Genesis 49

1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

3Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.footnote afootnote b

5Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.footnote c

6O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.footnote d

7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

9Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

11Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

12His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

15And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

16Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.footnote e

18I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

19Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

20Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

22Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:footnote f

23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

24But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

33And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

Jacob Blesses His Sons

1Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:

2Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob;listen to your father Israel.

3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,and the beginning of my strength,excelling in honor,excelling in power. 4Uncontrolled as the waters,you will no longer excel,because you went up to your father’s bed,onto my couch, and defiled it.

5Simeon and Levi are brothers;their swordsfootnote aare weapons of violence. 6May I never enter their council;may I never join their assembly.For they kill men in their anger,and hamstring oxen on a whim. 7Cursed be their anger, for it is strong,and their wrath, for it is cruel!I will disperse them in Jacoband scatter them in Israel.

8Judah,footnote byour brothers shall praise you.Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies;your father’s sons shall bow down to you. 9Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey.Like a lion he crouches and lies down;like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? 10The scepter will not depart from Judah,nor the staff from between his feet,footnote cuntil Shilohfootnote dcomesand the allegiance of the nations is his. 11He ties his donkey to the vine,his colt to the choicest branch.He washes his garments in wine,his robes in the blood of grapes. 12His eyes are darker than wine,and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell by the seashoreand become a harbor for ships;his border shall extend to Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong donkey,lying down between the sheepfolds.footnote e 15He saw that his resting place was goodand that his land was pleasant,so he bent his shoulder to the burdenand submitted to labor as a servant.

16Dan shall provide justice for his peoplefootnote fas one of the tribes of Israel. 17He will be a snake by the road,a viper in the paththat bites the horse’s heelsso that its rider tumbles backward.

18I await Your salvation, O LORD.

19Gadfootnote gwill be attacked by raiders,but he will attack their heels.

20Asher’s food will be rich;he shall provide royal delicacies.

21Naphtali is a doe set freethat bears beautiful fawns.footnote h

22Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring,whose branches scale the wall.footnote i 23The archers attacked him with bitterness;they aimed at him in hostility. 24Yet he steadied his bow,and his strong arms were temperedby the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25by the God of your father who helps you,and by the Almightyfootnote jwho blesses you,with blessings of the heavens above,with blessings of the depths below,with blessings of the breasts and womb. 26The blessings of your father have surpassedthe blessings of the ancient mountainsfootnote kand the bounty of the everlasting hills.May they rest on the head of Joseph,on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;in the morning he devours the prey,in the evening he divides the plunder.”

28These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

The Death of Jacob

29Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers 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. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

33When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.