International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1After this, Jacob called his sons together and told them, "Assemble yourselves around me so I can tell you all what is going to happen to you in the last days.

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

2"Gather together and listen, you children of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel."

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

3"Reuben, you're my firstborn, my strength, and the first fruit of my vitality. You excel in rank and excel in power.

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

4But you're as undisciplined as a roaring river, so eventually you won't succeed, because you got in your father's bed, defiled it, and then approached my couch."

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!

5"Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are violent weapons.

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

6I'll never join their council; I'll never enter their assembly. In their anger they committed murder and lamed cattle just for fun.

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.

7Their anger is cursed, because it is so fierce, as is their vehemence, because it is so cruel. I will separate them throughout Jacob's territory and disperse them throughout Israel."

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.

8"Your brothers will praise you, Judah. Your hand will be at the throat of your enemies, and your father's children will bow down to you.

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.

9Judah is a lion cub. My son, you have gone up from the prey. Crouching like a lion, he lies down, Like a lioness, who would dare rouse him?

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?

10The scepter will never depart from Judah, nor a ruler's staff from between his feet, until the One comes, who owns them both, and to him will belong the allegiance of nations.

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.

11Binding his donkey to the vine and his mare's foal to its thick tendrils, he will wash his garments in wine and his robe in the juice of grapes.

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.

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

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

13"Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore and become a safe haven for shipping, bordering Sidon."

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

14"Issachar is a strong donkey, resting between sheepfolds.

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

15He observed that his resting place was excellent, and that the land was pleasant; he bent down, picked up his burdens, and became a slave at forced labor."

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.

16"Dan will judge his people as one of Israel's tribes.

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

17Dan will be a snake on the path, a viper on the road that snaps at the heels of horses, causing their riders to fall off.

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.

18"LORD, I'm waiting for your salvation."

18I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

19"Bandits will raid Gad, but Gad will raid them back."

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

20"Asher's food will be delicious; he will be a provider of delicacies fit for royalty."

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

21"Naphtali is a free running deer who produces eloquent literature."

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

22"Joseph is descended from a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine planted near springs of water. His branches climb over walls.

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

23Even though enemies attacked him, shooting at him and pursuing him viciously,

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

24nevertheless his bow remained steady and his arms kept in shape by the strength of Jacob's Mighty One, in the name of the Shepherd, Israel's Rock,

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),

25by your father's God who helps you, by the Almighty who will keep on blessing you with blessings from heaven above, with blessings from the deepest ocean, with blessing from the breasts and the womb.

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.

26Your father's blessings will prove to be stronger than blessings from the eternal mountains or bounties from the everlasting hills. May they come to rest on Joseph's head, May they be set upon the brow of the one who was separated from his own brothers."

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.

27"Benjamin is vicious like a wolf; what he kills in the morning he devours in the evening."

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

28That's how Israel blessed these twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father told them when he pronounced his blessing for them, blessing each one with a blessing suitable for them.

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.

29In his last words, Jacob issued this set of instructions to them all: "I'm about to join our ancestors. Bury me alongside my ancestors in the cave in the field that used to belong to Ephron the Hittite.

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,

30It's the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery.

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.

31It's where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah.

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

32Both the field and the cave that's in it were purchased from the Hittites."

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

33After concluding this set of instructions to his sons, Jacob tucked his feet up into bed, quit breathing, and was gathered to his ancestors.

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

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

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.