Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future:
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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 "Come together and listen, sons of Jacob. Listen to your father Israel.
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Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob; Listen to Israel, your father.
3 "Reuben, my first-born, you are my strength And the first child of my manhood, The proudest and strongest of all my sons.
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"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.
4 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.
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Boiling over as water, you shall not have the pre-eminence; Because you went up to your father's bed; Then defiled it. He went up to my couch.
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers. They use their weapons to commit violence.
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"Simeon and Levi are brothers; Weapons of violence are their swords.
6 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.
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My soul, don't come into their council; My glory, don't be united to their assembly; For in their anger they killed a man, In their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
7 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.
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Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; Their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, Scatter them in Israel.
8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you. You hold your enemies by the neck. Your brothers will bow down before you.
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"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 like a lion, Killing his victim and returning to his den, Stretching out and lying down. No one dares disturb him.
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Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, As a lioness. Who will rouse him up?
10 Judah will hold the royal scepter, And his descendants will always rule. Nations will bring him tribute And bow in obedience before him.
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The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.
11 He ties his young donkey to a grapevine, To the very best of the vines. He washes his clothes in blood-red wine.
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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 are bloodshot from drinking wine, His teeth white from drinking milk.
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His eyes will be red with wine, His teeth white with milk.
13 "Zebulun will live beside the sea. His shore will be a haven for ships. His territory will reach as far as Sidon.
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"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 no better than a donkey That lies stretched out between its saddlebags.
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"Issachar is a strong donkey, Couching down between the sheepfolds.
15 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.
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He saw a resting-place, that it was good, The land, that it was pleasant; He bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant doing forced labor.
16 "Dan will be a ruler for his people. They will be like the other tribes of Israel.
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"Dan will judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 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.
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Dan will be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That bites the horse's heels, So that his rider falls backward.
18 "I wait for your deliverance, Lord.
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I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.
19 "Gad will be attacked by a band of robbers, But he will turn and pursue them.
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"Gad, a troop will press on him; But he will press on their heel.
20 "Asher's land will produce rich food. He will provide food fit for a king.
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Out of Asher his bread will be fat, He will yield royal dainties.
21 "Naphtali is a deer that runs free, Who bears lovely fawns.
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"Naphtali is a doe set free, Who bears beautiful fawns.
22 "Joseph is like a wild donkey by a spring, A wild colt on a hillside.
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"Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; His branches run over the wall.
23 His enemies attack him fiercely And pursue him with their bows and arrows.
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The archers have sorely grieved him, Shot at him, and persecute him:
24 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.
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But his bow abode in strength, 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 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,
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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 couches beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.
26 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.
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The blessings of your father Have prevailed above the blessings of the ancient mountains, Than the bounty of the age-old 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 like a vicious wolf. Morning and evening he kills and devours."
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"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning she will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the spoil."
28 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.
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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 blessing.
29 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,
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He charged 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 at Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this cave and field from Ephron for a burial ground.
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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 for a possession of a burying-place.
31 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.
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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 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. Bury me there."
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the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth."
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he lay back down and died.
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When Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.