New American Standard Bible 1995

English Standard Version

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

18"For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.

18I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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),

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),

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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 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,

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,

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.

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.

31"There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, 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, purchased from the sons of Heth."

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

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

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

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