| New International Version | Holman Christian Standard 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. | 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"Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. | 2Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel: |
| 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 strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling 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. | 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. |
| 5"Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence. | 5Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons. |
| 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. | 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, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse 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, 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 necks of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to 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? | 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 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 or the staff from between his feet until He whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to 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. | 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 will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. | 12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than 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 seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon. |
| 14"Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. | 14Issachar is a strong donkey lying down between the 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. | 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 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. | 17He will be a snake by the road, a viper beside the path, that bites the horses' heels so that its rider falls backward. |
| 18"I look for your deliverance, LORD. | 18I wait for Your salvation, LORD. |
| 19"Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. | 19Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack 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 produce royal delicacies. |
| 21"Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. | 21Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. |
| 22"Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. | 22Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall. |
| 23With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. | 23The archers attacked him, shot at him, and were hostile toward 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, | 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, |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 27"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." | 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 said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, 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 in it were bought from the Hittites." | 32The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hittites." |
| 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 had finished instructing his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and died. He was gathered to his people. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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