1 ¶ 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.

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 G ather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto 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 beginning of my strength, principal in dignity, and the principal in power.

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

4 U nstable 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.

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

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

6 L et 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.

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, which is strong, and their wrath, which is hard; 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 ¶ 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.

“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 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?

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 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.

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 B inding 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;

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 H is eyes red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

His eyes are darker than wine. And his teeth are whiter than milk.

13 ¶ 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.

“Zebulun will live beside the sea and be a safe place for ships. His land will lie beside Sidon.

14 I ssachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens;

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

15 a nd 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.

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

“Dan will judge his people, as one of the families of Israel.

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

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 have waited for thy saving health, O LORD.

I wait for Your saving power, O Lord.

19 G ad, an army shall invade him, but he shall invade at the last.

“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 shall yield delight unto the king.

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

21 N aphtali is a hind let loose, who shall give forth a good word.

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

22 ¶ Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a fountain, whose daughters run 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 arches have sorely grieved him and shot at him 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 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,

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 b y 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.

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 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.

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

“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 ¶ 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.

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 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,

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 before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron, the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

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 Rebekah, 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 therein was from the sons 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 up his feet into the bed and expired and was gathered unto his people.

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