49:1 And Jacob called his sons, and said to
them,
49:2 Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in
the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear
Israel, hear your father.
49:3 Ruben, thou [art] my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my
children, hard to be endured, [hard and] self-willed.
49:4 Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou
wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch,
whereupon thou wentest up.
49:5 Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting
off.
49:6 Let not my soul come into their counsel, and let not mine inward parts
contend in their conspiracy, for in their wrath they slew men, and in their
passion they houghed a bull.
49:7 Cursed be their wrath, for it was willful, and their anger, for it was
cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
49:8 Juda, thy brethren have praised thee, and thy hands shall be on the
back of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall do thee reverence.
49:9 Juda is a lion's whelp: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone
up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him
up?
49:10 A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until
there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of
nations.
49:11 Binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the branch
[of it], he shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the
grape.
49:12 His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than
milk.
49:13 Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he [shall be] by a haven of
ships, and shall extend to Sidon.
49:14 Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the
inheritances.
49:15 And having seen the resting place that it was good, and the land that
it was fertile, he subjected his shoulder to labour, and became a
husbandman.
49:16 Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel.
49:17 And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the
heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward),
49:18 waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
49:19 Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him,
[pursuing him] closely.
49:20 Aser, his bread [shall be] fat; and he shall yield dainties to
princes.
49:21 Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit.
49:22 Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my
youngest son, turn to me.
49:23 Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached [him], and the archers
pressed hard upon him.
49:24 But their bow and arrows were mightily consumed, and the sinews of
their arms were slackened by the hand of the mighty one of Jacob; thence is
he that strengthened Israel from the God of thy father;
49:25 and my God helped thee, and he blessed the with the blessing of heaven
from above, and the blessing of the earth possessing all things, because of
the blessing of the breasts and of the womb,
49:26 the blessings of thy father and thy mother-- it has prevailed above
the blessing of the lasting mountains, and beyond the blessings of the
everlasting hills; they shall be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head
of the brothers of whom he took the lead.
49:27 Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at
evening he gives food.
49:28 All these [are] the twelve sons of Jacob; and their father spoke these
words to them, and he blessed them; he blessed each of them according to his
blessing.
49:29 And he said to them, I am added to my people; ye shall bury me with my
fathers in the cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Chettite,
49:30 in the double cave which is opposite Mambre, in the land of Chanaan,
the cave which Abraam bought of Ephron the Chettite, for a possession of a
sepulchre.
49:31 There they buried Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac,
and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea;
49:32 in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it,
[purchased] of the sons of Chet.
49:33 And Jacob ceased giving charges to his sons; and having lifted up his
feet on the bed, he died, and was gathered to his people. |
49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and
said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall
befall you in the last days.
49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken
unto Israel your father.
49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my
strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy
father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
49:5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their
habitations.
49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine
honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their
self-will they digged down a wall.
49:7 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.
49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in
the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he
stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him
up?
49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between
his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people
be.
49:11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice
vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of
grapes:
49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
49:13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an
haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
49:14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
49:15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and
bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
49:16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth
the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
49:18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
49:20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal
dainties.
49:21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose
branches run over the wall:
49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made
strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the
shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the
Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of
the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my
progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on
the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate
from his brethren.
49:27 Benjamin shall raven as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the
prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their
father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his
blessing he blessed them.
49:29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my
people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron
the Hittite,
49:30 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 of Ephron the
Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
49:31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac
and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
49:32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the
children of Heth.
49:33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up
his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his
people. |