| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come. | 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. |
| 2Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel: | 2"Gather together and listen, you children of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel." |
| 3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling in power. | 3"Reuben, you're my firstborn, my strength, and the first fruit of my vitality. You excel in rank and excel in power. |
| 4Turbulent as water, you will no longer excel, because you got into your father's bed and you defiled it--he got into my bed. | 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." |
| 5Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons. | 5"Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are violent weapons. |
| 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. | 6I'll never join their council; I'll never enter their assembly. In their anger they committed murder and lamed cattle just for fun. |
| 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. | 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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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? | 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? |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. | 12His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth whiter than milk." |
| 13Zebulun will live by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon. | 13"Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore and become a safe haven for shipping, bordering Sidon." |
| 14Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags. | 14"Issachar is a strong donkey, resting between sheepfolds. |
| 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. | 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." |
| 16Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. | 16"Dan will judge his people as one of Israel's tribes. |
| 17He will be a snake by the road, a viper beside the path, that bites the horses' heels so that its rider falls backward. | 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. |
| 18I wait for Your salvation, LORD. | 18"LORD, I'm waiting for your salvation." |
| 19Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels. | 19"Bandits will raid Gad, but Gad will raid them back." |
| 20Asher's food will be rich, and he will produce royal delicacies. | 20"Asher's food will be delicious; he will be a provider of delicacies fit for royalty." |
| 21Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. | 21"Naphtali is a free running deer who produces eloquent literature." |
| 22Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall. | 22"Joseph is descended from a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine planted near springs of water. His branches climb over walls. |
| 23The archers attacked him, shot at him, and were hostile toward him. | 23Even though enemies attacked him, shooting at him and pursuing him viciously, |
| 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, | 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, |
| 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. | 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. |
| 26The blessings of your father excel the blessings of my ancestors and the bounty of the eternal hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the prince of his brothers. | 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." |
| 27Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey. In the morning he devours the prey, and in the evening he divides the plunder." | 27"Benjamin is vicious like a wolf; what he kills in the morning he devours in the evening." |
| 28These are the tribes of Israel, 12 in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing. | 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. |
| 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 Hittite. | 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. |
| 30The 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. | 30It's the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery. |
| 31Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there. | 31It's where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah. |
| 32The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hittites." | 32Both the field and the cave that's in it were purchased from the Hittites." |
| 33When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and died. He was gathered to his people. | 33After concluding this set of instructions to his sons, Jacob tucked his feet up into bed, quit breathing, and was gathered to his ancestors. |
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