1 J acob llamó a sus hijos, y les dijo: «Júntense, que voy a hacerles saber lo que va a sucederles en los días finales.

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 » Júntense y escuchen, hijos de Jacob; escuchen a Israel, su padre.

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

3 » Tú, Rubén, eres mi primogénito, mi fortaleza, el principio de mi vigor; eres excelente en dignidad y en poder,

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

4 e impetuoso como las aguas. Pero ya no serás el principal, porque usurpaste el lecho de tu padre; ¡te envileciste al usurpar 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 » Simeón y Leví son chacales; sus espadas son armas de violencia.

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

6 Q ue no entre mi alma en sus reuniones, Ni mi honra se mezcle en su compañía. Porque en su enojo mataron hombres, Y por capricho desjarretaron toros.

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 sea su furor, tan tenaz, Y su enojo, tan implacable. Yo los dividiré en Jacob, Y los dispersaré 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 » A ti, Judá, te alabarán tus hermanos; Sujetarás a tus enemigos por el cuello, y los hijos de tu padre se inclinarán ante 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 T ú, Judá, eres un cachorro de león; tú, hijo mío, te apartaste de tu presa. Te encorvas, te echas como león; te asemejas a un león viejo. ¿Quién se atreverá a despertarte?

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 se te quitará el cetro, Judá; Ni el símbolo de poder de entre tus pies, hasta que venga Siloh y en torno a él se congreguen 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 C on tu pollino atado a una vid, con tu borrico atado a una cepa, lavarás tus vestidos en vino, y en la sangre de las uvas tu 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 c on los ojos rojos por el vino y los dientes blancos por la leche.

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

13 » Zabulón habitará en puertos de mar; Será un puerto para las naves, Y sus límites llegarán hasta Sidón.

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

14 » Isacar es un asno arisco Que se recuesta entre los campamentos.

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

15 C uando probó lo bueno del descanso y las delicias de la tierra, doblegó sus hombros ante la carga Y se entregó al trabajo de esclavos.

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 » Dan juzgará a su pueblo, Como una de las tribus de Israel.

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

17 D an será como una serpiente, como una víbora junto al camino, Que muerde los talones del caballo, Y hace caer de bruces al jinete.

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 » ¡Tu salvación espero, oh Señor!

I wait for Your saving power, O Lord.

19 » A Gad lo atacarán unos bandoleros, Pero él les devolverá el ataque.

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

20 » El pan de Aser será sustancioso; él brindará deleites dignos de un rey.

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

21 » Neftalí es una cierva desatada, madre de hermosos cervatos.

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

22 » José es una rama con frutos, rama con frutos junto a una fuente, cuyos vástagos cubren todo el muro.

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

23 L os arqueros lo hostilizan, y en su odio le lanzan flechas;

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

24 p ero su arco se queda tenso, Y los brazos se les entumecen ante el poder del Fuerte de Jacob (ante el nombre del Pastor, la Roca 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 a nte el Dios de tu padre, que te ayudará, ante el Dios Omnipotente, que te bendecirá con bendiciones de los altos cielos, con bendiciones del abismo profundo, con bendiciones de los pechos y del vientre.

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 F ueron más las bendiciones de tu padre que las bendiciones de mis progenitores. Aun lo deseable de los montes eternos bajará sobre la cabeza de José, sobre la frente del príncipe 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 » Benjamín es un lobo rapaz que por la mañana se come la presa y por la tarde reparte los despojos.» Muerte y sepelio de Jacob

“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 É stas son todas las doce tribus de Israel, y esto es lo que su padre les dijo al bendecirlos. A cada tribu le dio su bendición.

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 L uego les dio esta orden: «Yo estoy por reunirme con mi pueblo. Sepúltenme con mis padres en la cueva que está en el campo de Efrón el hitita.

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 s la cueva que está en el campo de Macpela, frente a Mamre, en la tierra de Canaán. Abrahán la compró, junto con el campo mismo de Efrón el hitita, para sepultura hereditaria.

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 a Abrahán y a Sara, su mujer; allí sepultaron a Isaac y a Rebeca, su mujer; allí también sepulté yo a Lea.

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

32 E l campo y la cueva que está en él, era de los hititas, pero fue comprada de ellos.»

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

33 Y cuando Jacob terminó de dar instrucciones a sus hijos, encogió sus pies en la cama y expiró. Así fue a reunirse con sus antepasados.

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