1 A nd 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.

And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days.

2 ` Be assembled, and hear, sons of Jacob, And hearken unto Israel your father.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

3 R euben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength;

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

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

Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou: he went up to my bed.

5 S imeon and Levi brethren! Instruments of violence -- their espousals!

Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords.

6 I nto 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.

My soul, come not into their council; Mine honour, be not united with their assembly; For in their anger they slew men, And in their wantonness houghed oxen.

7 C ursed their anger, for fierce, And their wrath, for sharp; I divide them in Jacob, And I scatter them in Israel.

Cursed be their anger, for it violent; And their rage, for it cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

8 J udah! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to thee.

Judah— thee, thy brethren will praise thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children will bow down to thee.

9 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?

Judah is a young lion; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, And as a lioness: who will rouse him up?

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

The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples.

11 B inding 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;

He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine; He washeth his dress in wine, And his garment in the blood of grapes.

12 R ed eyes with wine, And white teeth with milk!

The eyes are red with wine, And the teeth white with milk.

13 Z ebulun at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he for a haven of ships; And his side unto Zidon.

Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side upon Sidon.

14 I ssacher a strong ass, Crouching between the two folds;

Issachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles.

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

And he saw the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And was a tributary servant.

16 D an doth judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel;

Dan will judge his people, As another of the tribes of Israel.

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

Dan will be a serpent on the way, A horned snake on the path, Which biteth the horse's heels, So that the rider falleth backwards.

18 F or Thy salvation I have waited, Jehovah!

I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

19 G ad! a troop assaulteth him, But he assaulteth last.

Gad—troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel.

20 O ut of Asher his bread fat; And he giveth dainties of a king.

Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give royal dainties.

21 N aphtali a hind sent away, Who is giving beauteous young ones.

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

22 J oseph a fruitful son; A fruitful son by a fountain, Daughters step over the wall;

Joseph is a fruitful bough; A fruitful bough by a well; branches shoot over the wall.

23 A nd embitter him -- yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;

The archers have provoked him, And shot at, and hated him;

24 A nd 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.

But his bow abideth firm, And the arms of his hands are supple By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:

25 B y 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; --

From the God of thy father, and he will help thee; And from the Almighty, and he will bless thee—With blessings of heaven from above, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, With blessings of the breast and of the womb.

26 T hy 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.

The blessings of thy father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

27 B enjamin! a wolf teareth; In the morning he eateth prey, And at evening he apportioneth spoil.'

Benjamin— a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty.

28 A ll 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.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them: every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 A nd 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;

And he charged them, and said to them, I am gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 i n 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;

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite to Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite along with the field for a possession of a sepulchre.

31 ( there 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 Rebecca his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 t he purchase of the field and of the cave which in it, from Sons of Heth.'

The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is in it, was from the children of Heth.

33 A nd Jacob finisheth commanding his sons, and gathereth up his feet unto the bed, and expireth, and is gathered unto his people.

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.