Genesis 49

Reuben, Simeon, and Levi Genesis 49:3–7

³Verse 3. “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength;excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.⁴Verse 4. Boiling over like water, you shall not excel;because you went up to your father’s bed,then defiled it. He went up to my couch.⁵Verse 5. “Simeon and Levi are brothers.Their swords are weapons of violence.⁶Verse 6. My soul, don’t come into their council.My glory, don’t be united to their assembly;for in their anger they killed men.In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.⁷Verse 7. 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.

Blessings on Judah Genesis 49:8–12

⁸Verse 8. “Judah, your brothers will praise you.Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.Your father’s sons will bow down before you.⁹Verse 9. Judah is a lion’s cub.From the prey, my son, you have gone up.He stooped down, he crouched as a lion,as a lioness.Who will rouse him up?¹⁰Verse 10. The scepter will not depart from Judah,nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,until he comes to whom it belongs.To him will the obedience of the peoples be.¹¹Verse 11. Binding his foal to the vine,his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;he has washed his garments in wine,his robes in the blood of grapes.¹²Verse 12. His eyes will be red with wine,his teeth white with milk.

Blessings on Zebulun and Issachar Genesis 49:13–16

¹³Verse 13. “Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea.He will be for a haven of ships.His border will be on Sidon.¹⁴Verse 14. “Issachar is a strong donkey,lying down between the saddlebags.¹⁵Verse 15. He saw a resting place, that it was good,the land, that it was pleasant.He bows his shoulder to the burden,and becomes a servant doing forced labor.¹⁶Verse 16. “Dan will judge his people,as one of the tribes of Israel.

Blessings on Dan, Gad, and Asher Genesis 49:17–21

¹⁷Verse 17. Dan will be a serpent on the trail,an adder in the path,That bites the horse’s heels,so that his rider falls backward.¹⁸Verse 18. I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.¹⁹Verse 19. “A troop will press on Gad,but he will press on their heel.²⁰Verse 20. “Asher’s food will be rich.He will produce royal dainties.²¹Verse 21. “Naphtali is a doe set free,who bears beautiful fawns.

Joseph's Blessing Genesis 49:22–26

²²Verse 22. “Joseph is a fruitful vine,a fruitful vine by a spring.His branches run over the wall.²³Verse 23. The archers have severely grieved him,shot at him, and persecuted him:²⁴Verse 24. But his bow remained strong.The arms of his hands were made strong,by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,(from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),²⁵Verse 25. even by the God of your father, who will help you;by the Almighty, who will bless you,with blessings of heaven above,blessings of the deep that lies below,blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.²⁶Verse 26. The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors,above the boundaries of the ancient hills.They will be on the head of Joseph,on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

The Remaining Tribes and Jacob's Death Genesis 49:27–33

²⁷Verse 27. “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.” ²⁸Verse 28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing. ²⁹Verse 29. He instructed 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, ³⁰Verse 30. 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 from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place.

³¹Verse 31. There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah: ³²Verse 32. the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.” ³³Verse 33. When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.