1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.
2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob.
Listen to Israel, your father.
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength,
excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
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.
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers.
Their swords are weapons of violence.
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.
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.
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.
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?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs.
The obedience of the peoples will be to him.
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.
12 His eyes will be red with wine,
his teeth white with milk.
13 "Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea.
He will be for a haven of ships.
His border will be on Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the saddlebags.
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.
16 "Dan will judge his people,
as one of the tribes of Israel.
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.
18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.
19 "A troop will press on Gad,
but he will press on their heel.
20 "Asher’s food will be rich.
He will produce royal dainties.
21 "Naphtali is a doe set free,
who bears beautiful fawns.
22 "Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine by a spring.
His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have severely grieved him,
shot at him, and persecuted him:
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),
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.
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.
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.
In the morning he will devour the prey.
At evening he will divide the plunder."
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 own blessing. 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, 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. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah: 32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth." 33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
1 Ja Jaakob kutsus oma pojad enese juurde ning ütles: „Tulge kokku, siis ma kuulutan teile, mis teiega sünnib tulevasil päevil!
2 Kogunege ja kuulge, Jaakobi pojad, võtke kuulda Iisraeli, oma isa!
3 Ruuben, sina oled mu esmasündinu, mu rammu ja sigitusjõu esikpoeg, väljapaistev väärikuselt ja väljapaistev võimult!
4 Veena oled vooganud — esikohale sa ei jää, sest sa tõusid oma isa sängi! Sel korral sa rüvetasid mu voodi, kuhu sa olid tõusnud!
5 Siimeon ja Leevi, vennaksed, nende ümberlõikamisnoad on vägivalla riistad!
6 Nende nõusse ei astu mu hing, nende seltsiga ei liitu mu süda! Sest oma vihas nad tapsid mehi ja meelevallatuses halvasid härgi!
7 Olgu neetud nende kange viha ja nende range raev! Ma jaotan nad Jaakobis ja hajutan Iisraelis!
8 Juuda, sind ülistavad su vennad! Sinu käsi on su vaenlaste turjal, sind kummardavad su isa pojad!
9 Juuda on lõukoera kutsikas — saagi kallalt, mu poeg, oled tõusnud! Ta on heitnud maha, ta lebab nagu kunagi lõukoer või lõvi — kes julgeks teda äratada?
10 Ei lahku valitsuskepp Juudast ega korraldamissau tema jalgade vahelt, kuni tuleb tema valitseja, keda rahvad võtavad kuulda!
11 Ta seob oma eesli viinapuu külge, hea viinapuu külge oma eeslivarsa; ta peseb oma kuube viinaga ja oma vammust viinamarjade verega!
12 Ta silmad on viinast hämused ja hambad piimast valged!
13 Sebulon elab mererannas, laevade rannikul, ja tema selg on pööratud Siidoni poole!
14 Issaskar on kondine eesel, kes lebab sadulakorvide vahel!
15 Kui ta nägi head hingamispaika ja meeldivat maad, ta langetas oma turja koormat kandma ja sai tööorjaks!
16 Daan mõistab kohut oma rahvale, üks Iisraeli suguharu on temagi!
17 Daan on madu teel, rästik raja peal, kes salvab hobuse kandu, nõnda et ratsanik kukub selili!
18 Ma ootan päästet sinult, Issand!
19 Gaad — röövjõugud ründavad teda, aga ta ise ründab neid, olles neil kannul!
20 Aaserilt tuleb rammus roog ja temal on anda kuninglikke maiuspalu!
21 Naftali on nobe emahirv, kes kannab haralisi sarvi!
22 Joosep on noor viljapuu, noor viljapuu allika ääres, mille oksad ulatuvad üle müüri!
23 Ammukütid vaenavad teda, peavad ta peale ajujahti,
24 aga tema amb jääb painduvaks ja ta käsivarred on nõtked Jaakobi Vägeva abiga, Karjase, Iisraeli Kalju nime abiga,
25 su isa Jumala abiga, kes sind aidaku, Kõigeväelise abiga, Kes sind õnnistagu õnnistustega ülalt taevast, õnnistustega all asuvast põhjaveest, õnnistustega emarindadest ja üskadest!
26 Su isa õnnistused ületavad igaveste mägede õnnistused, ürgsete küngaste ihaldusväärsed annid! Need tulgu Joosepi pea peale, oma vendade vürsti pealaele!
27 Benjamin on kiskjalik hunt! Hommikul ta sööb saaki ja õhtul jaotab röövitut!"
28 Need kõik olid Iisraeli suguharud, neid oli kaksteist, ja see oli, mis nende isa neile rääkis, kui ta neid õnnistas: ta õnnistas igaüht temale kohase õnnistusega.
29 Ja ta käskis neid ning ütles neile: „Mind koristatakse mu rahva juurde. Matke mind mu isade juurde koopasse, mis on hetiit Efroni väljal,
30 sellesse koopasse, mis on Makpela väljal Mamre kohal Kaananimaal, mille Aabraham ostis koos väljaga hetiit Efronilt pärandhauaks.
31 Sinna on maetud Aabraham ja tema naine Saara, sinna on maetud Iisak ja tema naine Rebeka, ja sinna ma olen matnud Lea.
32 Väli ja seal olev koobas on hetiitidelt ostetud!"
33 Kui Jaakob oli oma poegadele käsu andnud, siis ta sirutas voodis oma jalad välja ja heitis hinge; ja ta koristati oma rahva juurde.