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Genesis 49:3-24
King James Version
Genesis 49:3-24
King James Version
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
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Genesis 49:3-24
New International Version
Genesis 49:3-24
New International Version
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,(A)
my might, the first sign of my strength,(B)
excelling in honor,(C) excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters,(D) you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.(E)
5 “Simeon(F) and Levi(G) are brothers—
their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(H)
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,(I)
for they have killed men in their anger(J)
and hamstrung(K) oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury,(L) so cruel!(M)
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.(N)
8 “Judah,[b](O) your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck(P) of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.(Q)
9 You are a lion’s(R) cub,(S) Judah;(T)
you return from the prey,(U) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(V)
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come(W)
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(X)
11 He will tether his donkey(Y) to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;(Z)
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.(AA)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e](AB)
13 “Zebulun(AC) will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.(AD)
14 “Issachar(AE) is a rawboned[f] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.[g](AF)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,(AG)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(AH)
and submit to forced labor.(AI)
16 “Dan[h](AJ) will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.(AK)
17 Dan(AL) will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,(AM)
that bites the horse’s heels(AN)
so that its rider tumbles backward.
22 “Joseph(AX) is a fruitful vine,(AY)
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches(AZ) climb over a wall.[k]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(BA)
they shot at him with hostility.(BB)
24 But his bow remained steady,(BC)
his strong arms(BD) stayed[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(BE)
because of the Shepherd,(BF) the Rock of Israel,(BG)
Footnotes
- Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
- Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
- Genesis 49:14 Or strong
- Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
- Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
- Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
- Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
- Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
- Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
New International Version (NIV) 
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