22AND I I GIVE TO YOU A SHOULDER ONE OVER BROTHERS YOUR WHICH I TOOK FROM [THE] HAND OF THE AMORITE[S] BY SWORD MY AND BY BOW MY 22And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land*NoteCloseOr one portion of the land; Hebrew shekem, which sounds like the town and district called Shechem that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”
1AND HE SUMMONED JACOB <TO> SONS HIS AND HE SAID GATHER YOURSELVES SO LET ME TELL TO YOU <OBJ.> [THAT] WHICH IT WILL HAPPEN TO <OBJ.> YOU AT [THE] END OF THE DAYS Jacob Blesses His Sons 1Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:
2ASSEMBLE AND LISTEN O SONS OF JACOB AND LISTEN TO ISRAEL FATHER YOUR 2Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
3O REUBEN [ARE] FIRSTBORN MY YOU STRENGTH MY AND [THE] BEGINNING OF MANLY VIGOR MY EXCELLENCE OF DIGNITY AND EXCELLENCE OF POWER 3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4DESTRUCTIVENESS LIKE <THE> WATER MAY NOT YOU EXCEL FOR YOU WENT UP [THE] BED<S> OF FATHER YOUR THEN YOU PROFANED [IT] COUCH MY HE WENT UP 4Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.
5SIMEON AND LEVI [ARE] BROTHERS [ARE] WEAPONS OF VIOLENCE SWORDS THEIR 5Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords*NoteCloseOr dwelling places are weapons of violence.
6IN COUNCIL THEIR MAY NOT IT ENTER SELF MY IN ASSEMBLY THEIR MAY NOT IT BE UNITED HONOR MY FOR IN ANGER THEIR THEY SLEW A MAN AND FOR PLEASURE THEIR THEY HAMSTRUNG OX[EN] 6May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.
7[BE] CURSED ANGER THEIR FOR FIERCE AND WRATH THEIR FOR IT IS HARD I WILL DIVIDE THEM IN JACOB AND I WILL SCATTER THEM IN ISRAEL 7Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
8O JUDAH YOU THEY WILL PRAISE YOU BROTHERS YOUR HAND YOUR [WILL BE] ON [THE] NECK OF ENEMIES YOUR THEY WILL BOW DOWN TO YOU [THE] SONS OF FATHER YOUR 8Judah,*NoteCloseJudah sounds like the Hebrew for praise. your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9[IS] A CUB OF A LION JUDAH FROM PREY O SON MY YOU HAVE GONE UP HE BOWS DOWN HE LIES DOWN LIKE A LION AND LIKE A LION WHO? WILL HE ROUSE HIM 9Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
10NOT IT WILL DEPART A SCEPTER FROM JUDAH AND A RULER'S STAFF FROM BETWEEN FEET HIS UNTIL THAT HE WILL COME SHILOH AND [WILL BELONG] TO HIM [THE] OBEDIENCE OF PEOPLES 10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet,*NoteCloseOr from his descendants until Shiloh*NoteCloseOr until the one to whom tribute belongs comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
11BINDING TO THE VINE DONKEY HIS AND TO THE CHOICE VINE [THE] YOUNG ONE OF DONKEY HIS HE WILL WASH IN <THE> WINE CLOTHING HIS AND IN [THE] BLOOD OF GRAPES ROBE HIS 11He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12DARK OF EYES MORE THAN WINE AND WHITE OF TEETH MORE THAN MILK 12His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13ZEBULUN TO [THE] COAST OF [THE] SEAS HE WILL DWELL AND HE TO A HARBOR OF SHIPS AND SIDE HIS [WILL BE] AT SIDON 13Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.
14ISSACHAR [IS] A DONKEY OF BONE LYING DOWN BETWEEN THE TWO CAMPFIRES 14Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.*NoteCloseOr saddlebags or hearths
15AND HE SAW A RESTING PLACE THAT IT WAS GOOD AND <OBJ.> THE LAND THAT IT WAS PLEASANT AND HE BENT DOWN SHOULDER HIS TO CARRY A LOAD AND HE BECAME <INTO> FORCED LABOR OF LABORING 15He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.
16DAN HE WILL JUDGE PEOPLE HIS LIKE ONE OF [THE] TRIBES OF ISRAEL 16Dan shall provide justice for his people*NoteCloseOr Dan shall judge his people; Dan means He has judged or He has vindicated. as one of the tribes of Israel.
17MAY HE BE DAN A SNAKE ON A ROAD A VIPER ON A PATH THE [ONE WHICH] BITES [THE] HEELS OF A HORSE AND HE FELL RIDER ITS BACKWARDS 17He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
19GAD A MARAUDING BAND IT WILL ATTACK HIM AND HE HE WILL ATTACK A HEEL 19Gad*NoteCloseGad sounds like the Hebrew for raid and also for band of raiders. will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
20FROM ASHER [WILL BE] RICH FOOD HIS AND HE HE WILL PROVIDE DELICACIES OF A KING 20Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
21NAPHTALI [IS] A DOE LET LOOSE THE [ONE WHICH] UTTERS WORDS OF BEAUTY 21Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.*NoteCloseOr gives beautiful words or bears fawns of the fold
22[IS] A SON OF A FRUIT-BEARER JOSEPH A SON OF A FRUIT-BEARER AT A SPRING DAUGHTERS SHE WILL CLIMB OVER A WALL 22Joseph is a fruitful vine— a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.*NoteCloseOr Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey by a spring, with his wild colts beside the wall
23AND THEY SHOWED BITTERNESS TO HIM AND THEY SHOT AND THEY BEAR A GRUDGE HIM MASTERS OF ARROWS 23The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.
24AND IT REMAINED IN PERMANENCE BOW HIS AND THEY WERE AGILE [THE] ARMS OF HANDS HIS FROM [THE] HANDS OF [THE] MIGHTY ONE OF JACOB [IS] FROM THERE [THE] SHEPHERD [THE] STONE OF ISRAEL 24Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25FROM [THE] GOD OF FATHER YOUR AND HE WILL HELP YOU AND <OBJ.> ALMIGHTY AND HE WILL BLESS YOU BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN <FROM> ABOVE BLESSINGS OF [THE] DEEP [WHICH] LIES BENEATH BLESSINGS OF BREASTS AND WOMB 25by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty*NoteCloseHebrew Shaddai who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.
26[THE] BLESSINGS OF FATHER YOUR THEY HAVE PREVAILED OVER [THE] BLESSINGS OF [THE MEN WHO] CONCEIVED ME TO DESIRE OF HILLS OF ANTIQUITY MAY THEY BE[LONG] TO [THE] HEAD OF JOSEPH AND TO THE SCALP [THE] PRINCE OF BROTHERS HIS 26The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains*NoteCloseOr of my ancestors and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
27BENJAMIN [IS] A WOLF [WHICH] IT TEARS TO PIECES IN THE MORNING HE CONSUMES BOOTY AND TO THE EVENING HE DIVIDES PLUNDER 27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28ALL THESE [ARE] [THE] TRIBES OF ISRAEL TWO [PLUS] TEN AND THIS [IS THAT] WHICH HE SPOKE TO THEM FATHER THEIR AND HE BLESSED <OBJ.> THEM EVERYONE WHOM ACCORDING TO BLESSING HIS HE BLESSED <OBJ.> THEM 28These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
29AND HE COMMANDED <OBJ.> THEM AND HE SAID TO THEM I [AM] ABOUT TO BE GATHERED TO PEOPLE MY BURY <OBJ.> ME WITH FATHERS MY INTO THE CAVE WHICH [IS] IN [THE] FIELD OF EPHRON THE HITTITE The Death of Jacob 29Then Jacob instructed 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.
30IN THE CAVE WHICH [IS] IN [THE] FIELD OF <THE> MACHPELAH WHICH [IS] ON [THE] FACE OF MAMRE IN [THE] LAND OF CANAAN WHICH HE BOUGHT ABRAHAM <OBJ.> THE FIELD FROM WITH EPHRON THE HITTITE TO A POSSESSION OF A BURIAL SITE 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 <TOWARDS> PEOPLE BURIED <OBJ.> ABRAHAM AND <OBJ.> SARAH WIFE HIS THERE <TOWARDS> PEOPLE BURIED <OBJ.> ISAAC AND <OBJ.> REBEKAH WIFE HIS AND THERE <TOWARDS> I BURIED <OBJ.> LEAH 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.
32[THE] LIVESTOCK OF THE FIELD AND THE CAVE WHICH [IS] IN IT FROM WITH [THE] SONS OF HETH 32The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites
33AND HE FINISHED JACOB TO COMMAND <OBJ.> SONS HIS AND HE GATHERED FEET HIS INTO THE BED AND HE EXPIRED AND HE WAS GATHERED TO PEOPLES HIS 33When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.