Genesis 49:5-33

5“1Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their 2swords are implements of violence.63May my soul not enter into their council; May my glory not be united with their assembly; For in their anger they killed 4men, And in their self-will they lamed 5oxen.7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. 6I 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; 7Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.9Judah is a 8lion’s cub; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. 9He 10crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a 11lion, who 12dares to stir him up?1013The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 14Until Shiloh comes, And 15to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.1116He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; 17He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.12His eyes are 18dull from wine, And his teeth 19white from milk.

13“20Zebulun will reside at the seashore; And he shall be 21a harbor for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14“Issachar is a 22strong donkey, 23Lying 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“24Dan shall 25judge 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.1826For Your salvation I wait, Lord.

19“27As for Gad, a band of raiders shall attack him, But he will attack at their 28heels.

20“2930As for 31Asher, his 32food shall be 33rich, And he will yield royal delicacies.

21“34Naphtali is a doe let loose; He utters beautiful words.

22“35Joseph is a fruitful 36branch, A fruitful 37branch by a spring; Its 38branches hang over a wall.23The archers provoked him, And shot at him and were hostile toward him;24But his 39bow remained 40firm, And 4142his arms were agile, From the hands of the 43Mighty One of Jacob (From there is 44the Shepherd, 45the Stone of Israel),25From 46the God of your father who helps you, And 4748by the 49Almighty who blesses you With 50blessings 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 51furthest boundary of 52the 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 53ravenous 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 54when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one 55with the blessing appropriate to him. 29Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be 56gathered to my people; 57bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in 58the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the 59cave 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 60burial site. 31There they buried 61Abraham and his wife 62Sarah, there they buried 63Isaac 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 64breathed his last, and was 65gathered to his people.