1 L lamó Jacob a sus hijos, y dijo: —Acercaos y os declararé lo que ha de aconteceros en los días venideros.

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 » Acercaos y oíd, hijos de Jacob; escuchad a 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; el primero en dignidad, el primero en poder.

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

4 I mpetuoso como las aguas, ya no serás el primero, por cuanto subiste al lecho de tu padre; entonces te envileciste, al subir a mi lecho.

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 hermanos; armas de maldad son sus armas.

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

6 E n su consejo no entre mi alma, ni mi espíritu se junte en su compañía, porque en su furor mataron hombres y en su temeridad 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, que fue fiero, y su ira, que fue dura. Yo los apartaré en Jacob, 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 » Judá, te alabarán tus hermanos; tu mano estará sobre el cuello de tus enemigos; los hijos de tu padre se inclinarán a 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. Se encorvó, se echó como león, 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 ni el bastón de mando de entre sus pies, hasta que llegue Siloh; a 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 a la vid su pollino y a 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 son más rojos que el vino y sus dientes más blancos que la leche.

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

13 » Zabulón habitará en puertos de mar; será puerto para las naves y llegará hasta Sidón.

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

14 » Isacar, asno fuerte que se recuesta entre los apriscos.

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

15 A l ver que el descanso era bueno y la tierra deleitosa, bajó su hombro para llevar carga, y sirvió como un esclavo.

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 S erá Dan serpiente junto al camino, víbora junto a la senda, que muerde los talones del caballo y hace caer hacia atrás 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 T u salvación he esperado, oh Jehová.

I wait for Your saving power, O Lord.

19 » A Gad, un ejército lo asaltará, mas él acometerá al final.

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

20 » El pan de Aser será substancioso; él dará deleites al rey.

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

21 » Neftalí, cierva suelta que da hermosos cervatillos.

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

22 » Rama fructífera es José, rama fructífera junto a una fuente, sus 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 L e causaron amargura, le lanzaron flechas, lo aborrecieron los arqueros,

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

24 m as su arco se mantuvo poderoso y los brazos de sus manos se fortalecieron por las manos del Fuerte de Jacob, por 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 p or el Dios de tu padre, el cual te ayudará, por el Dios omnipotente, el cual te bendecirá con bendiciones de los cielos de arriba, con bendiciones del abismo que está abajo, 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 L as bendiciones de tu padre fueron mayores que las de mis progenitores; hasta el término de los collados eternos serán sobre la cabeza de José, sobre la frente del que fue apartado de entre 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 lobo arrebatador: por la mañana comerá la presa y a la tarde repartirá los despojos. Muerte y entierro 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 T odas estas son las tribus de Israel, doce en total, y esto es lo que su padre les dijo al bendecirlas; a cada una 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 es ordenó luego, diciendo: «Voy a ser reunido con mi pueblo. Sepultadme con mis padres en la cueva que está en el campo de Efrón, el heteo,

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, al oriente de Mamre, en la tierra de Canaán, la que compró Abraham junto con el mismo campo de Efrón, el heteo, 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 a Abraham 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 fueron comprados a los hijos de Het.»

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

33 C uando acabó Jacob de dar mandamientos a sus hijos, encogió sus pies en la cama y expiró, y se reunió con sus padres.

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