Genesis 49
49
Chapter 49
Jacob speaks to his 12 sons for the last time
1Then Jacob called for all his sons. He said, ‘Come here to me. Then I can tell you what will happen to you, in the future. 2My sons, sons of Jacob, come together now and listen to your father, Israel.’ #49:2 Jacob also uses his new name, Israel, to talk about himself.
3Jacob said, ‘Reuben you are my firstborn son. You were born first, when I was a strong young man. Of all my sons, you are the most famous and the most powerful. 4But you are as wild as the sea. You had sex on your father's bed with his slave wife. This bad thing brought me great shame. So you will not become great. #49:4 See Genesis 35:22.
5Simeon and Levi are brothers. They use their swords as weapons to destroy people. #49:5 See Genesis 34:25-26. 6I will not join them when they decide to do wicked things. I will not meet with them. They have killed people when they are angry. They have been cruel to oxen because it makes them happy. 7Their anger is so strong that God will curse them. Their anger makes them do cruel things. So God will curse them. I will cause your descendants to divide from each other. They will live everywhere in the country of Israel.
8Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will win against your enemies. Your father's sons will bend down towards the ground to give you honour. 9Judah is like a young lion who has eaten good food. He has eaten what he killed and now he rests. Nobody would want to wake him up!
10Judah's descendants will always rule as kings. They will continue to hold the stick and the sceptre that show the king's authority. They will rule until the man comes who truly has that authority. People from all nations will obey that king. #49:10 King David and Jesus Christ were both descendants of Judah. Jesus has the authority to rule as king for ever.
11Judah will tie his young donkey to a vine. It will be a vine that has the best grapes. He will wash his clothes in the red wine that is made from those grapes. 12His eyes will become red because he drinks so much wine. His teeth will become white because he drinks so much milk.#49:12 Judah will be rich. He will have plenty of everything.
13Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea. His town will be a safe place for ships to stay. His land will reach as far as Sidon.
14Issachar is like a strong donkey that is lying down to rest between its two heavy bags. 15He will see that he has a good place to live, with good land. Then he will agree to work hard. He will work like a slave for other people. #49:15 Donkeys work hard and they carry heavy loads.
16Dan will be a ruler for his people. His descendants will be equal with the other tribes of Israel. 17He will be small and dangerous, like a snake that lies beside the road. He will be like a snake that bites the legs of horses so that the riders fall off. #49:17 The tribe of Dan was a small tribe, but its people would still be powerful.
18 Lord, I trust you to save me from trouble. #49:18 Jacob prays for himself before he continues to speak to his sons.
19Robbers will attack Gad, but he will fight back against them.
20Asher will have much good food. It will be good enough for kings to eat.
21Naphtali is like a deer that runs freely and gives birth to beautiful babies.
22Joseph is like a vine that has lots of fruit. It grows near a well and its branches reach over a wall. 23His enemies will be angry with him. They will attack him with arrows. 24But he will hold his own bow strongly. He will shoot his arrows well. The Mighty One of Jacob will give Joseph strength. God, who is Israel's Shepherd and Rock, will help him. #49:24 Mighty One is a name for the Lord God. Shepherd is also a name for God. See Genesis 48:15.
25The Almighty God, the God of your father, will help you and he will bless you. He will give you rain that comes from the sky above. He will give you springs of water from below the ground. He will cause you to have many descendants. That is how God will bless you.
26The blessings are great that I, your father, give to you! They are greater than any good things that the old mountains or hills can give to you. They are special blessings for you, Joseph, because you are the leader of your brothers.
27Benjamin is like a hungry wolf. He kills an animal and he eats it in the morning. In the evening, he gives what remains to his people.’ #49:27 Jacob is saying that Benjamin's descendants will attack their enemies and kill them in the morning. In the evening, they will share the things that they have taken from their enemies.
28All these are ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He spoke to each of his sons the words that were right for them and for their descendants. #49:28 The descendants of each of Jacob's sons would become the tribes of Israel.
Jacob dies
29Then Jacob said to his 12 sons, ‘I will soon die. You must take my dead body back to Canaan. Bury me there with my ancestors. Bury me in the cave in the field that belonged to Ephron the Hittite. 30The cave is at Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan. Abraham bought this cave from Ephron as a place to bury his family. 31That is where they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. They also buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah there. I buried Leah there too. 32Abraham had bought the cave and the field from the Hittites.’
33Jacob finished telling his sons what they should do. Then he lay down on his bed again. He breathed for the last time and he died there.
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Genesis 49
49
Jacob [Israel] Blesses His 12 Sons
1Jacob called for his sons and said, “Come here, and let me tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
2“Gather around and listen, sons of Jacob.
Listen to your father Israel.
3“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my strength, the very first son I had,
first in majesty and first in power.
4You will no longer be first
because you were out of control like a flood
and you climbed into your father’s bed.
Then you dishonored it.
He climbed up on my couch.
5“Simeon and Levi are brothers.
Their swords are weapons of violence.
6Do not let me attend their secret meetings.
Do not let me join their assembly.
In their anger they murdered men.
At their whim they crippled cattle.
7May their anger be cursed because it’s so fierce.
May their fury be cursed because it’s so cruel.
I will divide them among ⌞the sons of⌟ Jacob
and scatter them among ⌞the tribes of⌟ Israel.
8“Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.
Your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9Judah, you are a lion cub.
You have come back from the kill, my son.
He lies down and rests like a lion.
He is like a lioness. Who dares to disturb him?
10A scepter will never depart from Judah
nor a ruler’s staff from between his feet
until Shiloh comes
and the people obey him.
11He will tie his donkey to a grapevine,
his colt to the best vine.
He will wash his clothes in wine,
his garments in the blood of grapes.
12His eyes are darker than wine.
His teeth are whiter than milk.
13“Zebulun will live by the coast.
He will have ships by the coast.
His border will go as far as Sidon.
14“Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the saddlebags.
15When he sees that his resting place is good
and that the land is pleasant,
he will bend his back to the burden
and will become a slave laborer.
16“Dan will hand down decisions #49:16 There is a play on words here between Hebrew Dan and yadin (he will hand down decisions). for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17Dan will be a snake on a road,
a viper on a path,
that bites a horse’s heels
so that its rider falls off backwards.
18“I wait with hope for you to rescue me, O Lord.
19“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will strike back at their heels.
20“Asher’s food will be rich.
He will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21“Naphtali is a doe set free
that has beautiful fawns.
22“Joseph is a fruitful tree,
a fruitful tree by a spring,
with branches climbing over a wall.
23Archers provoked him,
shot at him,
and attacked him.
24But his bow stayed steady, and his arms remained limber
because of the help of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25because of the God of your father who helps you,
because of the Almighty who gives you
blessings from the heavens above,
blessings from the deep springs below the ground,
blessings from breasts and womb.
26The blessings of your father are greater than
the blessings of the oldest mountains
and the riches of the ancient hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
on the crown of the prince among his brothers.
27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.
In the morning he devours his prey.
In the evening he divides the plunder.”
28These are the 12 tribes of Israel and what their father said to them when he gave each of them his special blessing.
29Then he gave them these instructions, “I am about to join my ancestors in death. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30Abraham bought the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre in Canaan, from Ephron the Hittite to use as a tomb. 31Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there. Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there. I also buried Leah there. 32The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
33When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet into his bed. He took his last breath and joined his ancestors in death.
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