1 A nd Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

2 “ Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.

3 “ Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

4 U nstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it — He went up to my couch.

Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

5 “ Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords.

6 L et not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

O my soul, come not thou into their council; Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hocked an ox.

7 C ursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in 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 “ Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

Judah, thee shall thy brethren 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 lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

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 a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

10 T he scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come: And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

11 B inding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass's colt unto the choice vine; He hath washed his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

12 H is eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk.

13 “ Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; And he shall be for a haven of ships; And his border shall be upon Sidon.

14 “ Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;

Issachar is a strong ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds:

15 H e saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.

And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

16 “ Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

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

17 D an shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward.

Dan shall be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the horse's heels, So that his rider falleth backward.

18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!

I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

19 “ Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.

Gad, a troop shall press upon him; But he shall press upon their heel.

20 “ Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

Out of the Asher his bread shall be fat, And he shall yield royal dainties.

21 “ Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.

Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.

22 “ Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the wall.

23 T he archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecute him:

24 B ut his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there 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 thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

25 B y the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

Even 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 coucheth beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

26 T he blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

The 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.

27 “ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth: In the morning she shall devour the prey, And at even 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; he blessed each one according to his own blessing. Jacob’s Death and Burial

All 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.

29 T hen 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,

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

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 from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of 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 Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah:

32 T he field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.

33 A nd 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.

And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.