacob called his sons, and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in days to come.

2“Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob,

and hearken to Israel your father.

3Reuben, you are my first-born,

my might, and the first fruits of my strength,

pre-eminent in pride and pre-eminent in power.

4Unstable as water, you shall not have pre-eminence

because you went up to your father's bed;

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

5Simeon and Levi are brothers;

weapons of violence are their swords.

6O my soul, come not into their council;

O my spirit,#49.6 Or glory be not joined to their company;

for in their anger they slay men,

and in their wantonness they hamstring 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.

9 # Num 24.9; Rev 5.5. Judah is a lion's whelp;

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

He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?

10The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until he comes to whom it belongs;#49.10 Syr Compare Tg: Heb until Shiloh comes or until he comes to Shiloh

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11Binding his foal to the vine

and his ass's colt to the choice vine,

he washes 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 shore of the sea;

he shall become a haven for ships,

and his border shall be at Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass,

crouching between the sheepfolds;

15he saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant;

so he bowed his shoulder to bear,

and became a slave at forced labor.

16Dan shall judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent in the way,

a viper by the path,

that bites the horse's heels

so that his rider falls backward.

18I wait for thy salvation, O Lord.

19Raiders#49.19 Heb gedud, a raiding troop shall raid Gad,

but he shall raid at their heels.

20Asher's food shall be rich,

and he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose,

that bears comely fawns.#49.21 Or who gives beautiful words

22Joseph is a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough by a spring;

his branches run over the wall.

23The archers fiercely attacked him,

shot at him, and harassed him sorely;

24yet his bow remained unmoved,

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 God Almighty#49.25 Heb El Shaddai who will bless you

with blessings of heaven above,

blessings of the deep that couches beneath,

blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of your father

are mighty beyond the blessings of the eternal mountains,#49.26 Compare Gk: Heb of my progenitors to

the bounties of the everlasting hills;

may they be on the head of Joseph,

and on the brow of him who was separate from his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey,

and at even dividing the spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. 29Then he 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 that is in the field at Mach-pelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as 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 in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America

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Bereshis 49

1And Ya'akov called unto his banim, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the acharit hayamim (last days).

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye Bnei Ya'akov; and pay heed unto Yisroel Avichem.

3Reuven, thou art my bechor, my koach, and the reshit of my strength, the excellency of honor, and excellency of oz (power):

4Unstable as mayim, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to mishkevei avicha (thy fatherʼs bed, i.e. incest); then defiledst thou it; he went up to my couch.

5Shim'on and Levi are achim; kelei chamas (instruments of violence) are in their swords.

6O my nefesh, enter not thou into their sod (secret, council); unto their kehal, mine kavod, be not thou united; for in their anger they slaughtered ish, and in their ratzon (self-will) they lamed shor (ox).

7Arur (cursed) be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will dispense them in Ya'akov, and scatter them in Yisroel.

8Yehudah, thou art he whom thy achim yoducha (they will praise you); thy yad shall be in the oref (neck) of thine enemies; Bnei Avicha shall bow down before thee.

9Yehudah is the cub of an aryeh (lion); from the prey, beni (my son), thou hast gone up; he stooped down, he couched like an aryeh, and like a lioness; who shall rouse him?

10The shevet (sceptre) shall not depart from Yehudah, nor a Mekhokek (Lawgiver) from between his raglayim, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall be the obedience of the amim (peoples, nations).

11He ties his foal unto the gefen (vine), and his donkeyʼs colt unto the choice vine; he will wash his levush (garments) in yayin, and his robe in the dahm anavim (blood of grapes);

12His eyes shall be darker with yayin, and his shinayim (teeth) whiter than cholov (milk).

13Zevulun shall dwell at the seashore; and he shall be a haven for oniyyot (ships); and his border shall be unto Tzidon.

14Yissakhar is a strong chamor (donkey) lying down between two saddlebags;

15And he saw that a menuchah (resting place) was tov, and haaretz that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became oved (submitting, enslaved) at forced labor.

16Dan yadin (shall judge) his people, as one of the Shivtei Yisroel.

17Dan shall be a nachash beside the derech, a viper along the orach (path) that biteth the ikkvei sus (the horse heels), so that its rider shall fall backward.

18I have waited for Thy Yeshu'ah (Salvation), Hashem.

19Gad, gedud (raider) shall raid him; but he shall raid akev ([at] the heel).

20Out of Asher his lechem shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naphtali is a doe let loose; he giveth goodly sayings.

22Yosef is a ben of a fruit-tree, even ben of a fruit-tree near an ayin (spring, well); its daughters (i.e., branches) run over the wall;

23The ba'alei khitzim (archers) provoke him, and shoot at him, and hate him;

24But his keshet (bow) remained steady, and the arms of his hands remain strong, from the hands of the Avir Ya'akov, from there, from the Ro'eh, Even Yisroel;

25And from El Avicha, who shall help thee; and Shaddai, who shall make brocha over thee with Birkat Shomayim above, Birkat Tehom that lieth beneath, Birkat Shadayim and of Rekhem.

26Birkat Avicha surpass the Birkat of my progenitors unto the utmost border of the giveot olam (everlasting hills); they shall come on the rosh Yosef, and on the brow of the Prince among his achim.

27Binyamin — a ze'ev (wolf) which tears in pieces; in the boker he shall devour the prey, and at erev he shall divide the plunder.

28All these are the Shivtei Yisroel; and this is it that Avichem spoke unto them, and made a brocha on them; every one according to his berakhah he blessed them.

29And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with Avotai in the me'arah (cave) that is in the sadeh of Ephron the Chitti,

30In the me'arah that is in the sadeh of Machpelah, which is near Mamre, in Eretz Kena'an, which Avraham bought with the sadeh of Ephron the Chitti for an achuzzat kever (burial estate).

31There they buried Avraham and Sarah his isha; there they buried Yitzchak and Rivkah his isha; and there I buried Leah.

32The purchase of the sadeh and of the me'arah (cave) that is therein was from the Bnei Chet (Heth).

33And when Ya'akov had made an end of commanding his banim, he gathered up his raglayim into the mittah, and expired, and was gathered unto his people.

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