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The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 49 -

1
Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:
2
Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
3
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4
Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.
5
Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords (a) are weapons of violence.
6
May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.
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Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
8
Judah,(b) your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9
Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet,(c) until Shiloh (d) comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
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He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12
His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13
Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.
14
Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.(e)
15
He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.
16
Dan shall provide justice for his people (f) as one of the tribes of Israel.
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He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
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I await Your salvation, O LORD.
19
Gad (g) will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
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Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
21
Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.(h)
22
Joseph is a fruitful vine— a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.(i)
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The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.
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Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
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by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty (j) who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.
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The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains (k) and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
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Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28
These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

The Death of Jacob

29
Then Jacob instructed them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.
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The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
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There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.
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The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
33
When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.

Footnotes

(a)49:5 Or dwelling places
(b)49:8 Judah sounds like the Hebrew for praise.
(c)49:10 Or from his descendants
(d)49:10 Or until the one to whom tribute belongs
(e)49:14 Or saddlebags or hearths
(f)49:16 Or Dan shall judge his people; Dan means He has judged or He has vindicated.
(g)49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for raid and also for band of raiders.
(h)49:21 Or gives beautiful words or bears fawns of the fold
(i)49:22 Or Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey by a spring, with his wild colts beside the wall
(j)49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
(k)49:26 Or of my ancestors
1
Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.
2
Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.
3
“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
4
Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.
5
“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.
6
My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.
7
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8
“Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.
9
Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?
10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. The obedience of the peoples will be to him.
11
Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12
His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.
13
“Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.
14
“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.
15
He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.
16
“Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17
Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.
18
I have waited for your salvation, LORD.
19
“A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.
20
“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.
21
“Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.
22
“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.
23
The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:
24
But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),
25
even by 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 lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.
26
The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.
27
“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”
28
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing.

The Death of Jacob

29
He instructed 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,
30
in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial 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 field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.”
33
When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
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