New American Standard Bible | ►► |
Jacob’s Prophecy concerning His Sons
1Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves, so that I may tell you what will happen to you in the [a]days to come.
2“Gather together and listen, sons of Jacob; Yes, listen to Israel your father.
3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4“[b]Uncontrollable 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 [c]swords are implements of violence.
6“May my soul not enter into their council; May my glory not be united with their assembly; For in their anger they killed [d]men, And in their self-will they lamed [e]oxen.
7“Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them in Jacob, And disperse them among Israel.
8“As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9“Judah is a lion’s cub; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He [f]crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a [g]lion, who [h]dares to stir him up?
10“The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, [i]Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11“He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12“His eyes are [j]dull from wine, And his teeth [k]white from milk.
13“Zebulun will reside at the seashore; And he shall be [l]a harbor for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
14“Issachar is a [m]strong donkey, Lying down between the sheepfolds.
15“When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to carry burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.