1 A nd Jacob called for his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the latter or last days.

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

2 G ather yourselves together and hear, you sons of Jacob; and hearken to Israel your father.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.

3 R euben, you are my firstborn, my might, the beginning (the firstfruits) of my manly strength and vigor; the preeminence in dignity and the preeminence in power.

Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

4 B ut unstable and boiling over like water, you shall not excel and have the preeminence, because you went to your father’s bed; you defiled it—he went to my couch!

Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

5 S imeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords.

6 O my soul, come not into their secret council; unto their assembly let not my honor be united, because in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they disabled oxen.

O my soul, come not thou into their council; Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hocked an ox.

7 C ursed 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.

Cursed 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.

8 J udah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise: Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee.

9 J udah, a lion’s cub! With the prey, my son, you have gone high up. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, and like a lioness—who dares provoke and rouse him?

Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up: He stooped down, he couched as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

10 T he scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come: And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

11 B inding His foal to the vine and His donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washes His garments in wine and His clothes in the blood of grapes.

Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass's colt unto the choice vine; He hath washed his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

12 H is eyes are darker and more sparkling than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk.

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

13 Z ebulun shall live toward the seashore, and he shall be a haven and a landing place for ships; and his border shall be toward Sidon.

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; And he shall be for a haven of ships; And his border shall be upon Sidon.

14 I ssachar is a strong-boned donkey crouching down between the sheepfolds.

Issachar is a strong ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds:

15 A nd he saw that rest was good and that the land was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant to tribute.

And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

16 D an shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

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

17 D an shall be a serpent by the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites at the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.

Dan shall be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the horse's heels, So that his rider falleth backward.

18 I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.

I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

19 G ad—a raiding troop shall raid him, but he shall raid at their heels and assault them.

Gad, a troop shall press upon him; But he shall press upon their heel.

20 A sher’s food shall be rich and fat, and he shall yield and deliver royal delights.

Out of the Asher his bread shall be fat, And he shall yield royal dainties.

21 N aphtali is a hind let loose which yields lovely fawns.

Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.

22 J oseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well (spring or fountain), whose branches run over the wall.

Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the wall.

23 S killed archers have bitterly attacked and sorely worried him; they have shot at him and persecuted him.

The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecute him:

24 B ut his bow remained strong and steady and rested in the Strength that does not fail him, for the arms of his hands were made strong and active by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong, By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

25 B y the God of your father, Who will help you, and by the Almighty, Who will bless you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings lying in the deep beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

Even 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 coucheth beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

26 T he blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of my forefathers and are as lasting as the bounties of the eternal hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was the consecrated one and the one separated from his brethren and is prince among them.

The 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.

27 B enjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at night dividing the spoil.

Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth: In the morning she shall devour the prey, And at even he shall divide the spoil.

28 A ll these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each one according to the blessing suited to him.

All 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.

29 H e charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

And 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,

30 I n the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre in the land of Canaan, that Abraham bought, along with the field of Ephron the Hittite, to possess as a cemetery.

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place.

31 T here they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah:

32 T he purchase of the field and the cave that is in it was from the sons of Heth.

the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.

33 W hen Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

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