And Jacob called
unto his sons
, and said
, Gather yourselves together
, that I may tell
you that which shall befall
you in the last
days
.
Gather yourselves together, and hear
, ye sons
of Jacob
; and hearken
unto Israel
your father
.
Reuben, thou art my firstborn
, my might
, and the beginning
of my strength
, the excellency
of dignity
, and the excellency
of power
:
Unstable as water
, thou shalt not excel
; because thou wentest up
to thy father's
bed
; then defiledst thou
it : he went up
to my couch
.
Simeon and Levi
are brethren
; instruments
of cruelty
are in their habitations
.
O my soul, come
not thou into their secret
; unto their assembly
, mine honour
, be not thou united
: for in their anger
they slew
a man
, and in their selfwill
they digged down
a wall
.
Cursed be their anger
, for it was fierce
; and their wrath
, for it was cruel
: I will divide
them in Jacob
, and scatter
them in Israel
.
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren
shall praise
: thy hand
shall be in the neck
of thine enemies
; thy father's
children
shall bow down
before thee.
Judah is a lion's
whelp
: from the prey
, my son
, thou art gone up
: he stooped down
, he couched
as a lion
, and as an old lion
; who shall rouse him up
?
The sceptre shall not depart
from Judah
, nor a lawgiver
from between his feet
, until
Shiloh
come
; and unto him shall the gathering
of the people
be .
Binding his foal
unto the vine
, and his ass's
colt
unto the choice vine
; he washed
his garments
in wine
, and his clothes
in the blood
of grapes
:
His eyes shall be red
with wine
, and his teeth
white
with milk
.
Zebulun shall dwell
at the haven
of the sea
; and he shall be for an haven
of ships
; and his border
shall be unto Zidon
.
Issachar is a strong
ass
couching down
between two burdens
:
And he saw that rest
was good
, and the land
that it was pleasant
; and bowed
his shoulder
to bear
, and became a servant
unto tribute
.
Dan shall judge
his people
, as one
of the tribes
of Israel
.
Dan shall be a serpent
by the way
, an adder
in the path
, that biteth
the horse
heels
, so that his rider
shall fall
backward
.
I have waited for thy salvation
, O LORD
.
Gad, a troop
shall overcome
him: but he shall overcome
at the last
.
Out of Asher his bread
shall be fat
, and he shall yield
royal
dainties
.
Naphtali is a hind
let loose
: he giveth
goodly
words
.
Joseph is a fruitful
bough
, even a fruitful
bough
by a well
; whose branches
run
over the wall
:
The archers have sorely grieved him
, and shot
at him , and hated him
:
But his bow abode
in strength
, and the arms
of his hands
were made strong
by the hands
of the mighty
God of Jacob
; (from thence is the shepherd
, the stone
of Israel
:)
Even by the God of thy father
, who shall help
thee; and by
the Almighty
, who shall bless
thee with blessings
of heaven
above
, blessings
of the deep
that lieth
under, blessings
of the breasts
, and of the womb
:
The blessings of thy father
have prevailed
above the blessings
of my progenitors
unto the utmost bound
of the everlasting
hills
: they shall be on the head
of Joseph
, and on the crown of the head
of him that was separate
from his brethren
.
Benjamin shall ravin
as a wolf
: in the morning
he shall devour
the prey
, and at night
he shall divide
the spoil
.
All these are the twelve tribes
of Israel
: and this is it that their father
spake
unto them, and blessed
them; every
one
according to his blessing
he blessed
them.
And he charged them, and said
unto them, I am to be gathered
unto my people
: bury
me with my fathers
in the cave
that is in the field
of Ephron
the Hittite
,
In 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
for a possession
of a buryingplace
.
There they buried Abraham
and Sarah
his wife
; there they buried
Isaac
and Rebekah
his wife
; and there I buried
Leah
.
The purchase of the field
and of the cave
that is therein was from the children
of Heth
.
And when Jacob had made an end
of commanding
his sons
, he gathered up
his feet
into the bed
, and yielded up the ghost
, and was gathered
unto his people
.