International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1After this, Jacob called his sons together and told them, "Assemble yourselves around me so I can tell you all what is going to happen to you in the last days.

1Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, "Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.

2"Gather together and listen, you children of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel."

2"Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel your father.

3"Reuben, you're my firstborn, my strength, and the first fruit of my vitality. You excel in rank and excel in power.

3"Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

4But you're as undisciplined as a roaring river, so eventually you won't succeed, because you got in your father's bed, defiled it, and then approached my couch."

4"Uncontrolled 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.

5"Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are violent weapons.

5"Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence.

6I'll never join their council; I'll never enter their assembly. In their anger they committed murder and lamed cattle just for fun.

6"Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they lamed oxen.

7Their anger is cursed, because it is so fierce, as is their vehemence, because it is so cruel. I will separate them throughout Jacob's territory and disperse them throughout Israel."

7"Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

8"Your brothers will praise you, Judah. Your hand will be at the throat of your enemies, and your father's children will 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 to you.

9Judah is a lion cub. My son, you have gone up from the prey. Crouching like a lion, he lies down, Like a lioness, who would dare rouse him?

9"Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?

10The scepter will never depart from Judah, nor a ruler's staff from between his feet, until the One comes, who owns them both, and to him will belong the allegiance of nations.

10"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11Binding his donkey to the vine and his mare's foal to its thick tendrils, he will wash his garments in wine and his robe in the juice of grapes.

11"He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.

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

12"His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.

13"Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore and become a safe haven for shipping, bordering Sidon."

13"Zebulun will dwell at the seashore; And he shall be a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14"Issachar is a strong donkey, resting between sheepfolds.

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

15He observed that his resting place was excellent, and that the land was pleasant; he bent down, picked up his burdens, and became a slave at forced labor."

15"When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.

16"Dan will judge his people as one of Israel's tribes.

16"Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan will be a snake on the path, a viper on the road that snaps at the heels of horses, causing their riders to fall off.

17"Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse's heels, So that his rider falls backward.

18"LORD, I'm waiting for your salvation."

18"For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.

19"Bandits will raid Gad, but Gad will raid them back."

19"As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels.

20"Asher's food will be delicious; he will be a provider of delicacies fit for royalty."

20"As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal dainties.

21"Naphtali is a free running deer who produces eloquent literature."

21"Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.

22"Joseph is descended from a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine planted near springs of water. His branches climb over walls.

22"Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall.

23Even though enemies attacked him, shooting at him and pursuing him viciously,

23"The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;

24nevertheless his bow remained steady and his arms kept in shape by the strength of Jacob's Mighty One, in the name of the Shepherd, Israel's Rock,

24But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

25by your father's God who helps you, by the Almighty who will keep on blessing you with blessings from heaven above, with blessings from the deepest ocean, with blessing from the breasts and the womb.

25From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26Your father's blessings will prove to be stronger than blessings from the eternal mountains or bounties from the everlasting hills. May they come to rest on Joseph's head, May they be set upon the brow of the one who was separated from his own brothers."

26"The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

27"Benjamin is vicious like a wolf; what he kills in the morning he devours in the evening."

27"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil."

28That's how Israel blessed these twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father told them when he pronounced his blessing for them, blessing each one with a blessing suitable for them.

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.

29In his last words, Jacob issued this set of instructions to them all: "I'm about to join our ancestors. Bury me alongside my ancestors in the cave in the field that used to belong to Ephron the Hittite.

29Then he charged them and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30It's the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery.

30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site.

31It's where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah.

31"There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah--

32Both the field and the cave that's in it were purchased from the Hittites."

32the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth."

33After concluding this set of instructions to his sons, Jacob tucked his feet up into bed, quit breathing, and was gathered to his ancestors.

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

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org