The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
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.
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Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future:
2 Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.
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"Come together and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel.
3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:
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"Reuben, my first-born, you are my strength And the first child of my manhood, The proudest and strongest of all my sons.
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.
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You are like a raging flood, But you will not be the most important, For you slept with my concubine And dishonored your father's bed.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.
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"Simeon and Levi are brothers. They use their weapons to commit violence.
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.
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I will not join in their secret talks, Nor will I take part in their meetings, For they killed people in anger And they crippled bulls for sport.
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.
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A curse be on their anger, because it is so fierce, And on their fury, because it is so cruel. I will scatter them throughout the land of Israel. I will disperse them among its people.
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.
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"Judah, your brothers will praise you. You hold your enemies by the neck. Your brothers will bow down 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?
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Judah is like a lion, Killing his victim and returning to his den, Stretching out and lying down. No one dares disturb him.
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.
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Judah will hold the royal scepter, And his descendants will always rule. Nations will bring him tribute And bow in obedience before him.
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:
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He ties his young donkey to a grapevine, To the very best of the vines. He washes his clothes in blood-red wine.
12 His eyes will be dark with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
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His eyes are bloodshot from drinking wine, His teeth white from drinking 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.
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"Zebulun will live beside the sea. His shore will be a haven for ships. His territory will reach as far as Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:
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"Issachar is no better than a donkey That lies stretched out between its saddlebags.
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.
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But he sees that the resting place is good And that the land is delightful. So he bends his back to carry the load And is forced to work as a slave.
16 Dan will be the judge of his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
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"Dan will be a ruler for his people. They will be like the other 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.
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Dan will be a snake at the side of the road, A poisonous snake beside the path, That strikes at the horse's heel, So that the rider is thrown off backward.
18 I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.
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"I wait for your deliverance, Lord.
19 Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.
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"Gad will be attacked by a band of robbers, But he will turn and pursue them.
20 Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.
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"Asher's land will produce rich food. He will provide food fit for a king.
21 Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.
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"Naphtali is a deer that runs free, Who bears lovely fawns.
22 Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;
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"Joseph is like a wild donkey by a spring, A wild colt on a hillside.
23 He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:
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His enemies attack him fiercely And pursue him with their bows and arrows.
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:
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But his bow remains steady, And his arms are made strong By the power of the Mighty God of Jacob, By the Shepherd, the Protector 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:
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It is your father's God who helps you, The Almighty God who blesses you With blessings of rain from above And of deep waters from beneath the ground, Blessings of many cattle and children,
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.
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Blessings of grain and flowers, Blessings of ancient mountains, Delightful things from everlasting hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, On the brow of the one set apart 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.
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"Benjamin is like a vicious wolf. Morning and evening he kills and devours."
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.
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These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he spoke a suitable word of farewell to each son.
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,
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Then Jacob commanded his sons, "Now that I am going to join my people in death, bury me with my fathers in the cave that is 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.
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at Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this cave and field from Ephron for a burial ground.
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.
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That is where they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; that is where they buried Isaac and his wife Rebecca; and that is where I buried Leah.
32 In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.
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The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. Bury me there."
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.
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When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he lay back down and died.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.