Genesis 49

Jacob’s Prophecy concerning His Sons

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

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and 4the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.45Uncontrollable as water, you shall not have preeminence, 6Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it--he went up to my couch.

5“7Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their 8swords are implements of violence.69May my soul not enter into their council; May my glory not be united with their assembly; For in their anger they killed 10men, And in their self-will they lamed 11oxen.7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. 12I will scatter them in Jacob, And disperse them among Israel.

8“As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; 13Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.9Judah is a 14lion’s cub; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. 15He 16crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a 17lion, who 18dares to stir him up?1019The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 20Until Shiloh comes, And 21to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.1122He 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 reside at the seashore; And he shall be 27a harbor for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14“Issachar is a 28strong donkey, 29Lying down between the sheepfolds.15When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to carry burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.

16“30Dan shall 31judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned viper in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that its rider falls backward.1832For Your salvation I wait, Lord.

19“33As for Gad, a band of raiders shall attack him, But he will attack at their 34heels.

20“3536As for 37Asher, his 38food shall be 39rich, And he will yield royal delicacies.

21“40Naphtali is a doe let loose; He utters beautiful words.

22“41Joseph is a fruitful 42branch, A fruitful 43branch by a spring; Its 44branches hang over a wall.23The archers provoked him, And shot at him and were hostile toward him;24But his 45bow remained 46firm, And 4748his arms were agile, From the hands of the 49Mighty One of Jacob (From there is 50the Shepherd, 51the Stone of Israel),25From 52the God of your father who helps you, And 5354by the 55Almighty who blesses you With 56blessings 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 57furthest boundary of 58the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

27“Benjamin is a 59ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoils.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them 60when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one 61with the blessing appropriate to him.

Jacob Dies

29Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be 62gathered to my people; 63bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in 64the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the 65cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a 66burial site. 31There they buried 67Abraham and his wife 68Sarah, there they buried 69Isaac 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 commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and 70breathed his last, and was 71gathered to his people.