Darby Bible Translation

New King James Version

Jacob Blesses his Sons

And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days.

1

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

2

Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

2

“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,
And listen to Israel your father.

3

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength.

3

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

4

Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my bed.

4

Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it —
He went up to my couch.

5

Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords.

5

“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of [a]cruelty are in their dwelling place.

6

My soul, come not into their council; Mine honour, be not united with their assembly; For in their anger they slew men, And in their wantonness houghed oxen.

6

Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they [b]hamstrung an ox.

7

Cursed be their anger, for it [was] violent; And their rage, for it [was] cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

7

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 -- [as to] thee, thy brethren will praise thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children will bow down to thee.

8

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

9

Judah is a young lion; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, And as a lioness: who will rouse him up?

9

Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He [c]bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

10

The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples.

10

The [d]scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

11

He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine; He washeth his dress in wine, And his garment in the blood of grapes.

11

Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12

The eyes are red with wine, And the teeth [are] white with milk.

12

His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.

13

Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side [toucheth] upon Sidon.

13

“Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea;
He shall become a haven for ships,
And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

14

Issachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles.

14

“Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;

15

And he saw the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And was a tributary servant.

15

He saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,
And became a band of slaves.

16

Dan will judge his people, As another of the tribes of Israel.

16

“Dan shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.

17

Dan will be a serpent on the way, A horned snake on the path, Which biteth the horse's heels, So that the rider falleth backwards.

17

Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.

18

I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

18

I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!

19

Gad -- troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel.

19

“Gad,[e] a troop shall [f]tramp upon him,
But he shall triumph at last.

20

Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give royal dainties.

20

“Bread from Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.

21

Naphtali is a hind let loose; He giveth goodly words.

21

“Naphtali is a deer let loose;
He uses beautiful words.

22

Joseph is a fruitful bough; A fruitful bough by a well; [His] branches shoot over the wall.

22

“Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.

23

The archers have provoked him, And shot at, and hated him;

23

The archers have bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.

24

But his bow abideth firm, And the arms of his hands are supple By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:

24

But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were [g]made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

25

From the God of thy father, and he will help thee; And from the Almighty, and he will bless thee -- With blessings of heaven from above, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, With blessings of the breast and of the womb.

25

By the God of your father who will help you,
And 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 thy father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.

26

The blessings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

27

Benjamin -- [as] a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty.

27

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at night he shall divide the spoil.”

28

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them: every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

28

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

29

The Death of Jacob

And he charged them, and said to them, I am gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

29

Jacob’s Death and Burial

Then 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

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite to Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite along with the field for a possession of a sepulchre.

30

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 of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.

31

There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife; and there I buried Leah.

31

There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

32

The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is in it, was from the children of Heth.

32

The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.”

33

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.

33

And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Parallel

Darby Bible Translation

New King James Version

Genesis 49

Genesis 49