Genesis 49

Jacob’s Final Words to His Sons

1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Come here, so I can tell you all what is going to go down in the future.’

2 ‘Gather around and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to your father, Israel.’

Reuben’s Blessing

3 ‘Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, my first taste of manhood. You are supposed to be top-notch in honor and power.’

4 ‘But you are wild and unstable like a flood. You will not excel because you slept with my concubine and disrespected me.’

Simeon and Levi’s Blessing

5 ‘Simeon and Levi, you all are brothers, but you all are violent and wild with your weapons.’

6 ‘I do not want to be part of your schemes or in your crew. You have killed people in anger and crippled oxen for no reason.’

7 ‘May your anger be cursed, because it is fierce. May your fury be cursed, because it is cruel. I am going to scatter you all across Israel.’

Judah’s Blessing

8 ‘Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your enemies will bow before you, and you will take charge.’

9 ‘Judah is like a young lion. You have come back from the kill, and now you are chilling like a lion, nobody is messing with you.’

10 ‘The scepter will not leave Judah, and the ruler’s staff will stay in his family until the one it belongs to comes, the one the nations will obey.’

11 ‘He will tie his donkey to a vine and wash his clothes in wine, like it is water.’

12 ‘His eyes will be darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.’

Zebulun’s Blessing

13 ‘Zebulun will live by the seashore and be a safe harbor for ships. His borders will extend toward Sidon.’

Issachar’s Blessing

14 ‘Issachar is like a strong donkey lying down between two saddlebags.’

15 ‘He saw that rest was good and the land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to work and became a slave to hard labor.’

Dan’s Blessing

16 ‘Dan will bring justice to his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.’

17 ‘But Dan will be like a snake on the road, biting the horse’s heels so its rider falls off.’

18 ‘I trust in You, Lord, for salvation.’

Gad’s Blessing

19 ‘Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will fight back and chase them off.’

Asher’s Blessing

20 ‘Asher’s food will be rich, and he will serve up royal delicacies.’

Naphtali’s Blessing

21 ‘Naphtali is like a doe set free, sharing beautiful words.’

Joseph’s Blessing

22 ‘Joseph is like a fruitful vine, growing near a spring, with branches climbing over a wall.’

23 ‘Archers attacked him fiercely, shooting at him and aiming to take him down.’

24 ‘But his bow stayed steady, and his hands stayed strong, thanks to the Mighty One of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.’

25 ‘Your blessings come from the God of your father, the Almighty, who blesses you with rain from the skies and riches from the earth, with blessings of the womb and the breast.’

26 ‘Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the age-old hills. Let them rest on Joseph’s head, on the crown of the prince among his brothers.’

Benjamin’s Blessing

27 ‘Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning, he devours his prey; in the evening, he divides the plunder.’

Jacob’s Final Instructions

28 All these are the tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed each of them with a blessing that fit them.

29 Then Jacob gave them these instructions: ‘I am about to die. Bury me in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.’

30 ‘It is the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in Canaan, the one Abraham bought as a burial site.’

31 ‘That is where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah are buried.’

32 ‘The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites.’

33 When Jacob finished giving his sons instructions, he laid down in his bed, took his last breath, and joined his ancestors.