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49:1  Jacob called his sons together and said: My sons, I am Jacob, your father Israel.
49:2  Come, gather around, as I tell your future.
49:3  Reuben, you are my oldest, born at the peak of my powers; you were an honored leader.
49:4  Uncontrollable as a flood, you slept with my wife and disgraced my bed. And so you no longer deserve the place of honor.
49:5  Simeon and Levi, you are brothers, each a gruesome sword.
49:6  I never want to take part in your plans or deeds. You slaughtered people in your anger, and you crippled cattle for no reason.
49:7  Now I place a curse on you because of your fierce anger. Your descendants will be scattered among the tribes of Israel.
49:8  Judah, you will be praised by your brothers; they will bow down to you, as you defeat your enemies.
49:9  My son, you are a lion ready to eat your victim! You are terribly fierce; no one will bother you.
49:10  You will have power and rule until nations obey you and come bringing gifts.
49:11  You will tie your donkey to a choice grapevine and wash your clothes in wine from those grapes.
49:12  Your eyes are darker than wine, your teeth whiter than milk.
49:13  Zebulun, you will settle along the seashore and provide safe harbors as far north as Sidon.
49:14  Issachar, you are a strong donkey resting in the meadows.
49:15  You found them so pleasant that you worked too hard and became a slave.
49:16  Dan, you are the tribe that will bring justice to Israel.
49:17  You are a snake that bites the heel of a horse, making its rider fall.
49:18  Our Lord, I am waiting for you to save us.
49:19  Gad, you will be attacked, then attack your attackers.
49:20  Asher, you will eat food fancy enough for a king.
49:21  Naphtali, you are a wild deer with lovely fawns.
49:22  Joseph, you are a fruitful vine growing near a stream and climbing a wall.
49:23  Enemies attacked with arrows, refusing to show mercy.
49:24  But you stood your ground, swiftly shooting back with the help of Jacob's God, the All-Powerful One— his name is the Shepherd, Israel's mighty rock.
49:25  Your help came from the God your father worshiped, from God All-Powerful. God will bless you with rain and streams from the earth; he will bless you with many descendants.
49:26  My son, the blessings I give are better than the promise of ancient mountains or eternal hills. Joseph, I pray these blessings will come to you, because you are the leader of your brothers.
49:27  Benjamin, you are a fierce wolf, destroying your enemies morning and evening.
49:28  These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is how Jacob gave each of them their proper blessings.
49:29  Jacob told his sons: Soon I will die, and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there, and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too.
49:30  Jacob told his sons: Soon I will die, and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there, and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too.
49:31  Jacob told his sons: Soon I will die, and I want you to bury me in Machpelah Cave. Abraham bought this cave as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, and it is near the town of Mamre in Canaan. Abraham and Sarah are buried there, and so are Isaac and Rebekah. I buried Leah there too.
49:32  Both the cave and the land that goes with it were bought from the Hittites.
49:33  When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed and died.