1 Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come. 2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; 4 Boiling over like water, you shall not excel; 5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers. 6 My soul, don’t come into their council. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; 8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. 9 Judah is a lion’s cub. 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, 11 Binding his foal to the vine, 12 His eyes will be red with wine, 13 “Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. 14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, 15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, 16 “Dan will judge his people, 17 Dan will be a serpent on the trail, 18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh. 19 “A troop will press on Gad, 20 “Asher’s food will be rich. 21 “Naphtali is a doe set free, 22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, 23 The archers have severely grieved him, 24 But his bow remained strong. 25 even by the God of your father, who will help you; 26 The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors, 27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing. 29 He instructed 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 before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah: 32 the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.” 33 When Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.