^{1 Ref} And Jacob calleth unto his sons and saith, `Be gathered together, and I declare to you that which doth happen with you in the latter end of the days.

^{2 Ref} `Be assembled, and hear, sons of Jacob, And hearken unto Israel your father.

^{3 Ref} Reuben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength;

^{4 Ref} Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!

^{5 Ref} Simeon and Levi `are' brethren! Instruments of violence -- their espousals!

^{6 Ref} Into their secret, come not, O my soul! Unto their assembly be not united, O mine honour; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will eradicated a prince.

^{7 Ref} Cursed `is' their anger, for `it is' fierce, And their wrath, for `it is' sharp; I divide them in Jacob, And I scatter them in Israel.

^{8 Ref} Judah! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand `is' on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to thee.

^{9 Ref} A lion's whelp `is' Judah, For prey, my son, thou hast gone up; He hath bent, he hath crouched as a lion, And as a lioness; who causeth him to arise?

^{10 Ref} The sceptre turneth not aside from Judah, And a lawgiver from between his feet, Till his Seed come; And his `is' the obedience of peoples.

^{11 Ref} Binding to the vine his ass, And to the choice vine the colt of his ass, He hath washed in wine his clothing, And in the blood of grapes his covering;

¹² Red `are' eyes with wine, And white `are' teeth with milk!

^{13 Ref} Zebulun at a haven of the seas doth dwell, And he `is' for a haven of ships; And his side `is' unto Zidon.

^{14 Ref} Issacher `is' a strong ass, Crouching between the two folds;

^{15 Ref} And he seeth rest that `it is' good, And the land that `it is' pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.

^{16 Ref} Dan doth judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel;

^{17 Ref} Dan is a serpent by the way, An adder by the path, Which is biting the horse's heels, And its rider falleth backward.

^{18 Ref} For Thy salvation I have waited, Jehovah!

^{19 Ref} Gad! a troop assaulteth him, But he assaulteth last.

^{20 Ref} Out of Asher his bread `is' fat; And he giveth dainties of a king.

^{21 Ref} Naphtali `is' a hind sent away, Who is giving beauteous young ones.

^{22 Ref} Joseph `is' a fruitful son; A fruitful son by a fountain, Daughters step over the wall;

^{23 Ref} And embitter him -- yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;

^{24 Ref} And his bow abideth in strength, And strengthened are the arms of his hands By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, Whence is a shepherd, a son of Israel.

^{25 Ref} By the God of thy father who helpeth thee, And the Mighty One who blesseth thee, Blessings of the heavens from above, Blessings of the deep lying under, Blessings of breasts and womb; --

^{26 Ref} Thy father's blessings have been mighty Above the blessings of my progenitors, Unto the limit of the heights age-during They are for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of the one Separate `from' his brethren.

^{27 Ref} Benjamin! a wolf teareth; In the morning he eateth prey, And at evening he apportioneth spoil.'

^{28 Ref} All these `are' the twelve tribes of Israel, and this `is' that which their father hath spoken unto them, and he blesseth them; each according to his blessing he hath blessed them.

^{29 Ref} And he commandeth them, and saith unto them, `I am being gathered unto my people; bury me by my fathers, at the cave which `is' in the field of Ephron the Hittite;

^{30 Ref} in the cave which `is' in the field of Machpelah, which `is' on the front of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place;

^{31 Ref} (there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah);

^{32 Ref} the purchase of the field and of the cave which `is' in it, `is' from Sons of Heth.'

^{33 Ref} And Jacob finisheth commanding his sons, and gathereth up his feet unto the bed, and expireth, and is gathered unto his people.

^{1 Ref} And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

^{2 Ref} Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.

^{3 Ref} Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

^{4 Ref} Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

^{5 Ref} Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords.

^{6 Ref} O my soul, come not thou into their council; Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hocked an ox.

^{7 Ref} Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; And their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

^{8 Ref} Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise: Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's sons shall bow down before thee.

^{9 Ref} Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up: He stooped down, he couched as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

^{10 Ref} The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come: And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

^{11 Ref} Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass's colt unto the choice vine; He hath washed his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

¹² His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk.

^{13 Ref} Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; And he shall be for a haven of ships; And his border shall be upon Sidon.

^{14 Ref} Issachar is a strong ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds:

^{15 Ref} And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

^{16 Ref} Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.

^{17 Ref} Dan shall be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the horse's heels, So that his rider falleth backward.

^{18 Ref} I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

^{19 Ref} Gad, a troop shall press upon him; But he shall press upon their heel.

^{20 Ref} Out of the Asher his bread shall be fat, And he shall yield royal dainties.

^{21 Ref} Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.

^{22 Ref} Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the wall.

^{23 Ref} The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecute him:

^{24 Ref} But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong, By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

^{25 Ref} Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee, With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

^{26 Ref} The blessings of thy father Have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

^{27 Ref} Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth: In the morning she shall devour the prey, And at even he shall divide the spoil.

^{28 Ref} All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

^{29 Ref} And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

^{30 Ref} 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 Ref} there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah:

^{32 Ref} the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.

^{33 Ref} And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.