New International Version NIV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
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Then Ya'akov called for his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the acharit-hayamim.
2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
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Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Ya'akov; pay attention to Isra'el your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
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"Re'uven, you are my firstborn, my strength, the firstfruits of my manhood.
4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.
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Though superior in vigor and power you are unstable as water, so your superiority will end, because you climbed into your father's bed and defiled it -he climbed onto my concubine's couch!
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence.
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"Shim'on and Levi are brothers, related by weapons of violence.
6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
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Let me not enter their council, let my honor not be connected with their people; for in their anger they killed men, and at their whim they maimed cattle.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
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Cursed be their anger, for it has been fierce; their fury, for it has been cruel. I will divide them in Ya'akov and scatter them in Isra'el.
8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.
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"Y'hudah, your brothers will acknowledge you, your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father's sons will bow down before you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
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Y'hudah is a lion's cub; my son, you stand over the prey. He crouches down and stretches like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to provoke him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
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The scepter will not pass from Y'hudah, nor the ruler's staff from between his legs, until he comes to whom [obedience] belongs; and it is he whom the peoples will obey.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
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Tying his donkey to the vine, or: until Shiloh comes his donkey's colt to the choice grapevine, he washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
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His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.
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"Z'vulun will live at the seashore, with ships anchoring along his coast and his border at Tzidon.
14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens.
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"Yissakhar is a strong donkey lying down in the sheep sheds.
15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.
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On seeing how good is settled life and how pleasant the country, he will bend his back to the burden, and submit to forced labor.
16 “Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
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"Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Isra'el.
17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
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Dan will be a viper on the road, a horned snake in the path that bites the horse's heels so its rider falls off backward.
18 “I look for your deliverance, LORD.
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I wait for your deliverance, ADONAI.
19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.
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"Gad [troop]- a troop will troop on him, but he will troop on their heel.
20 “Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
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"Asher's food is rich -he will provide food fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
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"Naftali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.
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"Yosef is a fruitful plant, a fruitful plant by a spring, with branches climbing over the wall.
23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.
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The archers attacked him fiercely, shooting at him and pressing him hard;
24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
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but his bow remained taut; and his arms were made nimble by the hands of the Mighty One of Ya'akov, from there, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Isra'el,
25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.
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by the God of your father, who will help you, by El Shaddai, who will bless you with blessings from heaven above, or: that says beautiful words. blessings from the deep, lying below, blessings from the breasts and the womb.
26 Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
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The blessings of your father are more powerful than the blessings of my parents, extending to the farthest of the everlasting hills; they will be on the head of Yosef, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”
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"Binyamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, in the evening still 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, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
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All these are the twelve tribes of Isra'el, and this is how their father spoke to them and blessed them, giving each his own individual blessing.
29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
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Then he charged them as follows: "I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of 'Efron the Hitti,
30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.
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the cave in the field of Makhpelah, by Mamre, in the land of Kena'an, which Avraham bought together with the field from 'Efron the Hitti as a burial-place belonging to him -
31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.
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there they buried Avraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Yitz'chak and his wife Rivkah, and there I buried Le'ah -
32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. ”
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the field and the cave in it, which was purchased from the sons of Het."
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
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When Ya'akov had finished charging his sons, he drew his legs up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.