New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
1Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, “Gather around me, and I will tell you what will happen to each of you in the days to come. | 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. |
2“Come and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. | 2"Gather together and listen, you children of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel." |
3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the child of my vigorous youth. You are first in rank and first in power. | 3"Reuben, you're my firstborn, my strength, and the first fruit of my vitality. You excel in rank and excel in power. |
4But you are as unruly as a flood, and you will be first no longer. For you went to bed with my wife; you defiled my marriage couch. | 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." |
5“Simeon and Levi are two of a kind; their weapons are instruments of violence. | 5"Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are violent weapons. |
6May I never join in their meetings; may I never be a party to their plans. For in their anger they murdered men, and they crippled oxen just for sport. | 6I'll never join their council; I'll never enter their assembly. In their anger they committed murder and lamed cattle just for fun. |
7A curse on their anger, for it is fierce; a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob; I will disperse them throughout Israel. | 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." |
8“Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you. | 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. |
9Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? | 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? |
10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. | 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. |
11He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. | 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. |
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." |
13“Zebulun will settle by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships; his borders will extend to Sidon. | 13"Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore and become a safe haven for shipping, bordering Sidon." |
14“Issachar is a sturdy donkey, resting between two saddlepacks. | 14"Issachar is a strong donkey, resting between sheepfolds. |
15When he sees how good the countryside is and how pleasant the land, he will bend his shoulder to the load and submit himself to hard labor. | 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." |
16“Dan will govern his people, like any other tribe in Israel. | 16"Dan will judge his people as one of Israel's tribes. |
17Dan will be a snake beside the road, a poisonous viper along the path that bites the horse’s hooves so its rider is thrown off. | 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. |
18I trust in you for salvation, O LORD! | 18"LORD, I'm waiting for your salvation." |
19“Gad will be attacked by marauding bands, but he will attack them when they retreat. | 19"Bandits will raid Gad, but Gad will raid them back." |
20“Asher will dine on rich foods and produce food fit for kings. | 20"Asher's food will be delicious; he will be a provider of delicacies fit for royalty." |
21“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. | 21"Naphtali is a free running deer who produces eloquent literature." |
22“Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring— one of the wild donkeys on the ridge. | 22"Joseph is descended from a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine planted near springs of water. His branches climb over walls. |
23Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him. | 23Even though enemies attacked him, shooting at him and pursuing him viciously, |
24But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. | 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, |
25May the God of your father help you; may the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below, and blessings of the breasts and womb. | 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. |
26May my fatherly blessings on you surpass the blessings of my ancestors, reaching to the heights of the eternal hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, who is a prince among his brothers. | 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." |
27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, devouring his enemies in the morning and dividing his plunder in the evening.” | 27"Benjamin is vicious like a wolf; what he kills in the morning he devours in the evening." |
28These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he told his sons good-bye. He blessed each one with an appropriate message. Jacob’s Death and Burial | 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. |
29Then Jacob instructed them, “Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. | 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. |
30This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. | 30It's the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery. |
31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. | 31It's where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah. |
32It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites.” | 32Both the field and the cave that's in it were purchased from the Hittites." |
33When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death. | 33After concluding this set of instructions to his sons, Jacob tucked his feet up into bed, quit breathing, and was gathered to his ancestors. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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