1 Y LLAMO Jacob á sus hijos, y dijo: Juntaos, y os declararé lo que os ha de acontecer en los postreros días.

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 J untaos y oid, hijos de Jacob; Y escuchad á vuestro padre Israel.

Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel.

3 R ubén, tú eres mi primogénito, mi fortaleza, y el principio de mi vigor; Principal en dignidad, principal en poder.

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

4 C orriente como las aguas, no seas el principal; Por cuanto subiste al lecho de tu padre: Entonces te envileciste, subiendo á mi estrado.

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 imeón y Leví, hermanos: Armas de iniquidad sus armas.

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

6 E n su secreto no entre mi alma, Ni mi honra se junte en su compañía; Que en su furor mataron varón, Y en su voluntad arrancaron muro.

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 M aldito su furor, que fué fiero; Y su ira, que fué dura: Yo los apartaré en Jacob, Y los esparciré en 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 udá, alabarte han tus hermanos: Tu mano en la cerviz de tus enemigos: Los hijos de tu padre se inclinarán á ti.

“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 C achorro de león Judá: De la presa subiste, hijo mío: Encorvóse, echóse como león, Así como león viejo; ¿quién lo despertará?

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 N o será quitado el cetro de Judá, Y el legislador de entre sus piés, Hasta que venga Shiloh; Y á él se congregarán los pueblos.

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 A tando á la vid su pollino, Y á la cepa el hijo de su asna, Lavó en el vino su vestido, Y en la sangre de uvas su manto:

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 S us ojos bermejos del vino, Y los dientes blancos de la leche.

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

13 Z abulón en puertos de mar habitará, Y será para puerto de navíos; Y su término hasta Sidón.

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

14 I ssachâr, asno huesudo Echado entre dos tercios:

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

15 Y vió que el descanso era bueno, Y que la tierra era deleitosa; Y bajó su hombro para llevar, Y sirvió en tributo.

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 juzgará á su pueblo, Como una de las tribus de Israel.

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

17 S erá Dan serpiente junto al camino, Cerasta junto á la senda, Que muerde los talones de los caballos, Y hace caer por detrás al cabalgador de ellos.

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 T u salud esperé, oh Jehová.

I wait for Your saving power, O Lord.

19 G ad, ejército lo acometerá; Mas él acometerá al fin.

“A group of soldiers will go against Gad. But he will go against them at their heels.

20 E l pan de Aser será grueso, Y él dará deleites al rey.

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

21 N ephtalí, sierva dejada, Que dará dichos hermosos.

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

22 R amo fructífero José, Ramo fructífero junto á fuente, Cuyos vástagos se extienden sobre el muro.

“Joseph is a branch with much fruit, a branch with much fruit by a well. It grows over the wall.

23 Y causáronle amargura, Y asaeteáronle, Y aborreciéronle los archeros:

The men fought against him with their bows. They sent arrows toward him and made it hard for him.

24 M as su arco quedó en fortaleza, Y los brazos de sus manos se corroboraron Por las manos del Fuerte de Jacob, (De allí el pastor, y la piedra de 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 D el Dios de tu padre, el cual te ayudará, Y del Omnipotente, el cual te bendecirá Con bendiciones de los cielos de arriba, Con bendiciones del abismo que está abajo, Con bendiciones del seno y de la matriz.

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 L as bendiciones de tu padre Fueron mayores que las bendiciones de mis progenitores: Hasta el término de los collados eternos Serán sobre la cabeza de José, Y sobre la mollera del Nazareo de sus hermanos.

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 enjamín, lobo arrebatador: A la mañana comerá la presa, Y á la tarde repartirá los despojos.

“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 T odos estos fueron las doce tribus de Israel: y esto fué lo que su padre les dijo, y bendíjolos; á cada uno por su bendición los bendijo.

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 M andóles luego, y díjoles: Yo voy á ser reunido con mi pueblo: sepultadme con mis padres en la cueva que está en el campo de Ephrón el Hetheo;

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 E n la cueva que está en el campo de Macpela, que está delante de Mamre en la tierra de Canaán, la cual compró Abraham con el mismo campo de Ephrón el Hetheo, para heredad de sepultura.

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 A llí sepultaron á Abraham y á Sara su mujer; allí sepultaron á Isaac y á Rebeca su mujer; allí también sepulté yo á Lea.

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

32 L a compra del campo y de la cueva que está en él, fué de los hijos de Heth.

The field and the grave that is in it were bought from the sons of Heth.”

33 Y como acabó Jacob de dar órdenes á sus hijos, encogió sus pies en la cama, y espiró: y fué reunido con sus padres.

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