1 ARST Then Jacob summoned{ all} his sons. He said{ to them},“Come together{ here}, so that I can tell you what will happen to you{ and your descendants} in the years ahead. BSB BSB: 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 ARST My sons, gather around{ me,}{ your father} Jacob, and listen{ to me}.{ I,} your father Israel, have something{ important} to tell you. BSB BSB: Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
3 ARST “Reuben, you{ are} my oldest{ son},{ the result of} my strength and the first child I had as a young man.{ You had} high status and great authority{ in our family}. BSB BSB: Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4 ARST { However,}{ you are} unstable like{ rushing} water,{ so} you will no longer have your important status{ in our family}, because you got{ into} my bed{ with my concubine}{ and} dishonored me! You{ actually} climbed{ into} my couch! BSB BSB: 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 ARST “Simeon and Levi,{ you are} partners. You use your swords to do violent things{ together}. BSB BSB: Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.
6 ARST I will never participate with you when you plan{ evil} things! I refuse to make{ evil} plans with you, because you became angry and murdered{ many} people, and{ just} to entertain yourselves you crippled{ some} cattle. BSB BSB: 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.
7 ARST May God curse you for being so fiercely angry and malicious! I{ ask God to} scatter you{ and your descendants} among{ the descendants of} Jacob. That’ s right, I{ ask him to} scatter you throughout{ the land of} Israel. BSB BSB: 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 ARST “Judah, your brothers{ and their descendants} will{ highly} praise you{ and your descendants}. You will conquer your enemies.{ Then} my{ other} sons will prostrate themselves before you{ and your descendants}{ in respect}. BSB BSB: Judah, 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 ARST Judah, my son,{ you are}{ powerful}{ like} a young lion that has returned{ to its den} after{ killing}{ its} prey. It stretches out{ and} lies down{ to sleep}. No one dares to disturb that lion. BSB BSB: 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 ARST Judah, there will always be one of your descendants ruling as king. In fact, your descendants will rule until the{ highest} king comes and the peoples{ of the earth} obey him. BSB BSB: The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
11 ARST You{ and your descendants} will{ be so wealthy that you could} tie your donkey{ s} to{ your}{ grape} vine{ s}{ to eat the valuable fruit}.{ It will not matter if} your donkeys’ colts eat{ your} best{ grapevine} branch{ es}.{ You will still have so much wine from other vines that} you could{ even} use it like water to wash your clothes. BSB BSB: 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 ARST { Your} eyes{ will be} bright from{ drinking}{ abundant} wine, and{ your} teeth{ will be} white from{ drinking}{ abundant} milk. BSB BSB: His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 ARST “Zebulun,{ you}{ and your descendants} will live near the coast, where there will be a{ safe} harbor for ships. Your territory{ will extend} as far{ north} as{ the city of} Sidon. BSB BSB: Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.
14 ARST “Issachar,{ you}{ and your descendants}{ will be}{ like} a sturdy donkey{ that is} resting{ on the ground} between two loads. BSB BSB: Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.
15 ARST You will have a good place to rest, in a land that is pleasant, but you will work hard and carry{ heavy loads}. You will have to work{ very} hard{ for others} as slaves. BSB BSB: 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 ARST “Dan, you{ and your descendants} will rule your{ own} people group and have equal status with{ the rest of} the tribes of Israel. BSB BSB: Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 ARST You will be{ like} a poisonous snake{ lying} beside a road that strikes the feet of{ its enemy’ s} horse, so that{ it rears up and} the enemy falls off backward{ to the ground}.” BSB BSB: 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.
18 ARST { Then Jacob paused and exclaimed,}“Yahweh, I am looking expectantly to you to save{ me}!” BSB BSB: I await Your salvation, O LORD.
19 ARST { Then he continued,}“{ As for you,} Gad, a group of robbers will attack you{ and your descendants}, but you will chase them{ and defeat them}. BSB BSB: Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
20 ARST “Asher,{ you}{ and your descendants} will{ be wealthy and} eat the best food. In fact, you will produce delicious foods{ that are fit} for kings{ to eat}. BSB BSB: Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
21 ARST “Naphtali,{ you}{ and your descendants}{ will be}{ swift}{ like} a deer that is free to run wherever it wants. You will{ also} speak eloquently. BSB BSB: Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
22 ARST “Joseph,{ you}{ and your descendants}{ will become} very numerous{ like}{ fruit on} a productive{ tree}{ that is growing} next to a stream{ of water},{ with} branches{ full of fruit} that hang over a{ nearby} wall. BSB BSB: Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.
23 ARST Enemy warriors will{ fiercely} attack you{ and your descendants} and shoot{ arrows}{ at you} and try to destroy you. BSB BSB: The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.
24 ARST But the Mighty{ God} whom I worship will keep you strong and help you use your weapons well{ as you fight back}. He takes care of{ his people} the way a shepherd takes care of his sheep.{ He is}{ like} a rock{ fortress} who protects Israel{ and his descendants}. BSB BSB: 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,
25 ARST { That strength/ power comes} from the God{ who has always taken care} of{ me,} your father. He is the all- powerful{ God} who will help you{ and your descendants} and bless you{ all}{ with} rain from above and water from deep in the ground. He will{ also} bless{ you} with many children{ and much livestock}. BSB BSB: by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.
26 ARST { God} has blessed me more than he blessed my ancestors.{ He has blessed me with riches that are} greater than the riches{ that come} from the ancient mountains. I pray that{ God} will abundantly bless{ you too,} Joseph, as the one he chose to set apart{ and honor} above your brothers. BSB BSB: The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
27 ARST “Benjamin{ you and your descendants}{ will be}{ like} a fierce wolf. You will always defeat your enemies and take their possessions and wealth.” BSB BSB: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 ARST Those{ twelve sons}{ are}{ the ancestors of} the twelve tribes that descended from Israel, and those{ were} the blessings that their father spoke to them. He blessed each one of them with blessings that were appropriate for them{ and their descendants}. 49:29-50:14 BSB BSB: 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.
29 ARST Then Jacob instructed his sons by saying to them,“I am about to{ die and} join my ancestors{ who have already died}. Bury my body next to their{ bodies} inside the cave that{ is} in the field that Ephron the Hittite used to own. BSB BSB: 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.
30 ARST That cave and field are in the Machpelah{ area} that is near{ the city of} Mamre in the region of Canaan.{ That is the cave} that{ my grandfather} Abraham bought, along with the field, from Ephron the Hittite, in order to have a place to bury{ his dead relatives}. BSB BSB: 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.
31 ARST That is where{ the bodies of} Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried,{ and} where{ the bodies of} Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and that is where I buried{ the body of}{ my wife} Leah. BSB BSB: There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.
32 ARST { Abraham} bought that field and cave from the Hittites.” BSB BSB: The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
33 ARST When Jacob had finished giving those instructions to his sons, he{ lay down and} pulled his feet{ up} into{ his} bed. Then he took his last breath{ and died} and joined his ancestors{ who had died before him}. BSB BSB: 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.