Common English Bible CEB
English Standard Version ESV
1 Jacob summoned his sons and said, "Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the coming days.
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Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.
2 Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
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“Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, my strength and my first contender, superior in status and superior in might.
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“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4 As wild as the waters, you won't endure, for you went up to your father's bed, you went up and violated my couch.
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Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers, weapons of violence their stock in trade.
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“Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
6 May I myself never enter their council. May my honor never be linked to their group; for when they were angry, they killed men, and whenever they wished, they maimed oxen.
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Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger; it is violent, their rage; it is relentless. I'll divide them up within Jacob and disperse them within Israel.
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Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, you are the one your brothers will honor; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.
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“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you rise up. He lies down and crouches like a lion; like a lioness—who dares disturb him?
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Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter won't depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from among his banners. Gifts will be brought to him; people will obey him.
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The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 He ties his male donkey to the vine, the colt of his female donkey to the vine's branches. He washes his clothes in wine, his garments in the blood of grapes.
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Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
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His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 Zebulun will live at the seashore; he'll live at the harbor of ships, his border will be at Sidon.
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“Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
14 Issachar is a sturdy donkey, bedding down beside the village hearths.
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“Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.
15 He saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasant. He lowered his shoulder to haul loads and joined the work gangs.
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He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.
16 Dan will settle disputes for his people, as one of Israel's tribes.
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“Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake on the road, a serpent on the path, biting a horse's heels, so its rider falls backward.
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Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.
18 I long for your victory, LORD.
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I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
19 Gad will be attacked by attackers, but he'll attack their back.
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“Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels.
20 Asher grows fine foods, and he will supply the king's delicacies.
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“Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.
21 Naphtali is a wild doe that gives birth to beautiful fawns.
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“Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.
22 Joseph is a young bull, a young bull by a spring, who strides with oxen.
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“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
23 They attacked him fiercely and fired arrows; the archers attacked him furiously.
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The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,
24 But his bow stayed strong, and his forearms were nimble, by the hands of the strong one of Jacob, by the name of the shepherd, the rock of Israel,
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yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob(from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
25 by God, your father, who supports you, by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings from the skies above and blessings from the deep sea below, blessings from breasts and womb.
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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 crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father exceed the blessings of the eternal mountains, the wealth of the everlasting hills. May they all rest on Joseph's head, on the forehead of the one set apart from his brothers.
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The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a wolf who hunts: in the morning he devours the prey; in the evening he divides the plunder."
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“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil. ”
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them by giving each man his own particular blessing.
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All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.
29 Jacob ordered them, "I am soon to join my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that's in the field of Ephron the Hittite;
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Then he commanded 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's in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial property.
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in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.
31 That is where Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and where Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and where I buried Leah.
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There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah—
32 It is the field and the cave in it that belonged to the Hittites."
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the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites. ”
33 After he finished giving orders to his sons, he put his feet up on the bed, took his last breath, and joined his people.
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When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025