1 And Jacob called to his sons and said, “Be gathered together, and I declare to you that which happens with you in the latter end of the days. 2 Be assembled, and hear, sons of Jacob, || And listen to your father Israel. 3 Reuben! You are my firstborn, || My power, and beginning of my strength, || The abundance of exaltation, || And the abundance of strength. 4 Unstable as water, you are not abundant. For you have gone up to your father’s bed. Then you have defiled it: He went up my couch! 5 Simeon and Levi are brothers! Instruments of violence—their espousals! 6 Into their secret, do not come, O my soul! Do not be united to their assembly, O my glory. For in their anger they slew a man, || And in their self-will eradicated a prince. 7 Cursed is their anger, for it is fierce, || And their wrath, for it is sharp. I divide them in Jacob, || And I scatter them in Israel. 8 Judah! Your brothers praise you! Your hand is on the neck of your enemies, || Sons of your father bow themselves to you. 9 A lion’s whelp is Judah, || For prey, my son, you have gone up. He has bent, he has crouched as a lion, || And as a lioness. Who causes him to arise? 10 The scepter does not turn aside from Judah, || And a lawgiver from between his feet, || Until his Seed comes. And His is the obedience of peoples. 11 Binding to the vine his donkey, || And to the choice vine the colt of his donkey, || He has washed in wine his clothing, || And in the blood of grapes his covering. 12 Red are eyes with wine, || And white are teeth with milk! 13 Zebulun stays at a haven of the seas, || And he is for a haven of ships. And his side is to Sidon. 14 Issachar is a strong donkey, || Crouching between the two folds. 15 And he sees rest, that it is good, || And the land, that it is pleasant, || And he inclines his shoulder to bear, || And is a servant for tribute. 16 Dan judges his people, || As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan is a snake by the way, a viper by the path, || Which is biting the horse’s heels, || And its rider falls backward. 18 For Your salvation I have waited, YHWH! 19 Gad! A troop assaults him, || But he assaults last. 20 Out of Asher his bread is fat. And he gives delicacies of a king. 21 Naphtali is a doe sent away, || Who is giving beautiful young ones. 22 Joseph is a fruitful son. A fruitful son by a fountain, || Daughters step over the wall. 23 And embitter him indeed, they have striven, || Indeed, archers hate him. 24 And his bow abides in strength, || And strengthened are the arms of his hands || By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, || From where is a shepherd, a son of Israel. 25 By the God of your father who helps you, || And the Mighty One who blesses you, || Blessings of the heavens from above, || Blessings of the deep lying under, || Blessings of breasts and womb— 26 Your father’s blessings have been mighty || Above the blessings of my progenitors, || To the limit of the perpetual heights || They are for the head of Joseph, || And for the crown of the one || Separate from his brothers. 27 Benjamin! A wolf tears. In the morning he eats prey, || And at evening he apportions spoil.” 28 All these were the twelve tribes of Israel, and this was that which their father had spoken to them, and he blessed them. Each according to his blessing he had blessed them. 29 And he commanded them and said to them, “I am being gathered to my people. Bury me by my fathers, at the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30 In the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, which is on the front of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. 31 (There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And there I buried Leah). 32 The purchase of the field and of the cave which is in it, was from sons of Heth.” 33 And Jacob finished commanding his sons, and gathered up his feet to the bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.