Berean Study Bible

English Standard Version

1Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:

1Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

2Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

2“Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

4Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.

4Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

5Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

5“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.

6May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.

6Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.

7Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

7Cursed 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.

8Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

8“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.

9Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

9Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.

10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

11Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.

13“Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

14“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.

15He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.

15He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.

16Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

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

17He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.

18I await Your salvation, O LORD.

18I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

19Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

19“Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.

20Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

20“Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.

21Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

21“Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.

22Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.

23The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.

23The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,

24Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

24yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

25by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.

25by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

26The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”

28These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

29Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.

29Then he commanded 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,

30The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.

31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah—

32The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

32the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”

33When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.

33When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

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ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.