1 E ntonces Jacob llamó a sus hijos, y dijo: Reuníos para que os haga saber lo que os ha de acontecer en los días venideros.

And 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.

2 J untaos y oíd, hijos de Jacob, y escuchad a Israel vuestro padre.

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

3 R ubén, tú eres mi primogénito, mi poderío y el principio de mi vigor, prominente en dignidad y prominente en poder.

Reuben, 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.

4 I ncontrolable como el agua, no tendrás preeminencia, porque subiste a la cama de tu padre, y la profanaste: él subió a mi lecho.

But 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!

5 S imeón y Leví son hermanos; sus armas instrumentos de violencia.

Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

6 E n su consejo no entre mi alma, a su asamblea no se una mi gloria, porque en su ira mataron hombres, y en su obstinación desjarretaron bueyes.

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.

7 M aldita su ira porque es feroz; y su furor porque es cruel. Los dividiré en Jacob, y los dispersaré en Israel.

Cursed 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.

8 A ti Judá, te alabarán tus hermanos; tu mano en la cerviz de tus enemigos; se inclinarán a ti los hijos de tu padre.

Judah, 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.

9 C achorro de león es Judá; de la presa, hijo mío, has subido. Se agazapa, se echa como león, o como leona, ¿quién lo despertará ?

Judah, 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?

10 E l cetro no se apartará de Judá, ni la vara de gobernante de entre sus pies, hasta que venga Siloh, y a él sea dada la obediencia de los pueblos.

The 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.

11 E l ata a la vid su pollino, y a la mejor cepa el hijo de su asna; él lava en vino sus vestiduras, y en la sangre de las uvas su manto.

Binding 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.

12 S us ojos están apagados por el vino, y sus dientes blancos por la leche.

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

13 Z abulón habitará a la orilla del mar; y él será puerto para naves, y su límite será hasta Sidón.

Zebulun shall live toward the seashore, and he shall be a haven and a landing place for ships; and his border shall be toward Sidon.

14 I sacar es un asno fuerte, echado entre los apriscos.

Issachar is a strong-boned donkey crouching down between the sheepfolds.

15 A l ver que el lugar de reposo era bueno y que la tierra era agradable, inclinó su hombro para cargar, y llegó a ser esclavo en trabajos forzados.

And 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.

16 D an juzgará a su pueblo, como una de las tribus de Israel.

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

17 S ea Dan serpiente junto al camino, víbora junto al sendero, que muerde los jarretes del caballo, y cae su jinete hacia atrás.

Dan 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.

18 ¡ Tu salvación espero, oh Señor!

I wait for Your salvation, O Lord.

19 A Gad salteadores lo asaltarán, mas él asaltará su retaguardia.

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

20 E n cuanto a Aser, su alimento será sustancioso, y él dará manjares de rey.

Asher’s food shall be rich and fat, and he shall yield and deliver royal delights.

21 N eftalí es una cierva en libertad, que pronuncia palabras hermosas.

Naphtali is a hind let loose which yields lovely fawns.

22 R ama fecunda es José, rama fecunda junto a un manantial; sus vástagos se extienden sobre el muro.

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

23 L os arqueros lo atacaron con furor, lo asaetearon y lo hostigaron;

Skilled archers have bitterly attacked and sorely worried him; they have shot at him and persecuted him.

24 p ero su arco permaneció firme y sus brazos fueron ágiles por las manos del Poderoso de Jacob (de allí es el Pastor, la Roca de Israel ),

But 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,

25 p or el Dios de tu padre que te ayuda, y por el Todopoderoso que te bendice con bendiciones de los cielos de arriba, bendiciones del abismo que está abajo, bendiciones de los pechos y del seno materno.

By 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.

26 L as bendiciones de tu padre han sobrepasado las bendiciones de mis antepasados hasta el límite de los collados eternos; sean ellas sobre la cabeza de José, y sobre la cabeza del consagrado de entre tus hermanos.

The 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.

27 B enjamín es lobo rapaz; de mañana devora la presa, y a la tarde reparte los despojos. Muerte de Jacob

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

28 T odas estas son las doce tribus de Israel, y esto es lo que les dijo su padre cuando los bendijo. A cada uno lo bendijo con la bendición que le correspondía.

All 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.

29 D espués les ordenó y les dijo: Voy a ser reunido a mi pueblo; sepultadme con mis padres en la cueva que está en el campo de Efrón hitita,

He 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,

30 e n la cueva que está en el campo de Macpela, que está frente a Mamre, en la tierra de Canaán, la cual Abraham compró juntamente con el campo de Efrón hitita, para posesión de una sepultura.

In 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.

31 A llí sepultaron a Abraham y a su mujer Sara; allí sepultaron a Isaac y a su mujer Rebeca, y allí sepulté yo a Lea.

There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

32 E l campo y la cueva que hay en él, fueron comprados de los hijos de Het.

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

33 C uando Jacob terminó de encargar estas cosas a sus hijos, recogió sus pies en la cama y expiró, y fue reunido a su pueblo.

When Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.