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49 And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my bed.

Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords.

My soul, come not into their council; Mine honour, be not united with their assembly; For in their anger they slew men, And in their wantonness houghed oxen.

Cursed be their anger, for it [was] violent; And their rage, for it [was] cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

Judah—[as to] thee, thy brethren will praise thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children will bow down to thee.

Judah is a young lion; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, And as a lioness: who will rouse him up?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples.

11 He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine; He washeth his dress in wine, And his garment in the blood of grapes.

12 The eyes are red with wine, And the teeth [are] white with milk.

13 Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side [toucheth] upon Sidon.

14 Issachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles.

15 And he saw the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And was a tributary servant.

16 Dan will judge his people, As another of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan will be a serpent on the way, A horned snake on the path, Which biteth the horse's heels, So that the rider falleth backwards.

18 I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

19 Gad—troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel.

20 Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give royal dainties.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose; He giveth goodly words.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough; A fruitful bough by a well; [His] branches shoot over the wall.

23 The archers have provoked him, And shot at, and hated him;

24 But his bow abideth firm, And the arms of his hands are supple By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:

25 From the God of thy father, and he will help thee; And from the Almighty, and he will bless thee—With blessings of heaven from above, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, With blessings of the breast and of the womb.

26 The blessings of thy father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

27 Benjamin—[as] a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them: every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 And he charged them, and said to them, I am gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite to Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite along with the field for a possession of a sepulchre.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is in it, was from the children of Heth.

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.

50 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. And the physicians embalmed Israel.

And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those who are embalmed. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found favour in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I die; in my grave which I have dug myself in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. And now, let me go up, I pray thee, that I may bury my father; and I will come again.

And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the bondmen of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house; only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and the camp was very great.

10 And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan; and there they lamented with a great and very grievous lamentation; and he made a mourning for his father of seven days.

11 And the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Atad, and they said, This is a grievous mourning of the Egyptians. Therefore the name of it was called Abel-Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

12 And his sons did to him according as he had commanded them;

13 and his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah which Abraham had bought along with the field, for a possession of a sepulchre, of Ephron the Hittite, opposite to Mamre.

14 And, after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brethren, and all that had gone up with him to bury his father.

15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, If now Joseph should be hostile to us, and should indeed requite us all the evil that we did to him!

16 And they sent a messenger to Joseph, saying, Thy father commanded before he died, saying,

17 Thus shall ye speak to Joseph: Oh forgive, I pray thee, the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin! for they did evil to thee. And now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face, and said, Behold, we are thy bondmen.

19 And Joseph said to them, Fear not: am I then in the place of God?

20 Ye indeed meant evil against me: God meant it for good, in order that he might do as [it is] this day, to save a great people alive.

21 And now, fear not: I will maintain you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke consolingly to them.

22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.

23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third [generation]; the sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born on Joseph's knees.

24 And Joseph said to his brethren, I die; and God will certainly visit you, and bring you up out of this land, into the land that he swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will certainly visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones hence.

26 And Joseph died, a hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him; and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Jacob Blesses His Sons(A)

49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(B)

“Assemble(C) and listen, sons of Jacob;
    listen to your father Israel.(D)

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,(E)
    my might, the first sign of my strength,(F)
    excelling in honor,(G) excelling in power.
Turbulent as the waters,(H) you will no longer excel,
    for you went up onto your father’s bed,
    onto my couch and defiled it.(I)

“Simeon(J) and Levi(K) are brothers—
    their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(L)
Let me not enter their council,
    let me not join their assembly,(M)
for they have killed men in their anger(N)
    and hamstrung(O) oxen as they pleased.
Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
    and their fury,(P) so cruel!(Q)
I will scatter them in Jacob
    and disperse them in Israel.(R)

“Judah,[b](S) your brothers will praise you;
    your hand will be on the neck(T) of your enemies;
    your father’s sons will bow down to you.(U)
You are a lion’s(V) cub,(W) Judah;(X)
    you return from the prey,(Y) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(Z)
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come(AA)
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(AB)
11 He will tether his donkey(AC) to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;(AD)
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.(AE)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.[e](AF)

13 “Zebulun(AG) will live by the seashore
    and become a haven for ships;
    his border will extend toward Sidon.(AH)

14 “Issachar(AI) is a rawboned[f] donkey
    lying down among the sheep pens.[g](AJ)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
    and how pleasant is his land,(AK)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(AL)
    and submit to forced labor.(AM)

16 “Dan[h](AN) will provide justice for his people
    as one of the tribes of Israel.(AO)
17 Dan(AP) will be a snake by the roadside,
    a viper along the path,(AQ)
that bites the horse’s heels(AR)
    so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 “I look for your deliverance,(AS) Lord.(AT)

19 “Gad[i](AU) will be attacked by a band of raiders,
    but he will attack them at their heels.(AV)

20 “Asher’s(AW) food will be rich;(AX)
    he will provide delicacies fit for a king.(AY)

21 “Naphtali(AZ) is a doe set free
    that bears beautiful fawns.[j](BA)

22 “Joseph(BB) is a fruitful vine,(BC)
    a fruitful vine near a spring,
    whose branches(BD) climb over a wall.[k]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(BE)
    they shot at him with hostility.(BF)
24 But his bow remained steady,(BG)
    his strong arms(BH) stayed[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(BI)
    because of the Shepherd,(BJ) the Rock of Israel,(BK)
25 because of your father’s God,(BL) who helps(BM) you,
    because of the Almighty,[m](BN) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
    blessings of the deep springs below,(BO)
    blessings of the breast(BP) and womb.(BQ)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
    than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
    than[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.(BR)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(BS)
    on the brow of the prince among[o] his brothers.(BT)

27 “Benjamin(BU) is a ravenous wolf;(BV)
    in the morning he devours the prey,(BW)
    in the evening he divides the plunder.”(BX)

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,(BY) and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing(BZ) appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

29 Then he gave them these instructions:(CA) “I am about to be gathered to my people.(CB) Bury me with my fathers(CC) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(CD) 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah,(CE) near Mamre(CF) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field(CG) as a burial place(CH) from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham(CI) and his wife Sarah(CJ) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah(CK) were buried, and there I buried Leah.(CL) 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.[p](CM)

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.(CN)

50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.(CO) Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,(CP) taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.(CQ)

When the days of mourning(CR) had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court,(CS) “If I have found favor in your eyes,(CT) speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ‘My father made me swear an oath(CU) and said, “I am about to die;(CV) bury me in the tomb I dug for myself(CW) in the land of Canaan.”(CX) Now let me go up and bury my father;(CY) then I will return.’”

Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials(CZ) accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court(DA) and all the dignitaries of Egypt— besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household.(DB) Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen.(DC) Chariots(DD) and horsemen[q] also went up with him. It was a very large company.

10 When they reached the threshing floor(DE) of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly;(DF) and there Joseph observed a seven-day period(DG) of mourning(DH) for his father.(DI) 11 When the Canaanites(DJ) who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.”(DK) That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.[r]

12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them:(DL) 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah,(DM) near Mamre,(DN) which Abraham had bought along with the field(DO) as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.(DP) 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.(DQ)

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge(DR) against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”(DS) 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions(DT) before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins(DU) and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’(DV) Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.(DW)” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.(DX)

18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him.(DY) “We are your slaves,”(DZ) they said.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?(EA) 20 You intended to harm me,(EB) but God intended(EC) it for good(ED) to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.(EE) 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.(EF)” And he reassured them and spoke kindly(EG) to them.

The Death of Joseph

22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years(EH) 23 and saw the third generation(EI) of Ephraim’s(EJ) children.(EK) Also the children of Makir(EL) son of Manasseh(EM) were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.[s](EN)

24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die.(EO) But God will surely come to your aid(EP) and take you up out of this land to the land(EQ) he promised on oath to Abraham,(ER) Isaac(ES) and Jacob.”(ET) 25 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath(EU) and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones(EV) up from this place.”(EW)

26 So Joseph died(EX) at the age of a hundred and ten.(EY) And after they embalmed him,(EZ) he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
  3. Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
  4. Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  5. Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
  6. Genesis 49:14 Or strong
  7. Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
  8. Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
  9. Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
  10. Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
  11. Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
  12. Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
  13. Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
  14. Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
  15. Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
  16. Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth
  17. Genesis 50:9 Or charioteers
  18. Genesis 50:11 Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians.
  19. Genesis 50:23 That is, were counted as his