Genesis 49

Israel’s Prophecy concerning His Sons

1Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you 1in the 2days to come.2Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And 3listen to Israel your father.

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and 4the beginning of my strength, 5Preeminent in dignity and 6preeminent in power.47Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, 8Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it--he went up to my couch.

5“9Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence.610Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew 11men, And in their self-will they lamed 12oxen.7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. 13I will 14disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

8“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; 15Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.9Judah is a 16lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. 17He 18couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a 19lion, who 20dares rouse him up?1021The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 22Until Shiloh comes, And 23to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.112425He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; 26He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.12His eyes are 27dull from wine, And his teeth 28white from milk.

13“29Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be 30a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14“Issachar is 31a strong donkey, 32Lying down between the 33sheepfolds.15When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.

16“34Dan shall 35judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward.1836For Your salvation I wait, O Lord.

19“37As for Gad, 38raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their 39heels.

20“4041As for 42Asher, his 43food shall be 44rich, And he will yield royal dainties.

21“45Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.

22“46Joseph is a fruitful 47bough, A fruitful 48bough by a spring; Its 49branches run over a wall.23The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;24But his 50bow remained 51firm, And 5253his arms were agile, From the hands of the 54Mighty One of Jacob (From there is 55the Shepherd, 56the Stone of Israel),25From 57the God of your father who helps you, And 5859by the 60Almighty who blesses you With 61blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.26The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the 62utmost bound of 63the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

27“Benjamin is a 64ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them 65when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one 66with the blessing appropriate to him. 29Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be 67gathered to my people; 68bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in 69the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the 70cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a 71burial site. 31There they buried 72Abraham and his wife 73Sarah, there they buried 74Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah-- 32the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and 75breathed his last, and was 76gathered to his people.