1 And Jacob sent for his sons, and said, Come together, all of you, so that I may give you news of your fate in future times.
2 Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:
4 But because you were uncontrolled, the first place will not be yours; for you went up to your father's bed, even his bride-bed, and made it unclean.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.
6 Take no part in their secrets, O my soul; keep far away, O my heart, from their meetings; for in their wrath they put men to death, and for their pleasure even oxen were wounded.
7 A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.
8 To you, Judah, will your brothers give praise: your hand will be on the neck of your haters; your father's sons will go down to the earth before you.
9 Judah is a young lion; like a lion full of meat you have become great, my son; now he takes his rest like a lion stretched out and like an old lion; by whom will his sleep be broken?
10 The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah, and he will not be without a law-giver, till he comes who has the right to it, and the peoples will put themselves under his rule.
11 Knotting his ass's cord to the vine, and his young ass to the best vine; washing his robe in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes will be dark with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13 The resting-place of Zebulun will be by the sea, and he will be a harbour for ships; the edge of his land will be by Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:
15 And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.
16 Dan will be the judge of his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 May Dan be a snake in the way, a horned snake by the road, biting the horse's foot so that the horseman has a fall.
18 I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.
19 Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.
20 Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.
21 Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.
22 Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;
23 He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:
24 But their bows were broken by a strong one, and the cords of their arms were cut by the Strength of Jacob, by the name of the Stone of Israel:
25 Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:
26 Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a wolf, searching for meat: in the morning he takes his food, and in the evening he makes division of what he has taken.
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel: and these are the words their father said to them, blessing them; to every one he gave his blessing.
29 And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.
31 There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.
32 In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.
33 And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.
1 雅各把他的众子叫来， 说： "你们要聚集在一起， 我要把你们日后必遇到的事告诉你们。
2 雅各的儿子们哪， 你们要一起来听； 要听你们父亲以色列的话。
3 流本哪， 你是我的长子， 是我的力量， 是我的初生子； 你大有尊荣， 权力超众；
4 但是你放纵情欲， 好像水沸腾一样， 你必不能居首位； 因为你上了你父亲的床； 上了我的榻， 然后把它玷污了。
5 西缅和利未是兄弟； 他们的刀剑是强暴的武器。
6 我的灵啊， 不可加入他们的阴谋； 我的心啊， 不可参与他们的集会， 因为他们在怒中杀人， 任意砍断牛的腿筋。
7 他们的怒气可咒， 因为非常暴烈； 他们的烈怒可诅， 因为十分凶猛； 我要把他们分散在雅各家； 把他们散居在以色列。
8 犹大啊， 你的兄弟们要称赞你； 你的手必压住仇敌的颈项； 你父亲的众子必向你下拜。
9 犹大是只小狮子； 我儿啊， 你猎取了食物就上到洞穴去。他屈身伏卧， 好像公狮， 又像母狮， 谁敢惊动他呢？
10 权杖必不离开犹大， 王圭必不离他两脚之间， 直到细罗（"细罗"有古?本作"属他的那位"）来到， 万族都要臣服他。
11 犹大把自己的驴驹拴在葡萄树旁， 把自己的小驴系在上等的葡萄树旁； 他在葡萄酒中洗净自己的衣服， 在血红的葡萄汁中洗衣袍。
12 他因饮酒而双眼发红， 他因喝奶而牙齿雪白。
13 西布伦必在沿海地带居住， 他必成为船只停泊的港口， 他的边界必伸到西顿。
14 以萨迦是一头粗壮的驴， 伏卧在羊圈（"羊圈"原文意思不详， 或译： "重驮"）之间；
15 他看安居为美， 他看肥地为佳， 他屈肩负重， 成了服苦的奴仆。
16 但要审判自己的人民， 作以色列的一个支派。
17 但要作路上的蛇， 道中的毒蛇， 他要咬伤马蹄， 使骑马的人向后坠落。
18 耶和华啊， 我向来等候你的拯救。
19 迦得必被侵略者追逼， 他却要追逼他们的脚跟。
20 至于亚设， 他的食物必定肥美， 他有美食可以供奉君王。
21 拿弗他利是只得释放的母鹿， 发出优美的言语。
22 约瑟是一根结果子的树枝， 是一根泉旁结果子的树枝， 他的枝条蔓延出墙外。
23 弓箭手把他苦害， 向他射箭敌对他。
24 但他的弓依然坚硬， 他的手臂仍旧敏捷， 这是出于雅各的大能者之手； 出于以色列的牧者， 以色列的磐石。
25 是你父亲的 神帮助你， 是那全能者赐给你； 他把从天上来的福， 地下深渊蕴藏着的福， 哺乳和生育的福， 都赐给你。
26 你父亲的祝福， 胜过我祖先的祝福（"胜过我祖先的祝福"有古?本作"胜过亘古的山冈"）， 胜过永远山岭上的美物。愿这些福都降在约瑟的头上， 降在兄弟中作王子的那一位头上。
27 便雅悯是只撕掠的豺狼， 早晨吞吃他的猎物， 晚上瓜分他的掳物。"
28 这些就是以色列的十二支派； 以上是他们父亲对他们所说的话， 是按着各人的福分给他们所祝的福。
29 雅各又嘱咐他们， 对他们说： "我快要归到我的亲族那里去， 你们要把我埋葬在赫人以弗仑田间的洞里， 与我的祖先在一起。
30 这个洞在迦南地， 在幔利前面的麦比拉的田间。那地方原是亚伯拉罕向赫人以弗仑买下来作坟地的。
31 他们在那里埋葬了亚伯拉罕和他的妻子撒拉； 又在那里埋葬了以撒和他的妻子利百加； 我也在那里埋葬了利亚。
32 那块田和田间的洞， 是向赫人买来的。"
33 雅各对他的众子嘱咐完了， 就把双脚收回床上， 气绝而死， 归到他的亲族那里去了。