Jacob’s Last Words to His Twelve Sons

49:1-28

49 Then Jacob summoned all his sons. He said to them, “Come together here, so that I can tell you what will happen to you and your descendants in the years ahead.

2 My sons, gather around me, your father Jacob, and listen to me.

I, your father Israel, have something important to tell you.

3 “Reuben, you are my oldest son,

the result of my strength and the first child I had as a young man.

You had high status and great authority in our family.

4 However, you are unstable like rushing water, so you will no longer have your important status in our family,

because you got into my bed with my concubine

and dishonored me! You actually climbed into my couch!

5 “Simeon and Levi, you are partners.

You use your swords to do violent things together.

6 I will never participate with you when you plan evil things!

I refuse to make evil plans with you,

because you became angry and murdered many people,

and just to entertain yourselves you crippled some cattle.

7 May God curse you for being so fiercely angry

and malicious!

I ask God to scatter you and your descendants among the descendants of Jacob.

That’s right, I ask him to scatter you throughout the land of Israel.

8 “Judah, your brothers and their descendants will highly praise you and your descendants.

You will conquer your enemies.

Then my other sons will prostrate themselves before you and your descendants in respect.

9 Judah, my son, you are powerful like a young lion

that has returned to its den after killing its prey.

It stretches out and lies down to sleep.

No one dares to disturb that lion.

10 Judah, there will always be one of your descendants ruling as king.

In fact, your descendants will rule

until the highest king comes

and the peoples of the earth obey him.

11 You and your descendants will be so wealthy that you could tie your donkeys to your grapevines to eat the valuable fruit.

It will not matter if your donkeys’ colts eat your best grapevine branches.

You will still have so much wine from other vines

that you could even use it like water to wash your clothes.

12 Your eyes will be bright from drinking abundant wine,

and your teeth will be white from drinking abundant milk.

13 “Zebulun, you and your descendants will live near the coast,

where there will be a safe harbor for ships.

Your territory will extend as far north as the city of Sidon.

14 “Issachar, you and your descendants will be like a sturdy donkey

that is resting on the ground between two loads.

15 You will have a good place to rest,

in a land that is pleasant,

but you will work hard and carry heavy loads.

You will have to work very hard for others as slaves.

16 “Dan, you and your descendants will rule your own people group

and have equal status with the rest of the tribes of Israel.

17 You will be like a poisonous snake

lying beside a road

that strikes the feet of its enemy’s horse,

so that it rears up and the enemy falls off backward to the ground.”

18 Then Jacob paused and exclaimed, “Yahweh, I am looking expectantly to you to save me!”

19 Then he continued, “As for you, Gad, a group of robbers will attack you and your descendants,

but you will chase them and defeat them.

20 “Asher, you and your descendants will be wealthy and eat the best food.

In fact, you will produce delicious foods that are fit for kings to eat.

21 “Naphtali, you and your descendants will be swift like a deer that is free to run wherever it wants.

You will also speak eloquently.

22 “Joseph, you and your descendants will become very numerous like fruit on a productive tree

that is growing next to a stream of water,

with branches full of fruit that hang over a nearby wall.

23 Enemy warriors will fiercely attack you and your descendants

and shoot arrows at you and try to destroy you.

24 But the Mighty God whom I worship will keep you strong

and help you use your weapons well as you fight back.

He takes care of his people the way a shepherd takes care of his sheep.

He is like a rock fortress who protects Israel and his descendants.

25 That strength/power comes from the God who has always taken care of me, your father.

He is the all-powerful God who will help you and your descendants

and bless you all with rain from above

and water from deep in the ground.

He will also bless you with many children and much livestock.

26 God has blessed me more

than he blessed my ancestors.

He has blessed me with riches that are greater than the riches that come from the ancient mountains.

I pray that God will abundantly bless you too, Joseph,

as the one he chose to set apart and honor above your brothers.

27 “Benjamin you and your descendants will be like a fierce wolf.

You will always defeat your enemies

and take their possessions and wealth.”

28 Those twelve sons are the ancestors of the twelve tribes that descended from Israel, and those were the blessings that their father spoke to them. He blessed each one of them with blessings that were appropriate for them and their descendants.