Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

49:1-28^Ref — Dt 33:1–29

Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.^a

“Assemble^b and listen, sons of Jacob;

listen to your father Israel.^c

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,^d

my might, the first sign of my strength,^e

excelling in honor,^f excelling in power.

Turbulent as the waters,^g you will no longer excel,

for you went up onto your father’s bed,

onto my couch and defiled it.^h

“Simeonⁱ and Levi^j are brothers—

their swords are weapons of violence.^k

Let me not enter their council,

let me not join their assembly,^l

for they have killed men in their anger^m

and hamstrungⁿ oxen as they pleased.

Cursed be their anger, so fierce,

and their fury,^o so cruel!^p

I will scatter them in Jacob

and disperse them in Israel.^q

“Judah,^r your brothers will praise you;

your hand will be on the neck^s of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down to you.^t

You are a lion’s^u cub,^v Judah;^w

you return from the prey,^x my son.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down,

like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

The scepter will not depart from Judah,^y

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he to whom it belongs shall come^z

and the obedience of the nations be his.^a

He will tether his donkey^b to a vine,

his colt to the choicest branch;^c

he will wash his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.^d

His eyes will be darker than wine,

his teeth whiter than milk.^e

“Zebulun^f will live by the seashore

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend toward Sidon.^g

“Issachar^h is a rawboned donkey

lying down among the sheep pens.ⁱ

When he sees how good is his resting place

and how pleasant is his land,^j

he will bend his shoulder to the burden^k

and submit to forced labor.^l

“Dan^m will provide justice for his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.ⁿ

Dan^o will be a snake by the roadside,

a viper along the path,^p

that bites the horse’s heels^q

so that its rider tumbles backward.

“I look for your deliverance,^r Lord.^s

“Gad^t will be attacked by a band of raiders,

but he will attack them at their heels.^u

“Asher’s^v food will be rich;^w

he will provide delicacies fit for a king.^x

“Naphtali^y is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.^z

“Joseph^a is a fruitful vine,^b

a fruitful vine near a spring,

whose branches^c climb over a wall.

With bitterness archers attacked him;^d

they shot at him with hostility.^e

But his bow remained steady,^f

his strong arms^g stayed limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,^h

because of the Shepherd,ⁱ the Rock of Israel,^j

because of your father’s God,^k who helps^l you,

because of the Almighty,^m who blesses you

with blessings of the heavens above,

blessings of the deep that lies below,ⁿ

blessings of the breast^o and womb.^p

Your father’s blessings are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains,

than the bounty of the age-old hills.^q

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,^r

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.^s

“Benjamin^t is a ravenous wolf;^u

in the morning he devours the prey,^v

in the evening he divides the plunder.”^w

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,^x and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing^y appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

Then he gave them these instructions:^a “I am about to be gathered to my people.^b Bury me with my fathers^c in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,^d the cave in the field of Machpelah,^e near Mamre^f in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field^g as a burial place^h from Ephron the Hittite. There Abrahamⁱ and his wife Sarah^j were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah^k were buried, and there I buried Leah.^l The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.^m”

When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.ⁿ