Genesis 49:3-28

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and 1the beginning of my strength, 2Preeminent in dignity and 3preeminent in power.44Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, 5Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it--he went up to my couch.

5“6Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence.67Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew 8men, And in their self-will they lamed 9oxen.7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. 10I will 11disperse 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; 12Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.9Judah is a 13lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. 14He 15couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a 16lion, who 17dares rouse him up?1018The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 19Until Shiloh comes, And 20to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.112122He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; 23He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.12His eyes are 24dull from wine, And his teeth 25white from milk.

13“26Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be 27a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14“Issachar is 28a strong donkey, 29Lying down between the 30sheepfolds.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“31Dan shall 32judge 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.1833For Your salvation I wait, O Lord.

19“34As for Gad, 35raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their 36heels.

20“3738As for 39Asher, his 40food shall be 41rich, And he will yield royal dainties.

21“42Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.

22“43Joseph is a fruitful 44bough, A fruitful 45bough by a spring; Its 46branches run over a wall.23The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;24But his 47bow remained 48firm, And 4950his arms were agile, From the hands of the 51Mighty One of Jacob (From there is 52the Shepherd, 53the Stone of Israel),25From 54the God of your father who helps you, And 5556by the 57Almighty who blesses you With 58blessings 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 59utmost bound of 60the 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 61ravenous 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 62when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one 63with the blessing appropriate to him.