Jacob called his sons together and said:
My sons, I am Jacob,
your father Israel.
2 Come, gather around,
as I tell your future.
3 Reuben, you are my oldest,
born at the peak of my powers;
you were an honored leader.
4 Uncontrollable as a flood,
you slept with my wife
and disgraced my bed.
And so you no longer deserve
the place of honor.
5 Simeon and Levi,
you are brothers,
each a gruesome sword.
6 I never want to take part
in your plans or deeds.
You slaughtered people
in your anger,
and you crippled cattle
for no reason.
7 Now I place a curse on you
because of
your fierce anger.
Your descendants
will be scattered
among the tribes of Israel.
8 Judah, you will be praised
by your brothers;
they will bow down to you,
as you defeat your enemies.
9 My son, you are a lion
ready to eat your victim!
You are terribly fierce;
no one will bother you.
10 You will have power and rule
until nations obey you
and come bringing gifts.
11 You will tie your donkey
to a choice
grapevine
and wash your clothes
in wine
from those grapes.
12 Your eyes are darker than wine,
your teeth
whiter than milk.
13 Zebulun, you will settle
along the
seashore
and provide safe harbors
as far north
as Sidon.
14 Issachar, you are a strong donkey
resting
in the meadows.
15 You found them so pleasant
that you worked too hard
and became
a slave.
16 Dan, you are the tribe
that will bring justice
to Israel.
17 You are a snake that bites
the heel of a horse,
making its
rider fall.
18 Our Lord, I am waiting
for you
to save us.
19 Gad, you will be attacked,
then attack
your attackers.
20 Asher, you will eat food
fancy enough
for a king.
21 Naphtali, you are a wild deer
with lovely
fawns.
22 Joseph, you are a fruitful vine
growing near a stream
and climbing
a wall.
23 Enemies attacked with arrows,
refusing
to show mercy.
24 But you stood your ground,
swiftly
shooting back
with the help of Jacob’s
God,
the All-Powerful
One—
his name is the Shepherd,
Israel’s
mighty rock.
25 Your help came from the God
your father worshiped,
from God
All-Powerful.
God will bless you with rain
and streams
from the earth;
he will bless you
with many
descendants.
26 My son, the blessings I give
are better than the promise
of ancient
mountains
or eternal
hills.
Joseph, I pray these blessings
will come
to you,
because you are the leader
of your
brothers.
27 Benjamin, you are a fierce wolf,
destroying your enemies
morning
and evening.
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is how Jacob gave each of them their proper blessings.
29 Jacob told his sons:
Soon I will die,
and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this
cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near
the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there,
and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too. 32 Both
the cave and the land that goes with it were bought from the Hittites.
33 When Jacob had finished giving these instructions
to his sons, he lay down on his bed and died.
The Contemporary English Version, c1995 by the American Bible
Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Hypertext Bible Commentary