雅各的预言

49 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。

“雅各的儿子们啊,
你们都来听,
听你们父亲以色列的话。
吕便啊,你是我的长子,
是我年轻力壮时生的,
比众弟兄更有尊荣和力量。
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。

“西缅和利未串通一气,
依仗刀剑,残暴不仁。
我的灵啊,不要与他们同谋。
我的心啊,不要与他们联合。
他们泄愤杀人,
随意砍断牛腿的筋。
他们狂暴凶残,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。

“犹大啊,你的兄弟们必赞美你,
你必制服你的仇敌,
你父亲的儿子必向你下拜。
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 王权必不离犹大,
御杖必伴他左右,
直到那位执掌王权的来到,
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,
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,
做了奴隶。

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[a]

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——以色列的牧者和磐石帮助他。
25 你父亲的上帝必帮助你,
全能者必赐你天上的恩泽、
地上的百福,
使你子孙兴旺、牛羊满圈。
26 你父亲的祝福高过亘古永存的峰峦,
多如绵延无尽的群山,
愿这一切的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,在床上躺下,咽了气,去他祖先那里了。

Footnotes

  1. 49:21 养育美丽的小鹿”或译“口出佳美之言”。

Jacob Assembles His Sons

49 Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Gather together that I may tell you what will befall you (A)in the last days.

Assemble together and hear, O sons of Jacob;
And (B)listen to Israel your father.

“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might and (C)the beginning of my vigor,
[a]Preeminent in dignity and [b]preeminent in strength.
[c]Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,
(D)Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.

(E)Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Their swords are implements of violence.
(F)Let my soul not enter into their council;
Let not my glory be united with their assembly;
Because in their anger they killed [d]men,
And in their self-will they hamstrung [e]oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is strong;
And their wrath, for it is cruel.
(G)I will divide them amongst Jacob,
And scatter them in Israel.

“Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(H)Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
Judah is a (I)lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(J)He [f]crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lioness, who [g]dares rouse him up?
10 (K)The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
[h]Until Shiloh comes,
And (L)to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 [i](M)He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
(N)He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are [j]dark from wine,
And his teeth [k]white from milk.

13 (O)Zebulun will dwell at the seashore;
And he shall be a shore for ships,
And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

14 “Issachar is [l]a strong donkey,
(P)Lying down between the [m]sheepfolds.
15 And he saw that a resting place was good
And that the land was pleasant,
So he bowed his shoulder to bear burdens,
And became a slave at forced labor.

16 (Q)Dan shall (R)render justice to his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned snake in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that his rider falls backward.
18 (S)For Your salvation I hope, O Yahweh.

19 (T)As for Gad, [n]raiders shall raid him,
But he will raid at their [o]heels.

20 [p](U)As for (V)Asher, his [q]food shall be [r]rich,
And he will yield royal dainties.

21 (W)Naphtali is a doe let loose,
He gives beautiful words.

22 (X)Joseph is a fruitful [s]bough,
A fruitful [t]bough by a spring;
Its [u]branches run over a wall.
23 And the archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him,
And they bore a grudge against him;
24 But his (Y)bow remained [v]firm,
And [w](Z)his arms were agile,
From the hands of the (AA)Mighty One of Jacob,
From there is (AB)the Shepherd, (AC)the Stone of Israel,
25 From (AD)the God of your father who helps you,
And [x](AE)by the [y]Almighty who blesses you
With (AF)blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors
Up to the [z]utmost bound of (AG)the everlasting hills;
May they be on the head of Joseph,
And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a [aa]ravenous wolf;
In the morning he devours the prey,
And in the evening he divides the spoil.”

Jacob Breathes His Last

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. So he blessed them. He blessed them, every one [ab]with the blessing appropriate to him. 29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am about to be (AH)gathered to my people; (AI)bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in (AJ)the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the (AK)cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial site. 31 There they buried (AL)Abraham and his wife (AM)Sarah, there they buried (AN)Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 So Jacob finished commanding his sons. And he drew his feet into the bed and (AO)breathed his last and was (AP)gathered to his people.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:3 Lit preeminence
  2. Genesis 49:3 Lit preeminence
  3. Genesis 49:4 Or Boiling over; lit Recklessness
  4. Genesis 49:6 Lit a man
  5. Genesis 49:6 Lit an ox
  6. Genesis 49:9 Lit bows down
  7. Genesis 49:9 Lit shall
  8. Genesis 49:10 Or Until he comes to Shiloh, Until he comes to whom it belongs
  9. Genesis 49:11 Lit Binding of
  10. Genesis 49:12 Or darker than
  11. Genesis 49:12 Or whiter than
  12. Genesis 49:14 Lit a donkey of bone
  13. Genesis 49:14 Or saddlebags
  14. Genesis 49:19 Lit a raiding band
  15. Genesis 49:19 Lit heel
  16. Genesis 49:20 Lit From
  17. Genesis 49:20 Or bread
  18. Genesis 49:20 Lit fat
  19. Genesis 49:22 Lit son
  20. Genesis 49:22 Lit son
  21. Genesis 49:22 Lit daughters
  22. Genesis 49:24 In an unyielding position
  23. Genesis 49:24 Lit the arms of his hands
  24. Genesis 49:25 Or with
  25. Genesis 49:25 Heb Shaddai
  26. Genesis 49:26 Or desire; lit limit
  27. Genesis 49:27 Lit a wolf that tears
  28. Genesis 49:28 Lit according to his blessing

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

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

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

“Reuben, you are (C)my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you (D)went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it
He went up to my couch.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of [a]cruelty are in their dwelling place.
(E)Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united (F)to their assembly;
(G)For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they [b]hamstrung an ox.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel!
(H)I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel.

“Judah,(I) you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
(J)Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
(K)Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
Judah is (L)a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(M)He [c]bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 (N)The [d]scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor (O)a lawgiver from between his feet,
(P)Until Shiloh comes;
(Q)And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
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 His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.

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

14 “Issachar(T) is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;
15 He saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
He bowed (U)his shoulder to bear a burden,
And became a band of slaves.

16 “Dan(V) shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 (W)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 (X)I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!

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

20 “Bread from (Z)Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.

21 “Naphtali(AA) is a deer let loose;
He uses beautiful words.

22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have (AB)bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.
24 But his (AC)bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were [g]made strong
By the hands of (AD)the Mighty God of Jacob
(AE)(From there (AF)is the Shepherd, (AG)the Stone of Israel),
25 (AH)By the God of your father who will help you,
(AI)And by the Almighty (AJ)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 your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
(AK)Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
(AL)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 is a (AM)ravenous wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
(AN)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; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Jacob’s Death and Burial

29 Then he charged them and said to them: “I (AO)am to be gathered to my people; (AP)bury me with my fathers (AQ)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, (AR)which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. 31 (AS)There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, (AT)there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” 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.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:5 violence
  2. Genesis 49:6 lamed
  3. Genesis 49:9 couches
  4. Genesis 49:10 A symbol of kingship
  5. Genesis 49:19 Lit. Troop
  6. Genesis 49:19 Lit. raid
  7. Genesis 49:24 Or supple