New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

1And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

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“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And 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 beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of 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 excel, 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; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

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

6Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

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, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children 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 whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall 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 a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

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 donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes 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 by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin 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, Lying down between two burdens;

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

15He saw that rest was good, And that the land was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.

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 by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall 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 have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

18I wait for your salvation, LORD.

19“Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.

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

20“Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.

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

21“Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.

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

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; 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 have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

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

24But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God 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, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies 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 Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate 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 he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide 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, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

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 charged 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 of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial 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 there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

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

33And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up 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.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

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