Genesis 49

The Last Words of Jacob

1Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather round, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future:

2“Come together and listen, sons of Jacob.

Listen to your father Israel.

3“Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength

And the first child of my manhood,

The proudest and strongest of all my sons.

4You are like a raging flood,

But you will not be the most important,

For you slept with my concubine

And dishonoured your father's bed.

5“Simeon and Levi are brothers.

They use their weapons to commit violence.

6I will not join in their secret talks,

Nor will I take part in their meetings,

For they killed men in anger

And they crippled bulls for sport.

7A curse be on their anger, because it is so fierce,

And on their fury, because it is so cruel.

I will scatter them throughout the land of Israel.

I will disperse them among its people.

8“Judah, your brothers will praise you.

You hold your enemies by the neck.

Your brothers will bow down before you.

9 # Num 24.9; Rev 5.5 Judah is like a lion,

Killing his victim and returning to his den,

Stretching out and lying down.

No one dares disturb him.

10Judah will hold the royal sceptre,

And his descendants will always rule.

Nations will bring him tribute#49.10 Probable text Nations… tribute; Hebrew unclear.

And bow in obedience before him.

11He ties his young donkey to a grapevine,

To the very best of the vines.

He washes his clothes in blood-red wine.

12His eyes are bloodshot from drinking wine,

His teeth white from drinking milk.#49.12 His eyes… milk; or His eyes are darker than wine, his teeth are whiter than milk.

13“Zebulun will live beside the sea.

His shore will be a haven for ships.

His territory will reach as far as Sidon.

14“Issachar is no better than a donkey

That lies stretched out between its saddlebags.

15But he sees that the resting place is good

And that the land is delightful.

So he bends his back to carry the load

And is forced to work as a slave.

16“Dan will be a ruler for his people.

They will be like the other tribes of Israel.

17Dan will be a snake at the side of the road,

A poisonous snake beside the path,

That strikes at the horse's heel,

So that the rider is thrown off backwards.

18“I wait for your deliverance, LORD.

19“Gad will be attacked by a band of robbers,

But he will turn and pursue them.

20“Asher's land will produce rich food.

He will provide food fit for a king.

21“Naphtali is a deer that runs free,

Who bears lovely fawns.#49.21 Naphtali… fawns; or Naphtali is a spreading tree that puts out lovely branches.

22“Joseph is like a wild donkey by a spring,

A wild colt on a hillside.#49.22 Joseph… hillside; or Joseph is like a tree by a spring, a fruitful tree that spreads over a wall.

23His enemies attack him fiercely

And pursue him with their bows and arrows.

24But his bow remains steady,

And his arms are made strong#49.24 But… strong; or But their bows were broken and splintered, the muscles of their arms torn apart.

By the power of the Mighty God of Jacob,

By the Shepherd, the Protector of Israel.

25It is your father's God who helps you,

The Almighty God who blesses you

With blessings of rain from above

And of deep waters from beneath the ground,

Blessings of many cattle and children,

26Blessings of corn and flowers,#49.26 Probable text corn and flowers; Hebrew your fathers are mightier than.

Blessings of ancient mountains,#49.26 One ancient translation ancient mountains; Hebrew my ancestors to.

Delightful things from everlasting hills.

May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,

On the brow of the one set apart from his brothers.

27“Benjamin is like a vicious wolf.

Morning and evening he kills and devours.”

28These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he spoke a suitable word of farewell to each son.

The Death and Burial of Jacob

29Then Jacob commanded his sons, “Now that I am going to join my people in death, bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30#Gen 23.3–20at Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this cave and field from Ephron for a burial ground. 31#Gen 25.9–10; 35.29That is where they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; that is where they buried Isaac and his wife Rebecca; and that is where I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. Bury me there.” 33#Acts 7.15When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he lay down again and died.

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Genesis 49

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

1 # Num 24.14 Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

2Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob;

listen to Israel your father.

3 # Gen 29.32; Deut 21.17 Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might and the first fruits of my vigor,

excelling in rank and excelling in power.

4 # Gen 35.22; Deut 27.20 Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel

because you went up onto your father’s bed;

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

5 # Gen 34.25–30 Simeon and Levi are brothers;

weapons of violence are their swords.

6 # Gen 34.26; Prov 1.15; Eph 5.11 May I never come into their council;

may I not be joined to their company,

for in their anger they killed men,

and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.

7 # Josh 19.1, 9; 21.1–42 Cursed 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.

8 # Deut 33.7; 1 Chr 5.2 Judah, 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 # Ezek 19.5–7; Mic 5.8 Judah is a lion’s whelp;

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

He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,

like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?

10 # Num 24.17; Ps 60.7; Isa 2.2; 11.1; Lk 1.32 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until tribute comes to him,#49.10 Or until Shiloh comes or until he comes to Shiloh or (with Syr) until he comes to whom it belongs

and the obedience of the peoples is his.

11Binding his foal to the vine

and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

he washes his garments in wine

and his robe in the blood of grapes;

12his eyes are darker than wine

and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 # Deut 33.18, 19; Josh 19.10, 11 Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea;

he shall be a haven for ships,

and his border shall be at Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong donkey,

lying down between the sheepfolds;

15he saw that a resting place was good

and that the land was pleasant,

so he bowed his shoulder to the burden

and became a slave at forced labor.

16 # Deut 33.22; Judg 18.1, 2 Dan shall judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 # Judg 18.26, 27 Dan shall be a snake by the roadside,

a viper along the path,

that bites the horse’s heels

so that its rider falls backward.

18 # Ex 15.2; Ps 25.5; 119.166, 174; Isa 25.9; Mic 7.7 I wait for your salvation, O Lord.

19 # Deut 33.20; 1 Chr 5.18 Gad shall be raided by raiders,

but he shall raid at their heels.

20 # Deut 33.24, 25; Josh 19.24 Asher’s#49.20 Gk Vg Syr: Heb From Asher food shall be rich,

and he shall provide royal delicacies.

21 # Deut 33.23 Naphtali is a doe let loose

that bears lovely fawns.#49.21 Or that gives beautiful words

22 # Deut 33.13–17 Joseph is a fruitful bough,#49.22 Meaning of Heb uncertain

a fruitful bough by a spring;

his branches run over the wall.#49.22 Meaning of Heb uncertain

23 # Gen 37.4, 24, 28 The archers fiercely attacked him;

they shot at him and pressed him hard.

24 # Ps 18.34; 23.1; 132.2, 5; Isa 1.24; 28.16; 41.10; 1 Pet 2.6–8 Yet his bow remained taut,

and 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,

25 # Gen 27.28; 28.3, 13; 32.9; 48.3 by the God of your father, who will help you,

by the Almighty#49.25 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai who will bless you

with blessings of heaven above,

blessings of the deep that lies beneath,

blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 # Deut 33.15, 16 The blessings of your father

are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains,

the bounties#49.26 Cn Compare Gk: Heb of my progenitors to the boundaries of the everlasting hills;

may they be on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey

and at evening dividing the spoil.”

28 # Gen 23.16–20 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.

Jacob’s Death and Burial

29 # Gen 25.8; 47.30 Then he charged them, saying to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30#Gen 23.16in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31#Gen 23.19; 25.9; 35.29There 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 that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33#v 29; Gen 25.8; Acts 7.15When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

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