New King James Version

English Standard Version

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 yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

2“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

2“Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent 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.

4Unstable 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; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

5“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.

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.

6Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung 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.

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.

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.

8“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before 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 lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares 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 shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

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.

11Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture 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 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.

13“Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

14“Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between two burdens;

14“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.

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 a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.

16“Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel.

16“Dan shall 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 shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.

18I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

18I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

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

19“Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.

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

20“Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.

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

21“Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

22“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.

23The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

23The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,

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 unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone 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 will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of 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 are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”

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.

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

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 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,

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.

30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah—

32The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

32the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”

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 finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

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

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.