1 Y LLAMO Jacob á sus hijos, y dijo: Juntaos, y os declararé lo que os ha de acontecer en los postreros días.

2 Juntaos y oid, hijos de Jacob; Y escuchad á vuestro padre Israel.

3 Rubén, tú eres mi primogénito, mi fortaleza, y el principio de mi vigor; Principal en dignidad, principal en poder.

4 Corriente como las aguas, no seas el principal; Por cuanto subiste al lecho de tu padre: Entonces te envileciste, subiendo á mi estrado.

5 Simeón y Leví, hermanos: Armas de iniquidad sus armas.

6 En su secreto no entre mi alma, Ni mi honra se junte en su compañía; Que en su furor mataron varón, Y en su voluntad arrancaron muro.

7 Maldito su furor, que fué fiero; Y su ira, que fué dura: Yo los apartaré en Jacob, Y los esparciré en Israel.

8 Judá, alabarte han tus hermanos: Tu mano en la cerviz de tus enemigos: Los hijos de tu padre se inclinarán á ti.

9 Cachorro de león Judá: De la presa subiste, hijo mío: Encorvóse, echóse como león, Así como león viejo; ¿quién lo despertará?

10 No será quitado el cetro de Judá, Y el legislador de entre sus piés, Hasta que venga Shiloh; Y á él se congregarán los pueblos.

11 Atando á la vid su pollino, Y á la cepa el hijo de su asna, Lavó en el vino su vestido, Y en la sangre de uvas su manto:

12 Sus ojos bermejos del vino, Y los dientes blancos de la leche.

13 Zabulón en puertos de mar habitará, Y será para puerto de navíos; Y su término hasta Sidón.

14 Issachâr, asno huesudo Echado entre dos tercios:

15 Y vió que el descanso era bueno, Y que la tierra era deleitosa; Y bajó su hombro para llevar, Y sirvió en tributo.

16 Dan juzgará á su pueblo, Como una de las tribus de Israel.

17 Será Dan serpiente junto al camino, Cerasta junto á la senda, Que muerde los talones de los caballos, Y hace caer por detrás al cabalgador de ellos.

18 Tu salud esperé, oh Jehová.

19 Gad, ejército lo acometerá; Mas él acometerá al fin.

20 El pan de Aser será grueso, Y él dará deleites al rey.

21 Nephtalí, sierva dejada, Que dará dichos hermosos.

22 Ramo fructífero José, Ramo fructífero junto á fuente, Cuyos vástagos se extienden sobre el muro.

23 Y causáronle amargura, Y asaeteáronle, Y aborreciéronle los archeros:

24 Mas su arco quedó en fortaleza, Y los brazos de sus manos se corroboraron Por las manos del Fuerte de Jacob, (De allí el pastor, y la piedra de Israel,)

25 Del Dios de tu padre, el cual te ayudará, Y del Omnipotente, el cual te bendecirá Con bendiciones de los cielos de arriba, Con bendiciones del abismo que está abajo, Con bendiciones del seno y de la matriz.

26 Las bendiciones de tu padre Fueron mayores que las bendiciones de mis progenitores: Hasta el término de los collados eternos Serán sobre la cabeza de José, Y sobre la mollera del Nazareo de sus hermanos.

27 Benjamín, lobo arrebatador: A la mañana comerá la presa, Y á la tarde repartirá los despojos.

28 Todos estos fueron las doce tribus de Israel: y esto fué lo que su padre les dijo, y bendíjolos; á cada uno por su bendición los bendijo.

29 Mandóles luego, y díjoles: Yo voy á ser reunido con mi pueblo: sepultadme con mis padres en la cueva que está en el campo de Ephrón el Hetheo;

30 En la cueva que está en el campo de Macpela, que está delante de Mamre en la tierra de Canaán, la cual compró Abraham con el mismo campo de Ephrón el Hetheo, para heredad de sepultura.

31 Allí sepultaron á Abraham y á Sara su mujer; allí sepultaron á Isaac y á Rebeca su mujer; allí también sepulté yo á Lea.

32 La compra del campo y de la cueva que está en él, fué de los hijos de Heth.

33 Y como acabó Jacob de dar órdenes á sus hijos, encogió sus pies en la cama, y espiró: y fué reunido con sus padres.

1 And Jacob sent for his sons, and said, Come together, all of you, so that I may give you news of your fate in future times.

2 Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.

3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:

4 But because you were uncontrolled, the first place will not be yours; for you went up to your father's bed, even his bride-bed, and made it unclean.

5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.

6 Take no part in their secrets, O my soul; keep far away, O my heart, from their meetings; for in their wrath they put men to death, and for their pleasure even oxen were wounded.

7 A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.

8 To you, Judah, will your brothers give praise: your hand will be on the neck of your haters; your father's sons will go down to the earth before you.

9 Judah is a young lion; like a lion full of meat you have become great, my son; now he takes his rest like a lion stretched out and like an old lion; by whom will his sleep be broken?

10 The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah, and he will not be without a law-giver, till he comes who has the right to it, and the peoples will put themselves under his rule.

11 Knotting his ass's cord to the vine, and his young ass to the best vine; washing his robe in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes:

12 His eyes will be dark with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13 The resting-place of Zebulun will be by the sea, and he will be a harbour for ships; the edge of his land will be by Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:

15 And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.

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

17 May Dan be a snake in the way, a horned snake by the road, biting the horse's foot so that the horseman has a fall.

18 I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.

19 Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.

20 Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.

21 Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.

22 Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;

23 He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:

24 But their bows were broken by a strong one, and the cords of their arms were cut by the Strength of Jacob, by the name of the Stone of Israel:

25 Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:

26 Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a wolf, searching for meat: in the morning he takes his food, and in the evening he makes division of what he has taken.

28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel: and these are the words their father said to them, blessing them; to every one he gave his blessing.

29 And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.

31 There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.

32 In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.

33 And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.