Genesis 49

1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:

2 Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.

4 Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

6 May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

9 Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.

11 He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.

14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

15 He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.

16 Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 I await Your salvation, O LORD.

19 Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

20 Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

21 Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

22 Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.

23 The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.

24 Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.

26 The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

28 These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

29 Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

30 The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.

32 The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

33 When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.

1 ¶ And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days.

2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

3 Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my couch.

5 ¶ Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations.

6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

7 Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 ¶ Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand [shall be] in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

9 Judah [is] a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

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

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

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

13 ¶ Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he [shall be] for an haven of ships; and his border [shall be] unto Zidon.

14 Issachar [is] a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

15 And 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.

16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

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

18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

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

21 Naphtali [is] a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

22 ¶ Joseph [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall:

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

24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25 [Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

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

27 Benjamin shall ravin [as] a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

28 ¶ All these [are] the twelve tribes of Israel: and this [is it] that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 And 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 Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the cave that [is] in the field of Machpelah, which [is] before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that [is] therein [was] from the children of Heth.

33 And when Jacob 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.

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

2 Come ye in multitude, and give ear, ye children of Jacob, and hear your father Israel.

3 Reuben, my first son, thou art my strength, and my first power, the chief in sacrifice, and the chief in the kingdom.

4 He passed away as the waters. Thou shalt not be chief; For thou hast gone up to thy father's bed; There thou hast defiled my bed with the going up.

5 The brothers Simeon and Levi their swords are murderous weapons.

6 Let not my soul enter into their council, neither let my glory be in their church: for in their anger they have slain the man, and in their wantonness they have corrupted the ox.

7 Cursed be their wrath, because it is fierce; and their fury, because it is vexatious. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah, thou art he: thy brethren shall praise thee. Thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children shall bow down to thee.

9 Judah is a young lion. Thou art come up, my son, by great victories. He hath bowed down and lain down like a lion, and like a lioness: who will rise up against him?

10 The sceptre shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a master from his feet, until the coming of the hero: and the nations shall cleave unto him.

11 He shall bind his colt to the vine, and the son of his ass to the noble branches. He shall wash his garment in wine, and his mantle in the blood of the vine.

12 His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the fords of the sea, and at the fords of the ships, and shall abide at Sidon.

14 Issachar shall be a legged ass, and shall lie down between the borders.

15 And he saw the rest that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant: but he straitened his shoulders to bear, and became an interest-bearing servant.

16 Dan shall be a judge among his people, as another generation in Israel.

17 Dan shall become a serpent in the way, and an adder in the stile, and shall bite the horse in the heel, and his rider shall fall back.

18 O Lord, I wait for thy salvation!

19 Gad, armed, shall lead the army, and shall lead it about again.

20 From Asher cometh his fat bread, and he shall do favor to the kings.

21 naphthali is a fast stag and gives beautiful speech.

22 Joseph shall grow, he shall grow as at a spring. The daughters come forth in regiment.

23 And though the archers anger him, and war against him, and persecute him,

24 Yet his bow remaineth firm, and the arms of his hands strong, by the hands of the mighty one in Jacob. Out of them are come shepherds and stones in Israel.

25 From thy Father's God thou art helped, and from the Almighty thou art blessed with blessings above from heaven, with blessings from beneath, with blessings in breasts and in bellies.

26 The blessings of thy father are greater than the blessings of my forefathers, according to the desire of the high ones of the world: and they shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of Nazir among his brethren.

27 Benjamin is a ravening wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, but in the evening he shall divide the spoil.

28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, all of them: and this is what their father spake unto them, when he blessed them, every one with a blessing.

29 And he commanded them, and said unto them: I am gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave of the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the twofold cave that is toward Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought, and the field, of Ephron the Hittite, for an inheritance.

31 And there they buried Abraham, and Sarah his wife. And there they buried Isaac, and Rebekah his wife. There also have I buried Leah,

32 . In the field, and in the cave, which is bought of the children of Heth.

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his children, he put his feet together upon the bed, and passed away, and was gathered unto his people. Chap. Chap. 50, v.1. Then Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept over him, and kissed him.