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 his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of 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 listen to 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 firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

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!

Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou: he went up to my bed.

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

Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence 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.

My soul, come not into their council; Mine honour, be not united with their assembly; For in their anger they slew men, And in their wantonness houghed oxen.

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 violent; And their rage, for it 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, thy brethren will praise thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children will bow down to 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 young lion; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, And as a lioness: who will 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 scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples.

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.

He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine; He washeth his dress in wine, And his garment in the blood of grapes.

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

The eyes are red with wine, And the 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 will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side upon Sidon.

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

Issachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles.

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 the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And was a tributary servant.

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

Dan will judge his people, As another 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 will be a serpent on the way, A horned snake on the path, Which biteth the horse's heels, So that the rider falleth backwards.

18 I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.

I wait 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—troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel.

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

Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give 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 well; branches shoot 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 provoked him, And shot at, and hated 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 abideth firm, And the arms of his hands are supple 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.

From the God of thy father, and he will help thee; And from the Almighty, and he will bless thee—With blessings of heaven from above, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, With blessings of the breast 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 surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

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

Benjamin— a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty.

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 what their father spoke to them; and he 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 to them, I am gathered to 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 opposite to Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite along with the field for a possession of a sepulchre.

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 Rebecca 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 purchase of the field, and of the cave that is in it, was 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 had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.