Genesis 49

1And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall youf in the last days.

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, youf sons of Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of); and hearken unto Isra’el (he who holds onto God-The Creator) yourf father.

3Re’uven (behold a son), youi [are] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4Unstable as water, youi shall not excel; because youi went up to youri father’s bed; then defiled youi [it]: he went up to my couch.

5Shim’on (heard; he who hears; man of hearing) and Levi (Levite) [Joined to] (joined) [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations.

6O my soul, come not youi into their secret; unto their assembly, my honour, be not youi united: for in their anger they killed a man, and in their stubbornness they dug down a wall.

7Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of), and scatter them in Isra’el (he who holds onto God-The Creator).

8Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]), youi [are he] whom you(i) brethren shall praise: your(i) hand [shall be] in the neck of youri enemies; your(i) father’s children shall bow down before youi.

9Y’hudah [is] a lion’s whelp (a cub; a young one): from the prey, my son, youi are gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10The sceptre shall not depart from Y’hudah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh [Place of Rest] come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be].

11Binding his foal unto the vine, and his donkey’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

12His eyes [shall be] red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13Z’vulun (exalted; Glorious Dwelling Place) shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he [shall be] for an haven of ships; and his border [shall be] unto Tzidon [Hunting].

14Yissakhar (there is recompense) is a strong donkey couching down between two burdens:

15And he saw that rest [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

16Dan (Judge) shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Isra’el (he who holds onto God-The Creator).

17Dan (Judge) shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18I have waited for youri salvation, O Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate).

19Gad, (troop; good fortune with much effort) a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

20Out of Asher (happy) his bread [shall be] fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naftali (My Wrestling) [is] a hind let loose: he gives goodly words.

22Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall:

23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him:

24But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] of Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of); (from there [is] the shepherd, the stone of Isra’el [he who holds onto God-The Creator])

25by the God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] of youri father, who shall help youi; and by the EL Shaddai [The Powerful/Almighty Living Word], who shall bless youi with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26The blessings of youri father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Yosef, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27Binyamin (This Son Is Strength) shall voracious [as] a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil (plunder; prey; booty).

28All these [are] the twelve tribes of Isra’el (he who holds onto God-The Creator): and this [is it] that their father spoke unto them, and Blessed (Favored by God; happy; prosperous) them; every one according to his blessing he Blessed (Favored by God; happy; prosperous) 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 ‘Efron (fawn-like) the Hitti (terrorists),

30In the cave that [is] in the field of Makhpelah (portion; double cave), which [is] before Mamre (firmness; fatling (fat cattle) offering), in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues), which Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] bought with the field of ‘Efron (fawn-like) the Hitti (terrorists) for a possession of a burying place.

31There they buried Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] and Sarah [Princess] his wife; there they buried Yitz’chak [Laughter] and Rivkah (Tied Up; Secured) his wife; and there I buried Le’ah (weary; grieved).

32The purchase of the field and of the cave that [is] in it [was] from the children of Het (terror).

33And when Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) had made an end of commanding 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 blesses his sons

1Then Jacob called for his sons and said: ‘Gather round so that I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

2‘Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;

listen to your father Israel.

3‘Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might, the first sign of my strength,

excelling in honour, excelling in power.

4Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,

for you went up onto your father’s bed,

onto my couch and defiled it.

5‘Simeon and Levi are brothers –

their swords#49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. are weapons of violence.

6Let me not enter their council,

let me not join their assembly,

for they have killed men in their anger

and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

7Cursed be their anger, so fierce,

and their fury, so cruel!

I will scatter them in Jacob

and disperse them in Israel.

8‘Judah,#49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise. your brothers will praise you;

your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down to you.

9You are a lion’s cub, Judah;

you return from the prey, my son.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down,

like a lioness – who dares to rouse him?

10The sceptre will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,#49:10 Or from his descendants

until he to whom it belongs#49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. shall come

and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

11He will tether his donkey to a vine,

his colt to the choicest branch;

he will wash his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes will be darker than wine,

his teeth whiter than milk.#49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk

13‘Zebulun will live by the seashore

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend towards Sidon.

14‘Issachar is a scrawny#49:14 Or strong donkey

lying down among the sheepfolds.#49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags

15When he sees how good is his resting-place

and how pleasant is his land,

he will bend his shoulder to the burden

and submit to forced labour.

16‘Dan#49:16 Dan here means he provides justice. will provide justice for his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan will be a snake by the roadside,

a viper along the path,

that bites the horse’s heels

so that its rider tumbles backwards.

18‘I look for your deliverance, Lord.

19‘Gad#49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders. will be attacked by a band of raiders,

but he will attack them 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 bears beautiful fawns.#49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words

22‘Joseph is a fruitful vine,

a fruitful vine near a spring,

whose branches climb over a wall.#49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill

23With bitterness archers attacked him;

they shot at him with hostility.

24But his bow remained steady,

his strong arms stayed#49:23,24 Or archers will attack… will shoot… will remain… will stay supple,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25because of your father’s God, who helps you,

because of the Almighty,#49:25 Hebrew Shaddai who blesses you

with blessings of the skies above,

blessings of the deep springs below,

blessings of the breast and womb.

26Your father’s blessings are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains,

than#49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as the bounty of the age-old hills.

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince among#49:26 Or of the one separated from his brothers.

27‘Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

in the morning he devours the prey,

in the evening he divides the plunder.’

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

The death of Jacob

29Then he gave them these instructions: ‘I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 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 in it were bought from the Hittites.#49:32 Or the descendants of Heth’

33When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

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