1 A nd 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, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of 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 excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went 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 S imeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

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

6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged 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, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was 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, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children 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 depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; 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 vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes 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 shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

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

13 Z ebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven 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 biteth 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 salvation, O Lord.

I wait for Your saving power, O Lord.

19 G ad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome 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 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, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches 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 archers 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 God 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 E ven by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, 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 have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate 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 shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night 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 A ll these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and 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 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 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 up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

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