English Standard Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

1Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

2“Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

2Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel:

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling in power.

4Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

4Turbulent as water, you will not excel, because you got into your father's bed and you defiled it--he got into my bed.

5“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.

5Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons.

6Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.

6May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For in their anger they kill men, and on a whim they hamstring oxen.

7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

7Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel.

8“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.

8Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.

9Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

9Judah is a young lion--my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness--who dares to rouse him?

10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

10The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.

11Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

11He ties his donkey to a vine, and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine and his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13“Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

13Zebulun will live by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon.

14“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.

14Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags.

15He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.

15He saw that his resting place was good and that the land was pleasant, so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load and became a forced laborer.

16“Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

16Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.

17Dan will be a snake by the road, a viper beside the path, that bites the horses' heels so that its rider falls backward.

18I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

18I wait for your salvation, LORD.

19“Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.

19Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

20“Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.

20Asher's food will be rich, and he will produce royal delicacies.

21“Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.

21Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.

22Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall.

23The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,

23The archers attacked him, shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

24yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

24Yet his bow remained steady, and his strong arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25by 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 crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

25by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and the womb.

26The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

26The blessings of your father excel the blessings of my ancestors and the bounty of the ancient hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”

27Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey. In the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the plunder."

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

28These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

29Then he commanded 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,

29Then he commanded them: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite.

30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.

30The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah—

31Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there.

32the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”

32The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites."

33When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

33When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.