1 A nd Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days.

¶ And Jacob called unto his sons and said, Gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2 A ssemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father.

3 R euben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, principal in dignity, and the principal in power.

4 I mpetuous 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.

Unstable as water, thou shalt not be principal because thou didst go up to thy father’s bed; then thou became defiled, going up to my couch.

5 S imeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords.

¶ Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of injustice are their weapons.

6 M y 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.

Let my soul not enter into their secret; nor let my honour join their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their own will they dug down a wall.

7 C ursed be their anger, for it violent; And their rage, for it cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

Cursed be their anger, which is strong, and their wrath, which is hard; I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

8 J udah— 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.

¶ Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.

9 J udah 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?

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 an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10 T he 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.

The sceptre shall not be taken from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

11 H e 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.

Binding his foal unto the vine and his ass’s colt unto the choice roots; he washed his garments in wine and his covering in the blood of grapes;

12 T he eyes are red with wine, And the teeth white with milk.

His eyes red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13 Z ebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side upon Sidon.

¶ Zebulun shall dwell at the port of the sea; and he shall be for a port of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

14 I ssachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles.

Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens;

15 A nd 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.

and he saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant and bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant unto tribute.

16 D an will judge his people, As another of the tribes of Israel.

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

17 D an 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.

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18 I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

I have waited for thy saving health, O LORD.

19 G ad—troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel.

Gad, an army shall invade him, but he shall invade at the last.

20 O ut of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give royal dainties.

Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield delight unto the king.

21 N aphtali is a hind let loose; He giveth goodly words.

Naphtali is a hind let loose, who shall give forth a good word.

22 J oseph is a fruitful bough; A fruitful bough by a well; branches shoot over the wall.

¶ Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a fountain, whose daughters run over the wall.

23 T he archers have provoked him, And shot at, and hated him;

The arches have sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated him;

24 B ut 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:

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 there did the stone of Israel shepherd,

25 F rom 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.

by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the deep that lies under, with blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 T he 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.

The blessings of thy father were greater than the blessings of my progenitors; unto the borders of the eternal hills they shall be upon the head of Joseph and on the crown of the Nazarite of his brethren.

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

Benjamin, ravening wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil.

28 A ll 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.

¶ All these were the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke unto them and blessed them; each one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 A nd 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,

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 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.

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 of Ephron, the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

31 T here they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebecca 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 of the cave that is in it, was from the children of Heth.

The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the sons of Heth.

33 A nd 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.

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed and expired and was gathered unto his people.