Jacob Blesses His Sons 1 Brenton And Jacob called his sons, and said to them, Assemble yourselves, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in the last days. 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 Brenton Gather yourselves together, and hear me, sons of Jacob; hear Israel, hear your father. BSB BSB: Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
3 Brenton Ruben, thou art my first-born, thou my strength, and the first of my children, hard to be endured, hard and self-willed. BSB BSB: Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton Symeon and Levi, brethren, accomplished the injustice of their cutting off. BSB BSB: Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.
6 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton Cursed be their wrath, for it was wilful, and their anger, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in 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 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton 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? 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 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton His eyes shall be more cheering than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. BSB BSB: His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 Brenton Zabulon shall dwell on the coast, and he shall be by a haven of ships, and shall extend to Sidon. BSB BSB: Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.
14 Brenton Issachar has desired that which is good; resting between the inheritances. BSB BSB: Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.
15 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton Dan shall judge his people, as one tribe too in Israel. BSB BSB: Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Brenton And let Dan be a serpent in the way, besetting the path, biting the heel of the horse (and the rider shall fall backward), 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 Brenton waiting for the salvation of the Lord. BSB BSB: I await Your salvation, O LORD.
19 Brenton Gad, a plundering troop shall plunder him; but he shall plunder him, pursuing him closely. BSB BSB: Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
20 Brenton Aser, his bread shall be fat; and he shall yield dainties to princes. BSB BSB: Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
21 Brenton Nephthalim is a spreading stem, bestowing beauty on its fruit. BSB BSB: Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
22 Brenton Joseph is a son increased; my dearly loved son is increased; my youngest son, turn to me. BSB BSB: Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.
23 Brenton Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached him , and the archers pressed hard upon him. BSB BSB: The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.
24 Brenton 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; 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 Brenton and my God helped thee, and he blessed thee 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, 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 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton Benjamin, as a ravening wolf, shall eat still in the morning, and at evening he gives food. BSB BSB: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28 Brenton 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. 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.
The Death of Jacob 29 Brenton 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, 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 Brenton 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. 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 Brenton There they buried Abraam and Sarrha his wife; there they buried Isaac, and Rebecca his wife; there they buried Lea; BSB BSB: There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.
32 Brenton in the portion of the field, and of the cave that was in it, purchased of the sons of Chet. BSB BSB: The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
33 Brenton 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. 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.