| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather together so I can tell you what will happen to you in the future. | 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. |
| 2"Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. | 2"Gather together and listen, you children of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel." |
| 3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in dignity, outstanding 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. |
| 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! | 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, weapons of violence are their knives! | 5"Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are violent weapons. |
| 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. | 6I'll never join their council; I'll never enter their assembly. In their anger they committed murder and lamed cattle just for fun. |
| 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! | 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 neck of your enemies, your father's sons will bow down before 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. |
| 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? | 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, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey 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. |
| 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. | 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 will be dark from wine, and his teeth white from milk. | 12His eyes are darker than wine and his teeth whiter than milk." |
| 13Zebulun will live by the haven of the sea and become a haven for ships; his border will extend to Sidon. | 13"Zebulun will settle down near the sea shore and become a safe haven for shipping, bordering Sidon." |
| 14Issachar is a strong-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. | 14"Issachar is a strong donkey, resting between sheepfolds. |
| 15When he sees a good resting place, and the pleasant land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and become a slave 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. |
| 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. | 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 deliverance, O LORD. | 18"LORD, I'm waiting for your salvation." |
| 19Gad will be raided by marauding bands, but he will attack them at their heels. | 19"Bandits will raid Gad, but Gad will raid them back." |
| 20Asher's food will be rich, and he will provide delicacies to royalty. | 20"Asher's food will be delicious; he will be a provider of delicacies fit for royalty." |
| 21Naphtali is a free running doe, he speaks delightful words. | 21"Naphtali is a free running deer who produces eloquent literature." |
| 22Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring whose 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 will attack him, they will shoot at him and oppose him. | 23Even though enemies attacked him, shooting at him and pursuing him viciously, |
| 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, | 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, |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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 ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and in the evening dividing the plunder." | 27"Benjamin is vicious like a wolf; what he kills in the morning he devours in the evening." |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 30It's the cave in the field near Mamre at Machpelah in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought to serve as a cemetery. |
| 31There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah. | 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 acquired from the sons of Heth." | 32Both the field and the cave that's in it were purchased from the Hittites." |
| 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. | 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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