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 calleth unto his sons and saith, `Be gathered together, and I declare to you that which doth happen with you in the latter end of the days.

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

`Be assembled, and hear, 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! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance 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!

Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!

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

Simeon and Levi brethren! Instruments of violence -- their espousals!

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.

Into their secret, come not, O my soul! Unto their assembly be not united, O mine honour; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will eradicated a prince.

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 their anger, for fierce, And their wrath, for sharp; I divide them in Jacob, And I 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! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves 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?

A lion's whelp Judah, For prey, my son, thou hast gone up; He hath bent, he hath crouched as a lion, And as a lioness; who causeth him to arise?

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 turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his 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.

Binding to the vine his ass, And to the choice vine the colt of his ass, He hath washed in wine his clothing, And in the blood of grapes his covering;

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

Red eyes with wine, And white teeth 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 at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he for a haven of ships; And his side unto Zidon.

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

Issacher a strong ass, Crouching between the two folds;

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 seeth rest that good, And the land that pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.

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

Dan doth 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 is a serpent by the way, An adder by the path, Which is biting the horse's heels, And its rider falleth backward.

18 I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.

For Thy salvation I have waited, Jehovah!

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

Gad! a troop assaulteth him, But he assaulteth last.

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

Out of Asher his bread fat; And he giveth dainties of a king.

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

Naphtali a hind sent away, Who is giving beauteous young ones.

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

Joseph a fruitful son; A fruitful son by a fountain, Daughters step over the wall;

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

And embitter him -- yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;

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,

And his bow abideth in strength, And strengthened are the arms of his hands By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, Whence is a shepherd, a son 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.

By the God of thy father who helpeth thee, And the Mighty One who blesseth thee, Blessings of the heavens from above, Blessings of the deep lying under, Blessings of breasts and 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.

Thy father's blessings have been mighty Above the blessings of my progenitors, Unto the limit of the heights age-during They are for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of the one Separate his brethren.

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

Benjamin! a wolf teareth; In the morning he eateth prey, And at evening he apportioneth 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 the twelve tribes of Israel, and this that which their father hath spoken unto them, and he blesseth them; each according to his blessing he hath 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 commandeth them, and saith unto them, `I am being gathered unto my people; bury me by my fathers, at the cave which 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 which in the field of Machpelah, which on the front of 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 purchase of the field and of the cave which in it, from Sons 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 Jacob finisheth commanding his sons, and gathereth up his feet unto the bed, and expireth, and is gathered unto his people.