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.
Yakobo Abariki Wanawe
149:1 Hes 24:14; Kum 31:29Ndipo Yakobo akawaita wanawe na kusema: “Kusanyikeni kunizunguka ili niweze kuwaambia lile litakalowatokea siku zijazo.
249:2 Yos 24:1; Za 34:11“Kusanyikeni na msikilize, enyi wana wa Yakobo,
msikilizeni baba yenu Israeli.
349:3 Mwa 29:32; Kum 21:17; Za 78:51“Reubeni, wewe ni mzaliwa wangu wa kwanza,
nguvu zangu, tunda la kwanza la nguvu zangu,
umepita kwa heshima, umepita kwa uwezo.
4Usiyezuiwa kama maji, basi hutakuwa mkuu tena,
kwa kuwa ulipanda kwenye kitanda cha baba yako,
kwenye kitanda changu na kukinajisi.
549:5 Mwa 29:33; Mit 4:17“Simeoni na Lawi ni wana ndugu:
panga zao ni silaha za jeuri.
649:6 Mit 1:15; Efe 5:11Mimi na nisiingie katika baraza lao,
nami nisiunganike katika kusanyiko lao,
kwa kuwa wamewaua watu katika hasira yao,
walikata mishipa ya miguu ya mafahali
kama walivyopenda.
749:7 Yos 19:1, 9; Mwa 29:35Hasira yao na ilaaniwe, kwa kuwa ni kali mno,
nayo ghadhabu yao ni ya ukatili!
Nitawatawanya katika Yakobo
Na kuwasambaza katika Israeli.
849:8 1Nya 5:2; Kum 28:48“Yuda, ndugu zako watakusifu;
mkono wako utakuwa shingoni mwa adui zako;
wana wa baba yako watakusujudia.
949:9 Hes 24:9; Ay 38:39Ee Yuda, wewe ni mwana simba;
unarudi toka mawindoni, mwanangu.
Kama simba hunyemelea na kulala chini,
kama simba jike: nani athubutuye kumwamsha?
1049:10 Eze 21:27; Isa 42:1Fimbo ya ufalme haitaondoka kwa Yuda,
wala fimbo ya mtawala kati ya miguu yake,
hadi aje yeye ambaye milki ni yake,
ambaye utii wa mataifa ni wake.
11Atamfunga punda wake katika mzabibu,
naye mwana-punda wake kwenye tawi lililo bora zaidi;
atafua mavazi yake katika divai,
majoho yake katika damu ya mizabibu.
12Macho yake yatakuwa mekundu kwa divai,
meno yake yatakuwa meupe kwa maziwa.
1349:13 Mwa 30:20; 10:19“Zabuloni ataishi pwani ya bahari
na kuwa bandari za kuegesha meli;
mpaka wake utapanuka kuelekea Sidoni.
14“Isakari ni punda mwenye nguvu
ambaye amelala kati ya mizigo yake.
1549:15 Yos 19:17-23; Eze 29:18Aonapo palivyo pazuri mahali pake pa kupumzika
na jinsi nchi yake inavyopendeza,
atainamisha bega lake kwenye mzigo
na kujitolea kwa ajili ya kazi ngumu.
16“Dani atahukumu watu wake kwa haki
kama mmoja wa makabila ya Israeli.
1749:17 Amu 18:27; Yer 8:17Dani atakuwa nyoka kando ya barabara,
nyoka mwenye sumu kando ya njia,
yule aumaye visigino vya farasi
ili yule ampandaye aanguke chali.
18“Ee Bwana, nautafuta wokovu wako.
19“Gadi atashambuliwa ghafula na kundi la washambuliaji,
lakini yeye atawageukia na kuwashinda kabisa.
2049:20 Mwa 30:13; Isa 25:6; Ay 29:6“Chakula cha Asheri kitakuwa kinono,
naye atatoa chakula kitamu kimfaacho mfalme.
21“Naftali ni kulungu jike aliyeachiwa huru
azaaye watoto wazuri.
2249:22 Mwa 30:24; Eze 19:10“Yosefu ni mzabibu uzaao,
mzabibu uzaao ulio kando ya chemchemi,
ambao matawi yake hutanda ukutani.
23Kwa uchungu wapiga mshale walimshambulia,
wakampiga mshale kwa ukatili.
2449:24 Za 18:34; Isa 1:24Lakini upinde wake ulibaki imara,
mikono yake ikatiwa nguvu,
na mkono wa Mwenye Nguvu wa Yakobo,
kwa sababu ya Mchungaji, Mwamba wa Israeli,
2549:25 Kut 18:4; Mwa 27:28kwa sababu ya Mungu wa baba yako, anayekusaidia,
kwa sababu ya Mwenyezi,49:25 Mwenyezi hapa ina maana ya Shaddai kwa Kiebrania. yeye anayekubariki
kwa baraka za mbinguni juu,
baraka za kilindi kilichoko chini,
baraka za matitini na za tumbo la uzazi.
26Baraka za baba yako ni kubwa
kuliko baraka za milima ya kale,
nyingi kuliko vilima vya kale.
Baraka hizo zote na zikae juu ya kichwa cha Yosefu,
juu ya paji la yule mkuu miongoni mwa ndugu zake.
2749:27 Amu 20:12-13; Ebr 1:8; Hes 31:11“Benyamini ni mbwa mwitu mlafi mwenye njaa kuu;
asubuhi hurarua mawindo yake,
jioni hugawa nyara.”
28Haya yote ndiyo makabila kumi na mawili ya Israeli, na hivi ndivyo baba yao alivyowaambia alipowabariki, akimpa kila mmoja baraka inayomfaa.
Kifo Cha Yakobo
2949:29 Mwa 25:8; 2Sam 2:32Ndipo alipowapa maelekezo haya: “Mimi niko karibu kukusanywa kwa watu wangu. Mnizike pamoja na baba zangu kwenye pango katika shamba la Efroni, Mhiti, 30pango lililoko katika shamba la Makpela, karibu na Mamre huko Kanaani, ambalo Abrahamu alinunua kwa ajili ya mahali pa kuzikia kutoka kwa Efroni, Mhiti, pamoja na shamba. 3149:31 Mwa 25:9; 23:19Huko ndiko Abrahamu na Sara mkewe walikozikwa, huko akazikwa Isaki na Rebeka mkewe, na huko nilimzika Lea. 32Shamba hilo na pango lililoko ndani yake lilinunuliwa kutoka kwa Wahiti.”
3349:33 Mwa 25:8; Mdo 7:15Baada ya Yakobo kumaliza kutoa maelekezo hayo kwa wanawe, akarudisha miguu yake kitandani, akapumua pumzi ya mwisho, na akakusanywa kwa watu wake.
