New American Standard Bible 1995 NASB95
New Revised Standard NRS
1 Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, "Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.
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Then Jacob called his sons, and said: "Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2 "Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; And listen to Israel your father.
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Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might and the beginning of my strength, Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
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Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first fruits of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power.
4 "Uncontrolled 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.
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Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel because you went up onto your father's bed; then you defiled it—you went up onto my couch!
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Their swords are implements of violence.
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Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
6 "Let my soul not enter into their council; Let not my glory be united with their assembly; Because in their anger they slew men, And in their self-will they lamed oxen.
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May I never come into their council; may I not be joined to their company— for in their anger they killed men, and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.
7 "Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel. I will disperse them in Jacob, And scatter them in 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, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's sons shall 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 whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
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Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion, like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
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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 the obedience of the peoples is his.
11 "He ties his foal to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes 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 washes his garments in wine and his robe in the blood of grapes;
12 "His eyes are dull from wine, And his teeth white from milk.
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his eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 "Zebulun will dwell at the seashore ; And he shall be a haven for ships, And his flank shall be toward Sidon.
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Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea; he shall be a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a strong donkey, Lying down between the sheepfolds.
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Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds;
15 "When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.
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he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant; so he bowed his shoulder to the burden, and became a slave at forced labor.
16 "Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
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Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 "Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse's heels, So that his rider falls backward.
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Dan shall be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider falls backward.
18 "For Your salvation I wait, O LORD .
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I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
19 "As for Gad, raiders shall raid him, But he will raid at their heels.
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Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.
20 "As for Asher, his food shall be rich, And he will yield royal dainties.
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Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall provide royal delicacies.
21 "Naphtali is a doe let loose, He gives beautiful words.
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Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears lovely fawns.
22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring; Its branches run over a wall.
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Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
23 "The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;
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The archers fiercely attacked him; they shot at him and pressed him hard.
24 But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel ),
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Yet his bow remained taut, and his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above , Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the 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 lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 "The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
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The blessings of your father are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills; may they be on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil."
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Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil."
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.
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All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing.
29 Then he charged them and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
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Then he charged them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors—in the cave 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 along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site.
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in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
31 "There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah -
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There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah—
32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth."
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the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites."
33 When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
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When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.