Genesis 49:13–27

¹³“Zebulun will settle by the seashore

and will be a harbor for ships;

his borders will extend to Sidon.

¹⁴“Issachar is a sturdy donkey,

resting between two saddlepacks.

¹⁵When he sees how good the countryside is

and how pleasant the land,

he will bend his shoulder to the load

and submit himself to hard labor.

¹⁶“Dan will govern his people,

like any other tribe in Israel.

¹⁷Dan will be a snake beside the road,

a poisonous viper along the path

that bites the horse’s hooves

so its rider is thrown off.

¹⁸I trust in you for salvation, O Lord!

¹⁹“Gad will be attacked by marauding bands,

but he will attack them when they retreat.

²⁰“Asher will dine on rich foods

and produce food fit for kings.

²¹“Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.

²²“Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey,

the foal of a wild donkey at a spring—

one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.

²³Archers attacked him savagely;

they shot at him and harassed him.

²⁴But his bow remained taut,

and his arms were strengthened

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

²⁵May the God of your father help you;

May the Almighty bless you

with the blessings of the heavens above,

and blessings of the watery depths below,

and blessings of the breasts and womb.

²⁶May my fatherly blessings on you

surpass the blessings of my ancestors,

reaching to the heights of the eternal hills.

May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,

who is a prince among his brothers.

²⁷“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

devouring his enemies in the morning

and dividing his plunder in the evening.”