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 calleth unto his sons and saith, `Be gathered together, and I declare to you that which doth happen with you in the latter end of the days.

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

`Be assembled, and hear, 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! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength;

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.

Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!

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

Simeon and Levi brethren! Instruments of violence -- their espousals!

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.

Into their secret, come not, O my soul! Unto their assembly be not united, O mine honour; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will eradicated a prince.

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 their anger, for fierce, And their wrath, for sharp; I divide them in Jacob, And I 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! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to 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?

A lion's whelp Judah, For prey, my son, thou hast gone up; He hath bent, he hath crouched as a lion, And as a lioness; who causeth him to arise?

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 turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his the obedience of peoples.

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 to the vine his ass, And to the choice vine the colt of his ass, He hath washed in wine his clothing, And in the blood of grapes his covering;

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

Red eyes with wine, And white teeth 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 at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he for a haven of ships; And his side unto Zidon.

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

Issacher a strong ass, Crouching between the two folds;

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 seeth rest that good, And the land that pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.

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

Dan doth 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 is a serpent by the way, An adder by the path, Which is biting the horse's heels, And its rider falleth backward.

18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!

For Thy salvation I have waited, Jehovah!

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

Gad! a troop assaulteth him, But he assaulteth last.

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

Out of Asher his bread fat; And he giveth dainties of a king.

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

Naphtali a hind sent away, Who is giving beauteous young ones.

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

Joseph a fruitful son; A fruitful son by a fountain, Daughters step over the wall;

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

And embitter him -- yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;

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),

And his bow abideth in strength, And strengthened are the arms of his hands By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, Whence is a shepherd, a son 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.

By the God of thy father who helpeth thee, And the Mighty One who blesseth thee, Blessings of the heavens from above, Blessings of the deep lying under, Blessings of breasts and 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.

Thy father's blessings have been mighty Above the blessings of my progenitors, Unto the limit of the heights age-during They are for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of the one Separate 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! a wolf teareth; In the morning he eateth prey, And at evening he apportioneth 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 the twelve tribes of Israel, and this that which their father hath spoken unto them, and he blesseth them; each according to his blessing he hath 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 commandeth them, and saith unto them, `I am being gathered unto my people; bury me by my fathers, at the cave which 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 which in the field of Machpelah, which on the front of 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 purchase of the field and of the cave which in it, from Sons 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 Jacob finisheth commanding his sons, and gathereth up his feet unto the bed, and expireth, and is gathered unto his people.