1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.
2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob.
Listen to Israel, your father.
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength,
excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
4 Boiling over like water, you shall not excel,
because you went up to your father’s bed,
then defiled it. He went up to my couch.
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers.
Their swords are weapons of violence.
6 My soul, don’t come into their council.
My glory, don’t be united to their assembly;
for in their anger they killed men.
In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.
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, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.
Your father’s sons will bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s cub.
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down, he crouched as a lion,
as a lioness.
Who will rouse him up?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs.
The obedience of the peoples will be to him.
11 Binding his foal to the vine,
his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be red with wine,
his teeth white with milk.
13 "Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea.
He will be for a haven of ships.
His border will be on Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the saddlebags.
15 He saw a resting place, that it was good,
the land, that it was pleasant.
He bows his shoulder to the burden,
and becomes a servant doing forced labor.
16 "Dan will judge his people,
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a serpent on the trail,
an adder in the path,
that bites the horse’s heels,
so that his rider falls backward.
18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.
19 "A troop will press on Gad,
but he will press on their heel.
20 "Asher’s food will be rich.
He will produce royal dainties.
21 "Naphtali is a doe set free,
who bears beautiful fawns.
22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine by a spring.
His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have severely grieved him,
shot at him, and persecuted him:
24 But his bow remained strong.
The arms of his hands were made strong,
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
(from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),
25 even by the God of your father, who will help you,
by the Almighty, who will bless you,
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors,
above the boundaries of the ancient hills.
They will be on the head of Joseph,
on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.
In the morning he will devour the prey.
At evening he will divide the plunder."
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing. 29 He instructed 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 from Ephron the Hittite as 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 therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth." 33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
1 雅各把他的众子叫来， 说： "你们要聚集在一起， 我要把你们日后必遇到的事告诉你们。
2 雅各的儿子们哪， 你们要一起来听； 要听你们父亲以色列的话。
3 流本哪， 你是我的长子， 是我的力量， 是我的初生子； 你大有尊荣， 权力超众；
4 但是你放纵情欲， 好像水沸腾一样， 你必不能居首位； 因为你上了你父亲的床； 上了我的榻， 然后把它玷污了。
5 西缅和利未是兄弟； 他们的刀剑是强暴的武器。
6 我的灵啊， 不可加入他们的阴谋； 我的心啊， 不可参与他们的集会， 因为他们在怒中杀人， 任意砍断牛的腿筋。
7 他们的怒气可咒， 因为非常暴烈； 他们的烈怒可诅， 因为十分凶猛； 我要把他们分散在雅各家； 把他们散居在以色列。
8 犹大啊， 你的兄弟们要称赞你； 你的手必压住仇敌的颈项； 你父亲的众子必向你下拜。
9 犹大是只小狮子； 我儿啊， 你猎取了食物就上到洞穴去。他屈身伏卧， 好像公狮， 又像母狮， 谁敢惊动他呢？
10 权杖必不离开犹大， 王圭必不离他两脚之间， 直到细罗（"细罗"有古?本作"属他的那位"）来到， 万族都要臣服他。
11 犹大把自己的驴驹拴在葡萄树旁， 把自己的小驴系在上等的葡萄树旁； 他在葡萄酒中洗净自己的衣服， 在血红的葡萄汁中洗衣袍。
12 他因饮酒而双眼发红， 他因喝奶而牙齿雪白。
13 西布伦必在沿海地带居住， 他必成为船只停泊的港口， 他的边界必伸到西顿。
14 以萨迦是一头粗壮的驴， 伏卧在羊圈（"羊圈"原文意思不详， 或译： "重驮"）之间；
15 他看安居为美， 他看肥地为佳， 他屈肩负重， 成了服苦的奴仆。
16 但要审判自己的人民， 作以色列的一个支派。
17 但要作路上的蛇， 道中的毒蛇， 他要咬伤马蹄， 使骑马的人向后坠落。
18 耶和华啊， 我向来等候你的拯救。
19 迦得必被侵略者追逼， 他却要追逼他们的脚跟。
20 至于亚设， 他的食物必定肥美， 他有美食可以供奉君王。
21 拿弗他利是只得释放的母鹿， 发出优美的言语。
22 约瑟是一根结果子的树枝， 是一根泉旁结果子的树枝， 他的枝条蔓延出墙外。
23 弓箭手把他苦害， 向他射箭敌对他。
24 但他的弓依然坚硬， 他的手臂仍旧敏捷， 这是出于雅各的大能者之手； 出于以色列的牧者， 以色列的磐石。
25 是你父亲的 神帮助你， 是那全能者赐给你； 他把从天上来的福， 地下深渊蕴藏着的福， 哺乳和生育的福， 都赐给你。
26 你父亲的祝福， 胜过我祖先的祝福（"胜过我祖先的祝福"有古?本作"胜过亘古的山冈"）， 胜过永远山岭上的美物。愿这些福都降在约瑟的头上， 降在兄弟中作王子的那一位头上。
27 便雅悯是只撕掠的豺狼， 早晨吞吃他的猎物， 晚上瓜分他的掳物。"
28 这些就是以色列的十二支派； 以上是他们父亲对他们所说的话， 是按着各人的福分给他们所祝的福。
29 雅各又嘱咐他们， 对他们说： "我快要归到我的亲族那里去， 你们要把我埋葬在赫人以弗仑田间的洞里， 与我的祖先在一起。
30 这个洞在迦南地， 在幔利前面的麦比拉的田间。那地方原是亚伯拉罕向赫人以弗仑买下来作坟地的。
31 他们在那里埋葬了亚伯拉罕和他的妻子撒拉； 又在那里埋葬了以撒和他的妻子利百加； 我也在那里埋葬了利亚。
32 那块田和田间的洞， 是向赫人买来的。"
33 雅各对他的众子嘱咐完了， 就把双脚收回床上， 气绝而死， 归到他的亲族那里去了。