GenesisChapter 49

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¹Then Jacob called for his sons. He said, "Gather around. I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come. ²Come together and listen, sons of Jacob.
Listen to your father Israel. ³Reuben, you are my firstborn.
You are my might, the first sign of my strength.
You are first in honor and first in power. ⁴You are wild like rushing water.
You will not be first anymore,
because you went up onto your father's bed.
You got on my couch and made it unclean. ⁵Simeon and Levi are brothers.
Their swords are weapons of violence. ⁶May I never go into their secret meetings.
May I never join their group.
For in their anger they killed men.
Just because they felt like it, they crippled oxen. ⁷Cursed be their anger, because it is so strong.
Cursed be their rage, because it is so cruel!
I will split them up in Jacob.
I will scatter them in Israel. ⁸Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies.
Your father's sons will bow down to you. ⁹Judah is a young lion.
My son, you come back from the kill.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down.
Like a lioness, who would dare to wake him? ¹⁰The scepter will not leave Judah.
The ruler's staff will not leave from between his feet.
It will stay until Shiloh comes.
And the nations will obey him.a ¹¹He ties his donkey to the vine.
He ties his colt to the best branch.
He washes his clothes in wine.
He washes his robes in the blood of grapes. ¹²His eyes are darker than wine.
His teeth are whiter than milk. ¹³Zebulun will live by the seashore.
He will be a harbor for ships.
His land will reach to Sidon. ¹⁴Issachar is a strong donkey.
He lies down between the sheep pens. ¹⁵He saw that his resting place was good.
He saw that his land was pleasant.
So he bent his shoulder to carry the load.
He gave in to hard work as a servant. ¹⁶Dan will bring justice to his people.
He will be one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷Dan will be a snake by the road.
He will be a viper on the path.
He bites the horse's heels,
so that its rider falls backward. ¹⁸I wait for your salvation, LORD. ¹⁹Raiders will attack Gad.
But he will attack their heels. ²⁰Asher's food will be rich.
He will make treats fit for a king. ²¹Naphtali is a deer set free.
She has beautiful fawns. ²²Joseph is a vine full of fruit.
He is a fruitful vine by a spring.
Its branches climb over the wall. ²³Archers attacked him with bitter anger.
They shot at him with hate. ²⁴But he held his bow steady.
His strong arms were made strong by the Mighty One of Jacob.
This was by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. ²⁵It was by the God of your father, who helps you.
It was by the Almighty, who blesses you.
He blesses you with blessings from the sky above.
He blesses you with blessings from the deep waters below.
He blesses you with blessings of the breasts and womb. ²⁶The blessings of your father are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains.
They are greater than the riches of the hills that last forever.
May they rest on the head of Joseph.
May they rest on the brow of the prince among his brothers. ²⁷Benjamin is a hungry wolf.
In the morning he eats up his prey.
In the evening he divides what he has taken." ²⁸These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each one the blessing that fit him. ²⁹Then Jacob gave them orders. He said, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers. Bury me in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. ³⁰The cave is in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this field from Ephron the Hittite as a place to bury his dead. ³¹Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there. Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there. And I buried Leah there. ³²The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites." ³³Jacob finished giving orders to his sons. Then he pulled his feet up into the bed. He breathed his last breath, and he was gathered to his people.