Jacob Blesses His Sons
1Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
3“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.
5“Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. are weapons of violence.
6Let 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.
7Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.
8“Judah,49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise. your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9You 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?
10The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,49:10 Or from his descendants
until he to whom it belongs49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11He 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.
12His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
13“Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.
14“Issachar is a rawboned49:14 Or strong donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
15When 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.
16“Dan49:16 Dan here means he provides justice. will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
18“I look for your deliverance, Lord.
19“Gad49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders. will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
20“Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21“Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
22“Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
23With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
24But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed49:23,24 Or archers will attack… will shoot… will remain… will stay limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty,49:25 Hebrew Shaddai who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
26Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among49:26 Or of the one separated from his brothers.
27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28All 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.
The Death of Jacob
29Then 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, 30the 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. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.49:32 Or the descendants of Heth”
33When 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.
雅各的预言
1雅各把他的儿子们都叫来，对他们说：“你们到我身边来，我要把你们将来的遭遇告诉你们。
2“雅各的儿子们啊，
你们要聚在一起听，
听你们父亲以色列的话。
3吕便啊，你是我的长子，
是我年轻力壮时生的，
卓有尊荣和力量。
4可是，你必不再居首位，
因为你放纵情欲，
如沸腾不止的水，
你上了你父亲的床，
玷污了我的榻。
5“西缅和利未是兄弟，
他们依仗刀剑，残暴不仁。
6我的灵不可与他们同谋。
我的心不可与他们联合。
他们泄愤杀人，
随意砍断牛腿的筋。
7他们狂怒凶残，该受咒诅！
我要使他们分散在雅各的子孙中，
散居在以色列各地。
8“犹大啊，你的兄弟们必赞美你，
你的手必掐住仇敌的颈项，
你父亲的儿子必向你下拜。
9我儿犹大是头小狮子，
他猎食回来，躺卧如雄狮，
蹲伏如母狮，谁敢惊扰他？
10权杖必不离犹大，
御杖必伴他左右，
直到执掌王权的那位来到，
万民都必归顺他。
11“他把小驴拴在葡萄树旁，
把驴驹拴在上好的葡萄树旁；
他在葡萄酒中洗衣服，
在葡萄汁中洗外袍。
12他的眼睛比酒乌润，
他的牙齿比奶洁白。
13“西布伦必安居在海滨，
成为泊船的港口，
他的疆界必伸展到西顿。
14“以萨迦是头壮驴，
卧在羊圈中。
15他见那地方好作安身之处，
地土肥美，就垂下肩头，
做了苦役。
16“但必治理他的人民，
作以色列的一个支派。
17他必成为路边的蛇，
道旁的毒蛇，
咬伤马蹄，使骑马的人坠落。
18“耶和华啊，
我切切等候你的拯救。
19“迦得必被强盗劫掠，
他却要反败为胜追赶他们。
20“亚设必有丰美的出产和供君王享用的美味。
21“拿弗他利是头自由的母鹿，
养育美丽的小鹿49:21 “养育美丽的小鹿”或译“口出佳美之言”。。
22“约瑟是多结果子的枝条，
长在水泉旁，
他的枝条探出墙外。
23弓箭手凶猛地攻击他，
恶狠狠地射他。
24但他手持强弓，
双臂稳健有力，
因为雅各的大能者出手相助，
祂是以色列的牧者和磐石。
25你父亲的上帝必帮助你，
全能者必赐你天上的福气、
地下深渊蕴藏的福气，
使你子孙兴旺、牛羊满圈。
26你父亲的祝福高过亘古的峰峦，
多如永存的群山，
愿这一切祝福都临到约瑟头上，
临到这超越众弟兄的人身上。
27“便雅悯是匹贪婪的狼，
早晨吞吃猎物，
晚上瓜分战利品。”
28以上是以色列的十二支派，他们的父亲按着他们不同的福分给他们祝福。
29雅各又嘱咐他们说：“我要离世了，你们要把我葬在赫人以弗仑田间的洞里，让我与祖先在一起。 30那洞穴在迦南的幔利附近的麦比拉田间，是亚伯拉罕向赫人以弗仑买来作坟地的。 31亚伯拉罕和他的妻子撒拉，以撒和他的妻子利百加都葬在那里，我把利亚也葬在了那里。 32那块田和田间的洞穴是向赫人买的。” 33雅各嘱咐完众子，把脚收到床上，咽了气，归到他祖先那里。
