| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. | 1Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather together so I can tell you what will happen to you in the future. |
| 2"Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. | 2"Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. |
| 3"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. | 3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power. |
| 4Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it. | 4You are destructive like water and will not excel, for you got on your father's bed, then you defiled it--he got on my couch! |
| 5"Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence. | 5Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence are their knives! |
| 6Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. | 6O my soul, do not come into their council, do not be united to their assembly, my heart, for in their anger they have killed men, and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen. |
| 7Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. | 7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel! |
| 8"Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. | 8Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father's sons will bow down before you. |
| 9You are a lion's cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? | 9You are a lion's cub, Judah, from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches and lies down like a lion; like a lioness--who will rouse him? |
| 10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. | 10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him. |
| 11He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. | 11Binding his foal to the vine, and his colt to the choicest vine, he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. |
| 12His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. | 12His eyes will be dark from wine, and his teeth white from milk. |
| 13"Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon. | 13Zebulun will live by the haven of the sea and become a haven for ships; his border will extend to Sidon. |
| 14"Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. | 14Issachar is a strong-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. |
| 15When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor. | 15When he sees a good resting place, and the pleasant land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and become a slave laborer. |
| 16"Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. | 16Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. |
| 17Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward. | 17May Dan be a snake beside the road, a viper by the path, that bites the heels of the horse so that its rider falls backward. |
| 18"I look for your deliverance, LORD. | 18I wait for your deliverance, O LORD. |
| 19"Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. | 19Gad will be raided by marauding bands, but he will attack them at their heels. |
| 20"Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king. | 20Asher's food will be rich, and he will provide delicacies to royalty. |
| 21"Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. | 21Naphtali is a free running doe, he speaks delightful words. |
| 22"Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. | 22Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring whose branches climb over the wall. |
| 23With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. | 23The archers will attack him, they will shoot at him and oppose him. |
| 24But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, | 24But his bow will remain steady, and his hands will be skillful; because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, |
| 25because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. | 25because of the God of your father, who will help you, because of the sovereign God, who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below, and blessings of the breasts and womb. |
| 26Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. | 26The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains or the desirable things of the age-old hills. They will be on the head of Joseph and on the brow of the prince of his brothers. |
| 27"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." | 27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and in the evening dividing the plunder." |
| 28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. | 28These are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing. |
| 29Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, | 29Then he instructed them, "I am about to go to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. |
| 30the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. | 30It is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought for a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite. |
| 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. | 31There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah. |
| 32The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites." | 32The field and the cave in it were acquired from the sons of Heth." |
| 33When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. | 33When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet up onto the bed, breathed his last breath, and went to his people. |
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