1 And Jacob called to 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, you sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father' bed; then defiled you it: he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not you into their secret; to their assembly, my honor, be not you united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they dig 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, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father' children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion' whelp: from the prey, my son, you are gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass' colt to 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 to 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 to 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 bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for your 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 gives 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 stayed in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to 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 brothers.
27 Benjamin shall shred 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 spoke to them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29 And 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,
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 burial plot.
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 to his people.
1 And Jacob summoned his sons and said, Gather around, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
2 Gather around and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
4 Like bubbling water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your fathers bed; then you defiled it; he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; implements of violence are their weapons.
6 Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they have hamstrung an ox.
7 Cursed is 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 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your fathers children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lions whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he crouches like a lion; and as a lioness, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the cleansing of the peoples.
11 Binding His donkey to the vine, and His donkeys colt to the choice vine, He has washed His garments in wine, and His clothes in the blood of grapes;
12 His eyes flashing with wine, and His teeth white with milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore; he shall become a haven for ships, bordering Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between two burdens.
15 He saw that the resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant. He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, and became a servant to forced labor.
16 Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder by the path, that bites the horses heels so that its rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for your salvation, O Jehovah.
19 Gad, a troop shall attack him, but he shall attack their heel.
20 Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall produce kings delicacies.
21 Naphtali is a deer let loose; he utters beautiful words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches have run over the wall.
23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and carried animosity against him.
24 But his bow remained steadfast, and the arms of his hands were made nimble by the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob; from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,
25 by the Mighty God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my ancestors, to the bounds of the enduring hills. They shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall distribute the spoils.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.
29 And he charged them and said to them: I am about to be gathered to 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 as a possession for a burial place.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.
33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and expired, and was gathered to his people.