Genesis 49:6-12

The Message

^5-6 Simeon and Levi are two of a kind,
    ready to fight at the drop of a hat.
I don’t want anything to do with their vendettas,
    want no part in their bitter feuds;
They kill men in fits of temper,
    slash oxen on a whim.
⁷ A curse on their uncontrolled anger,
    on their indiscriminate wrath.
I’ll throw them out with the trash;
    I’ll shred and scatter them like confetti throughout Israel.

^8-12 You, Judah, your brothers will praise you:
    Your fingers on your enemies’ throat,
    while your brothers honor you.
You’re a lion’s cub, Judah,
    home fresh from the kill, my son.
Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts;
    who dares mess with him?
The scepter shall not leave Judah;
    he’ll keep a firm grip on the command staff
Until the ultimate ruler comes
    and the nations obey him.
He’ll tie up his donkey to the grapevine,
    his purebred prize to a sturdy branch.
He will wash his shirt in wine
    and his cloak in the blood of grapes,
His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.