6 Let not my soul go by their counsel, nor my glory be within their meeting. For in their fury they killed a man, and in their self-will they undermined a wall.

7 Cursed be their fury, because it was obstinate, and their indignation, because it was harsh. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be at the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father will reverence you.

9 Judah is a lion's young. You have gone up to the prey, my son. While resting, you have lain like a lion. And just like a lioness, who would rouse him?

10 The scepter from Judah and the leader from his thigh will not be taken away, until he who will be sent arrives, and he will be the expectation of Gentiles.

11 Tying his young colt to the vineyard, and his donkey, O my son, to the vine, he will wash his robe in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape.

12 His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 Zebulun will live at the seashore and by the outpost of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.

14 Issachar will be a strong donkey, reclining between the borders.

15 He saw that rest would be good, and that the land was excellent. And so he bent his shoulder to carry, and he became a servant under tribute.

16 Dan will judge his people just like any other tribe in Israel.

17 Let Dan be a snake in the way, a viper in the path, biting the hooves of horses, so that his rider may fall backward.

18 I will wait for your salvation, O Lord.

19 Gad, being girded, will fight before him. And he himself will be girded backward.

20 Asher: his bread will be fat, and he will provide delicacies to the kings.

21 Naphtali is a stag sent forth, offering words of eloquent beauty.

22 Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and stately to behold; the daughters run back and forth on the wall.

23 But those who held darts, provoked him, and they contend with him, and they envied him.

24 His bow sits in strength, and the bands of his arms and hands have been let loose by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob. From there he went forth as a pastor, the stone of Israel.

25 The God of your father will be your helper, and the Almighty will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the abyss that lies beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of your father are strengthened by the blessings of his fathers, until the desire of the hills of eternity shall arrive. May they be at the head of Joseph, and at the summit of the Nazarite, among his brothers.

27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning he will eat the prey, and in the evening he will divide the spoil."

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. These things their father spoke to them, and he blessed each one with their proper blessings.

29 And he instructed them, saying: "I am being gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 opposite Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought, along with its field, from Ephron the Hittite, as a possession for burial.

31 There they buried him, with his wife Sarah." And there Isaac was buried with his wife Rebekah. There also Leah lies preserved.

32 And having finished these commands by which he instructed his sons, he drew his feet onto the bed, and he passed away. And he was gathered to his people.

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Genesis 49

1Then Jacob called his sons, and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in days to come.

2“Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob,

and hearken to Israel your father.

3Reuben, you are my first-born,

my might, and the first fruits of my strength,

pre-eminent in pride and pre-eminent in power.

4Unstable as water, you shall not have pre-eminence

because you went up to your father's bed;

then you defiled it—you#49.4 Gk Syr Tg: Heb he went up to my couch!

5Simeon and Levi are brothers;

weapons of violence are their swords.

6O my soul, come not into their council;

O my spirit,#49.6 Or glory be not joined to their company;

for in their anger they slay men,

and in their wantonness they hamstring 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.

8Judah, your brothers shall praise you;

your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

your father's sons shall bow down before you.

9 # Num 24.9; Rev 5.5. Judah is a lion's whelp;

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?

10The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until he comes to whom it belongs;#49.10 Syr Compare Tg: Heb until Shiloh comes or until he comes to Shiloh

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11Binding his foal to the vine

and his ass's colt to the choice vine,

he washes his garments in wine

and his vesture in the blood of grapes;

12his eyes shall be red with wine,

and his teeth white with milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea;

he shall become a haven for ships,

and his border shall be at Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass,

crouching between the sheepfolds;

15he saw that a resting place was good,

and that the land was pleasant;

so he bowed his shoulder to bear,

and became a slave at forced labor.

16Dan shall judge his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

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 wait for thy salvation, O Lord.

19Raiders#49.19 Heb gedud, a raiding troop shall raid Gad,

but he shall raid at their heels.

20Asher's food shall be rich,

and he shall yield royal dainties.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose,

that bears comely fawns.#49.21 Or who gives beautiful words

22Joseph is a fruitful bough,

a fruitful bough by a spring;

his branches run over the wall.

23The archers fiercely attacked him,

shot at him, and harassed him sorely;

24yet his bow remained unmoved,

his arms#49.24 Heb the arms of his hands were made agile

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob

(by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel),

25by the God of your father who will help you,

by God Almighty#49.25 Heb El Shaddai who will bless you

with blessings of heaven above,

blessings of the deep that couches beneath,

blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26The blessings of your father

are mighty beyond the blessings of the eternal mountains,#49.26 Compare Gk: Heb of my progenitors to

the bounties of the everlasting hills;

may they be on the head of Joseph,

and on the brow of him who was separate from his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey,

and at even dividing the spoil.”

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; and 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, 30in the cave that is in the field at Mach-pelah, 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— 32the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.” 33When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America

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Genesis 49

Genesis 49