Genesis 49
49 And 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.
^2 `Be assembled, and hear, sons of Jacob, And hearken unto Israel your father.
^3 ^Reuben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength;
^4 ^Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!
^5 ^Simeon and Levi [are] brethren! Instruments of violence -- their espousals!
^6 ^Into 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.
^7 ^Cursed [is] their anger, for [it is] fierce, And their wrath, for [it is] sharp; I divide them in Jacob, And I scatter them in Israel.
^8 ^Judah! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand [is] on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to thee.
^9 ^A lion's whelp [is] 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?
^10 ^The sceptre turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his [is] the obedience of peoples.
^11 ^Binding 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;
^12 ^Red [are] eyes with wine, And white [are] teeth with milk!
^13 ^Zebulun at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he [is] for a haven of ships; And his side [is] unto Zidon.
^14 ^Issacher [is] a strong ass, Crouching between the two folds;
^15 ^And he seeth rest that [it is] good, And the land that [it is] pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.
^16 ^Dan doth judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel;
^17 ^Dan is a serpent by the way, An adder by the path, Which is biting the horse's heels, And its rider falleth backward.
^18 ^For Thy salvation I have waited, Jehovah!
^19 ^Gad! a troop assaulteth him, But he assaulteth last.
^20 ^Out of Asher his bread [is] fat; And he giveth dainties of a king.
^21 ^Naphtali [is] a hind sent away, Who is giving beauteous young ones.
^22 ^Joseph [is] a fruitful son; A fruitful son by a fountain, Daughters step over the wall;
^23 ^And embitter him -- yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;
^24 ^And 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.
^25 ^By 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; --
^26 ^Thy 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 [from] his brethren.
^27 ^Benjamin! a wolf teareth; In the morning he eateth prey, And at evening he apportioneth spoil.'
^28 ^All these [are] the twelve tribes of Israel, and this [is] that which their father hath spoken unto them, and he blesseth them; each according to his blessing he hath blessed them.
^29 ^And he commandeth them, and saith unto them, `I am being gathered unto my people; bury me by my fathers, at the cave which [is] in the field of Ephron the Hittite;
^30 ^in the cave which [is] in the field of Machpelah, which [is] 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;
^31 (there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah);
^32 ^the purchase of the field and of the cave which [is] in it, [is] from Sons of Heth.'
^33 ^And Jacob finisheth commanding his sons, and gathereth up his feet unto the bed, and expireth, and is gathered unto his people.
TLV
49 Jacob called his sons and said to them:
Gather together so that I can tell you
what will happen to you in the last days.2 Be assembled and listen, sons of Jacob,
and listen to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, my firstborn are you,
my vigor and firstborn of my power,
endowed with extra dignity,
endowed with extra strength—4 like water boiling over
you will not have extra,
for you got up into your father’s bed,
when you defiled a maid’s couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers,
instruments of violence are their knives.6 In their secret counsel
may my soul not enter.In their contingent may my honor
never be united.For in their anger they slew men,
and in their self-will they maimed oxen.7 Cursed be their anger for it was strong
and their rage for it was cruel—
I will disperse them in Jacob,
I will scatter them in Israel.8 Judah, so you are—
your brothers will praise you:Your hand will be on your enemies’ neck.
Your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 A lion’s cub is Judah—
from the prey, my son,
you have gone up.He crouches, lies down like a lion,
or like a lioness—
who would rouse him?[a]10 The scepter will not pass from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[b]
until he to whom it belongs will come.To him will be the obedience of the peoples.[c]
11 Binding his foal to the vine,
his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,[d]
he washes his garments in wine,
and in the blood of grapes his robe.[e]12 His eyes are darker than wine,
and teeth that are whiter than milk.13 Zebulun will dwell by the seashore,
and be by a harbor for ships—
his distant border reaches Sidon.14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey,
lying down between two saddlebags.15 He saw that a resting place was good,
and that the land was pleasant.He leaned his shoulder to bear a burden,
and became a forced laborer.16 Dan will judge his people,
as one of the tribes of Israel.17 Let Dan be a serpent beside a road,
a viper beside a path,who strikes a horse’s heels,
so that its rider falls backward.18 For your salvation I wait, Adonai!
19 Gad—attackers will attack him,
but he will attack their heels.20 Asher—rich is his food—
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.21 Naphtali is a doe let loose,
who offers words of beauty.22 A fruitful son is Joseph,
a fruitful son beside a spring—
daughters walk along a wall.23 The archers were bitter and shot arrows
and were hostile towards him.24 Yet his bow was always filled,
and his arms quick-moving—
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob.From there a Shepherd,
the Stone of Israel,[f]25 from the God of your father
who helps you,
and Shaddai who blesses you,
with blessings of heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
blessings of breasts and womb.26 The blessings of your father surpassed
the blessings of the ancient mountains,
the desire of the everlasting hills.
May they be upon Joseph’s head,
upon the crown of the one set apart from his brothers.27 Benjamin is a ravening wolf—
in the morning he devours spoils,
and in the evening divides plunder.28 These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father spoke to them. He blessed them, each one he blessed with a suitable blessing. 29 Then 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, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, that is next to Mamre in the land of Canaan—the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a property for burial. 31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field was purchased along with the cave in it from the sons of Het.”
33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, then breathed his last and was gathered to his peoples.
Footnotes
Genesis 49:9 cf. Rev. 5:5.
Genesis 49:10 cf. Rev. 19:15.
Genesis 49:10 Or tribute comes or Shiloh comes . . .
Genesis 49:11 cf. Zech. 9:9-10; Matt. 21:5; John 12:15.
Genesis 49:11 cf. Isa. 63:1-2; Rev. 19:13.
Genesis 49:24 cf. Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; 1 Pet. 2:6-8.
OJB
49 And Ya’akov called unto his banim, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the acharit hayamim (last days).
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye Bnei Ya’akov; and pay heed unto Yisroel Avichem.
3 Reuven, thou art my bechor, my koach, and the reshit of my strength, the excellency of honor, and excellency of oz (power):
4 Unstable as mayim, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to mishkevei avicha (thy father’s bed, i.e. incest); then defiledst thou it; he went up to my couch.
5 Shimon and Levi are achim; kelei chamas (instruments of violence) are in their swords.
6 O my nefesh, enter not thou into their sod (secret, council); unto their kehal, mine kavod, be not thou united; for in their anger they slaughtered ish, and in their ratzon (self-will) they lamed shor (ox).
7 Arur (cursed) be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will dispense them in Ya’akov, and scatter them in Yisroel.
8 Yehudah, thou art he whom thy achim yoducha (they will praise you); thy yad shall be in the oref (neck) of thine enemies; Bnei Avicha shall bow down before thee.
9 Yehudah is the cub of an aryeh (lion); from the prey, beni (my son), thou hast gone up; he stooped down, he couched like an aryeh, and like a lioness; who shall rouse him?
10 The shevet (sceptre) shall not depart from Yehudah, nor a Mekhokek (Lawgiver) from between his raglayim, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall be the obedience of the amim (peoples, nations).
11 He ties his foal unto the gefen (vine), and his donkey’s colt unto the choice vine; he will wash his levush (garments) in yayin, and his robe in the dahm anavim (blood of grapes);
12 His eyes shall be darker with yayin, and his shinayim (teeth) whiter than cholov (milk).
13 Zevulun shall dwell at the seashore; and he shall be a haven for oniyyot (ships); and his border shall be unto Tzidon.
14 Yissakhar is a strong chamor (donkey) lying down between two saddlebags;
15 And he saw that a menuchah (resting place) was tov, and haaretz that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became oved (submitting, enslaved) at forced labor.
16 Dan yadin (shall judge) his people, as one of the Shivtei Yisroel.
17 Dan shall be a nachash beside the derech, a viper along the orach (path) that biteth the ikkvei sus (the horse heels), so that its rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for Thy Yeshuah (Salvation), Hashem.
19 Gad, gedud (raider) shall raid him; but he shall raid akev ([at] the heel).
20 Out of Asher his lechem shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a doe let loose; he giveth goodly sayings.
22 Yosef is a ben of a fruittree, even ben of a fruit-tree near an ayin (spring, well); its daughters (i.e., branches) run over the wall;
23 The ba’alei khitzim (archers) provoke him, and shoot at him, and hate him;
24 But his keshet (bow) remained steady, and the arms of his hands remain strong, from the hands of the Avir Ya’akov, from there, from the Ro’eh, Even Yisroel;
25 And from El Avicha, who shall help thee; and Shaddai, who shall make brocha over thee with Birkat Shomayim above, Birkat Tehom that lieth beneath, Birkat Shadayim and of Rekhem.
26 Birkat Avicha surpass the Birkat of my progenitors unto the utmost border of the giveot olam (everlasting hills); they shall come on the rosh Yosef, and on the brow of the Prince among his achim.
27 Binyamin—a ze’ev (wolf) which tears in pieces; in the boker he shall devour the prey, and at erev he shall divide the plunder.
28 All these are the Shivtei Yisroel; and this is it that Avichem spoke unto them, and made a brocha on them; every one according to his brocha he blessed them.
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with Avotai in the me’arah (cave) that is in the sadeh of Ephron the Chitti,
30 In the me’arah that is in the sadeh of Machpelah, which is near Mamre, in Eretz Kena’an, which Avraham bought with the sadeh of Ephron the Chitti for an achuzzat kever (burial estate).
31 There they buried Avraham and Sarah his isha; there they buried Yitzchak and Rivkah his isha; and there I buried Leah.
32 The purchase of the sadeh and of the me’arah (cave) that is therein was from the Bnei Chet (Heth).
33 And when Ya’akov had made an end of commanding his banim, he gathered up his raglayim into the mittah, and expired, and was gathered unto his people.