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.

Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together so that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

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

Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel.

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

“Reuben, you are my first-born, my power and the beginning of my strength, first in pride and first 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.

But because you are as wild as water, the first place will not be yours. It is because you went to your father’s bed and made it unclean.

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

“Simeon and Levi are brothers. They hurt others with their swords.

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.

May my soul not have a part in their secrets, nor my shining-greatness be joined to them. Because in their anger they killed men and for no reason they hurt cattle.

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.

Their anger will be punished, for it is bad. Their bad temper will be punished, for it is bad. I will divide them in Jacob and spread them apart 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, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of those who hate you. Your father’s sons will bow down to you.

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 young lion. Like a lion full of meat, you have become great, my son. He lies down and sleeps like a lion. And as a lion, who is willing to wake him?

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 right of a ruler will not leave Judah. The ruler’s special stick will not go from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. Then the people will obey Him.

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.

He ties his young donkey to the vine, his donkey’s young one to the best vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his coats in the blood of grapes.

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

His eyes are darker than wine. And his teeth are whiter than 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 will live beside the sea and be a safe place for ships. His land will lie beside Sidon.

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

“Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the loads.

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.

He saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasing. So he made his shoulder ready to carry loads. He let himself be a servant.

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

“Dan will judge his people, as one of the families 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 will be a snake in the way, a snake in the road, that bites the horse’s heels so that the man falls off.

18 I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

I wait for Your saving power, O Lord.

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

“A group of soldiers will go against Gad. But he will go against them at their heels.

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

“Asher’s food will be rich. He will give pleasing food to kings.

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

“Naphtali is a female deer let loose who gives beautiful young ones.

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

“Joseph is a branch with much fruit, a branch with much fruit by a well. It grows over the wall.

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

The men fought against him with their bows. They sent arrows toward him and made it hard for 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 did not shake. His arms were made strong by the hands of the Powerful One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

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 your father Who helps you, and by the All-powerful Who brings good to you. He brings good from heaven above, and from the deep that lies below, and from the body of a mother.

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.

More good has come to your father than to my fathers before me, as lasting as the hills that last forever. May this good be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was divided from his brothers.

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 is a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats the animals he has caught. And in the evening he divides what he has taken.”

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 are the twelve family groups of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he prayed that good would come to them. He prayed for each of them to receive the good they should have. The Death of Jacob

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,

Then he told them, “I will soon be with my people who have died before me. Bury me with my fathers in the grave 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 grave that is in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this grave and the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place.

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 his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah. 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 field and the grave that is in it were bought 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.

When Jacob finished telling his sons what to do, he lay back down on his bed and died.