Genesis 49:13–27

¹³Zebulun will live by the seashore

and will be a harbor for ships,

and his territory will be next to Sidon. ^w

¹⁴Issachar is a strong donkey

lying down between the saddlebags. ^x

¹⁵He saw that his resting place was good

and that the land was pleasant,

so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load

and became a forced laborer. ^y

¹⁶Dan will judge his people ^z

as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷He will be a snake by the road,

a viper beside the path,

that bites the horses’ heels

so that its rider falls backward.

¹⁸I wait for Your salvation, Lord.

¹⁹Gad will be attacked by raiders,

but he will attack their heels. ^a

²⁰Asher’s ^bfood will be rich,

and he will produce royal delicacies. ^c

²¹Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns. ^d

²²Joseph is a fruitful vine,

a fruitful vine beside a spring;

its branches ^eclimb over the wall. ^f

²³The archers attacked him,

shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

²⁴Yet his bow remained steady,

and his strong ^garms were made agile

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, ^h

by the name of ⁱthe Shepherd, ^jthe Rock of Israel, ^k

²⁵by the God of your father who helps you,

and by the Almighty who blesses you

with blessings of the heavens above,

blessings of the deep that lies below,

and blessings of the breasts and the womb.

²⁶The blessings of your father excel

the blessings of my ancestors ^l

and ^mthe bounty of the eternal hills. ^no

May they rest on the head of Joseph,

on the crown of the prince of his brothers.

²⁷Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey.

In the morning he devours the prey,

and in the evening he divides the plunder.” ^p