² “·Come [^LAssemble] together and listen, sons of Jacob.
Listen to Israel [^Canother name for Jacob; 32:28], your father.”

³ “Reuben, my ·first son [firstborn], you are my strength.
    ·Your birth showed I could be a father [^L…and the first of my virility/vigor].
·You have the highest position among my sons [^L…excelling in pride/rank/authority],
    and you are the most powerful [^L…excelling in power].
⁴ But you are ·uncontrolled [unstable] like water [^Coften a symbol of chaos or evil],
    so you will no longer ·lead your brothers [^Lexcel].
This is because you got into your father’s bed
    and ·shamed me by having sexual relations with my slave girl [^Lyou defiled it by going up on my couch; 35:22].

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers
    who used their ·swords [or circumcision knives; or counsels; or treaties; ch. 34] to do violence.
⁶ I will not join their secret talks,
    and I will not ·meet with them to plan evil [^Ljoin them in their assembly].
They killed men because they were angry,
    and they ·crippled [hamstrung] oxen ·just for fun [or at will; 34:25–31].
⁷ May their anger be cursed, because it is too ·violent [severe; strong; intense].
    May their violence be cursed, because it is too ·cruel [harsh].
I will divide them up among the tribes of Jacob
    and scatter them through all the tribes of Israel [^Cneither Simeon nor Levi received a tribal allotment in the Promised Land; Josh. 13–22].

⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you [^Cthe Hebrew verb for “praise” sounds like the name Judah].
    ·You will grab your enemies by the neck [^LYour hand will be on the neck of your enemies],
    and ·your brothers [^Lthe sons of your father] will bow down to you.
⁹ Judah is like a ·young lion [lion cub].
    You have ·returned from killing [^Lcome up from the prey], my son.
Like a lion, he stretches out and ·lies down to rest [crouches],
    and [^Llike a lioness] ·no one is brave enough to [who will…?] wake him.
¹⁰ ·Kings will come from Judah’s family [^LNo one will turn aside the scepter from Judah; ^Ca scepter is a symbol of kingship];
    ·someone from Judah will always be on the throne [^Lthe ruler’s staff/mace from between his feet; ^Canticipates the rise of a perpetual kingship from the tribe of Judah; 2 Sam. 7].
Judah will rule until ·Shiloh comes [or he comes to Shiloh; or he comes to whom it belongs; or tribute comes to him],
    and the ·nations [peoples] will obey him.
¹¹ He ties his donkey to a grapevine,
    his young donkey to the best ·branch [vine].
He ·can afford to use wine to wash his clothes [^Lwashes his clothes in wine]
    and the ·best wine [^Lblood of grapes] to wash his robes.
¹² His eyes are dark like the color of wine,
    and his teeth are as white as the color of milk.

¹³ “Zebulun will live ·near [^Lat the shore/coast of] the sea.
    His ·shore [coast] will be a safe place for ships,
and his land will reach as far as Sidon [10:15].

¹⁴ “Issachar is like a strong donkey
    who lies down ·while carrying his load [or between the pack saddles].
¹⁵ When he sees his ·resting place [camp] is good
    and how pleasant his land is,
he will put his ·back [^Lshoulder] to the load
    and become a slave [^Lat forced labor].

¹⁶ “Dan will ·rule [judge; or contend for; ^Cthe Hebrew verb for “judge” sounds like the name Dan] his own people
    like ·the other [^Lone of the] tribes in Israel.
¹⁷ Dan will be like a snake by the side of the road,
    a ·dangerous snake [viper] lying near the path.
That snake bites a horse’s ·leg [heel; hoof],
    and the rider is thrown off backward.

¹⁸ “Lord, I wait for your ·salvation [or victory].
¹⁹ “·Robbers [or Raiders] will ·attack [raid] Gad [^Cthe Hebrew word for “raiders” sounds like the name Gad],
but he will ·defeat them and drive them away [^Lraid them at their heels].

²⁰ “Asher’s land will grow much ·good [or rich] food;
he will grow ·food fit for a king [kingly delicacies].

²¹ “Naphtali is like a female deer that runs free,
that has ·beautiful fawns [or beautiful words].

²² “Joseph is like a ·grapevine that produces much fruit [or fruitful bough/tree; or foal of a wild donkey]
    a ·healthy vine [or fruitful bough/tree; or foal of a wild donkey] ·watered by [^Lby] a spring,
    ·whose branches grow over the wall [or a wild donkey on a hillside].
²³ Archers attack him violently
    and shoot at him angrily,
²⁴ but ·he aims his bow well [^Lhis bow remains taut].
    His arms ·are made strong [or were snapped].
·He gets his power from [^L…by the hands of] the Mighty God of Jacob
    ·and his strength from [or by the name of] the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
²⁵ Your father’s God helps you.
    God Almighty blesses you.
He blesses you with ·rain [^Lblessings] from above,
    with ·water from springs below [^Lthe blessings of the deep that crouches below],
with ·many babies born to your wives
    and many young ones born to your animals [^Lthe blessings of breasts and womb]
²⁶ The blessings of your father are greater
    than the blessings of the ·oldest [or eternal] mountains,
    greater than the ·good things [delight] of the long-lasting hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
    on the forehead of the one who was ·separated from [or prince among] his brothers [^CEphraim would become the dominant tribe in northern Israel].

²⁷ “Benjamin is like a hungry wolf.
    In the morning he eats ·what he has caught [prey],
    and in the evening he divides ·what he has taken [the plunder].”