Jacob Blesses His Sons

49 (A)Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you (B)in days to come.

“Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob,
    listen to Israel your father.

“Reuben, you are (C)my firstborn,
    my might, and the (D)firstfruits of my strength,
    preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
    because you (E)went up to your father's bed;
    then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

(F)“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
    weapons (G)of violence are their swords.
Let my soul come not into their council;
    (H)O my glory, (I)be not joined to their company.
For in their anger they killed men,
    and in their willfulness they (J)hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
    and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will (K)divide them in Jacob
    and scatter them in Israel.

“Judah, (L)your brothers shall praise you;
    (M)your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
    (N)your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is (O)a lion's cub;
    from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
(P)He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
    and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The (Q)scepter shall not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler's staff (R)from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;[a]
    and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 Binding his foal to the vine
    and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
    and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
12 His (S)eyes are darker than wine,
    and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 (T)“Zebulun shall dwell at the (U)shore of the sea;
    he shall become a haven for ships,
    and his border shall be at Sidon.

14 (V)“Issachar is a strong donkey,
    crouching between the sheepfolds.[b]
15 He saw that a resting place was good,
    and that the land was pleasant,
so he bowed his shoulder to bear,
    and (W)became a servant at forced labor.

16 (X)“Dan shall (Y)judge his people
    as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan (Z)shall be a serpent in the way,
    a viper by the path,
that bites the horse's heels
    so that his rider falls backward.
18 I (AA)wait for your salvation, O Lord.

19 (AB)“Raiders shall raid (AC)Gad,[c]
    but he shall raid at their heels.

20 (AD)“Asher's food shall be rich,
    and he shall yield royal delicacies.

21 (AE)“Naphtali is a doe let loose
    that bears beautiful fawns.[d]

22 “Joseph is (AF)a fruitful bough,
    a fruitful bough by a spring;
    his branches run over the wall.[e]
23 The archers (AG)bitterly attacked him,
    shot at him, and harassed him severely,
24 yet (AH)his bow remained unmoved;
    his arms[f] were made agile
by the hands of the (AI)Mighty One of Jacob
    (from there is (AJ)the Shepherd,[g] (AK)the Stone of Israel),
25 (AL)by the God of your father who will help you,
    by (AM)the Almighty[h] (AN)who will bless you
    with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that crouches beneath,
    blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father
    are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents,
    up to the bounties (AO)of the everlasting hills.[i]
May they be (AP)on the head of Joseph,
    and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

27 (AQ)“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
    in the morning devouring the prey
    and at evening (AR)dividing the spoil.”

Jacob's Death and Burial

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. 29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be (AS)gathered to my people; (AT)bury me with my fathers (AU)in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, (AV)which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 31 (AW)There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There (AX)they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:10 By a slight revocalization; a slight emendation yields (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Targum) until he comes to whom it belongs; Hebrew until Shiloh comes, or until he comes to Shiloh
  2. Genesis 49:14 Or between its saddlebags
  3. Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for raiders and raid
  4. Genesis 49:21 Or he gives beautiful words, or that bears fawns of the fold
  5. Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey beside a spring, his wild colts beside the wall
  6. Genesis 49:24 Hebrew the arms of his hands
  7. Genesis 49:24 Or by the name of the Shepherd
  8. Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
  9. Genesis 49:26 A slight emendation yields (compare Septuagint) the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills

Jacob Blesses His Sons(A)

49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.(B)

“Assemble(C) and listen, sons of Jacob;
    listen to your father Israel.(D)

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,(E)
    my might, the first sign of my strength,(F)
    excelling in honor,(G) excelling in power.
Turbulent as the waters,(H) you will no longer excel,
    for you went up onto your father’s bed,
    onto my couch and defiled it.(I)

“Simeon(J) and Levi(K) are brothers—
    their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(L)
Let me not enter their council,
    let me not join their assembly,(M)
for they have killed men in their anger(N)
    and hamstrung(O) oxen as they pleased.
Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
    and their fury,(P) so cruel!(Q)
I will scatter them in Jacob
    and disperse them in Israel.(R)

“Judah,[b](S) your brothers will praise you;
    your hand will be on the neck(T) of your enemies;
    your father’s sons will bow down to you.(U)
You are a lion’s(V) cub,(W) Judah;(X)
    you return from the prey,(Y) 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,(Z)
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come(AA)
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(AB)
11 He will tether his donkey(AC) to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;(AD)
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.(AE)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.[e](AF)

13 “Zebulun(AG) will live by the seashore
    and become a haven for ships;
    his border will extend toward Sidon.(AH)

14 “Issachar(AI) is a rawboned[f] donkey
    lying down among the sheep pens.[g](AJ)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
    and how pleasant is his land,(AK)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(AL)
    and submit to forced labor.(AM)

16 “Dan[h](AN) will provide justice for his people
    as one of the tribes of Israel.(AO)
17 Dan(AP) will be a snake by the roadside,
    a viper along the path,(AQ)
that bites the horse’s heels(AR)
    so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 “I look for your deliverance,(AS) Lord.(AT)

19 “Gad[i](AU) will be attacked by a band of raiders,
    but he will attack them at their heels.(AV)

20 “Asher’s(AW) food will be rich;(AX)
    he will provide delicacies fit for a king.(AY)

21 “Naphtali(AZ) is a doe set free
    that bears beautiful fawns.[j](BA)

22 “Joseph(BB) is a fruitful vine,(BC)
    a fruitful vine near a spring,
    whose branches(BD) climb over a wall.[k]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(BE)
    they shot at him with hostility.(BF)
24 But his bow remained steady,(BG)
    his strong arms(BH) stayed[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(BI)
    because of the Shepherd,(BJ) the Rock of Israel,(BK)
25 because of your father’s God,(BL) who helps(BM) you,
    because of the Almighty,[m](BN) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
    blessings of the deep springs below,(BO)
    blessings of the breast(BP) and womb.(BQ)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
    than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
    than[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.(BR)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(BS)
    on the brow of the prince among[o] his brothers.(BT)

27 “Benjamin(BU) is a ravenous wolf;(BV)
    in the morning he devours the prey,(BW)
    in the evening he divides the plunder.”(BX)

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel,(BY) and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing(BZ) appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

29 Then he gave them these instructions:(CA) “I am about to be gathered to my people.(CB) Bury me with my fathers(CC) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,(CD) 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah,(CE) near Mamre(CF) in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field(CG) as a burial place(CH) from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham(CI) and his wife Sarah(CJ) were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah(CK) were buried, and there I buried Leah.(CL) 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.[p](CM)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
  3. Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
  4. Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  5. Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
  6. Genesis 49:14 Or strong
  7. Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
  8. Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
  9. Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
  10. Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
  11. Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
  12. Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
  13. Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
  14. Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
  15. Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
  16. Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth

Jesus Is Mocked

27 (A)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the (B)governor's headquarters,[a] and they gathered the whole (C)battalion[b] before him. 28 And they stripped him and put (D)a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they (E)mocked him, saying, “Hail, (F)King of the Jews!” 30 And (G)they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and (H)led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

32 (I)(J)As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to (K)carry his cross. 33 (L)And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 (M)they offered him wine to drink, mixed with (N)gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, (O)they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and (P)kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, (Q)the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two (R)robbers were crucified with him, (S)one on the right and one on the left. 39 And (T)those who passed by (U)derided him, (V)wagging their heads 40 and saying, (W)“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! (X)If you are (Y)the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 (Z)“He saved others; (AA)he cannot save himself. (AB)He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 (AC)He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 (AD)And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

45 Now from the sixth hour[c] there was darkness over all the land[d] until the ninth hour.[e] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus (AE)cried out with a loud voice, saying, (AF)“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with (AG)sour wine, and put it on a reed and (AH)gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus (AI)cried out again with a loud voice and (AJ)yielded up his spirit.

51 And behold, (AK)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And (AL)the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of (AM)the saints (AN)who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into (AO)the holy city and appeared to many. 54 (AP)When the centurion and those who were with him, (AQ)keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, (AR)“Truly this was the Son[f] of God!”

55 There were also (AS)many women there, looking on (AT)from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, (AU)ministering to him, 56 among whom were (AV)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and (AW)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 27:27 Greek the praetorium
  2. Matthew 27:27 Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, usually about 600 men
  3. Matthew 27:45 That is, noon
  4. Matthew 27:45 Or earth
  5. Matthew 27:45 That is, 3 p.m.
  6. Matthew 27:54 Or a son

The Soldiers Mock Jesus(A)

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium(B) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,(C) 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.(D) 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.(E) 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.(F)

The Crucifixion of Jesus(G)

32 As they were going out,(H) they met a man from Cyrene,(I) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.(J) 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).(K) 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;(L) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.(M) 36 And sitting down, they kept watch(N) over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him,(O) one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads(P) 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,(Q) save yourself!(R) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”(S) 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!(T) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe(U) in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him(V) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus(W)

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness(X) came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b](Y)

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar,(Z) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.(AA)

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple(AB) was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split(AC) 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[c] went into the holy city(AD) and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding(AE) Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”(AF)

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.(AG) 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,[d] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.(AH)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi
  2. Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1
  3. Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they
  4. Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph

Greeting

Paul, (A)an apostle of Christ Jesus (B)by the will of God, and Timothy (C)our brother,

To the (D)saints and faithful brothers[a] in Christ at Colossae:

(E)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(F)We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of (G)your faith in Christ Jesus and of (H)the love that you have for all the saints, because of (I)the hope (J)laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in (K)the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed (L)in the whole world it is (M)bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you (N)heard it and understood (O)the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from (P)Epaphras our beloved (Q)fellow servant.[b] He is (R)a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf and has made known to us your (S)love in the Spirit.

And so, (T)from the day we heard, (U)we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that (V)you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all (W)spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as (X)to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, (Y)fully pleasing to him: (Z)bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 (AA)being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for (AB)all endurance and patience (AC)with joy; 12 (AD)giving thanks[d] to the Father, who has qualified you[e] to share in (AE)the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He (AF)has delivered us from (AG)the domain of darkness and transferred us to (AH)the kingdom of (AI)his beloved Son, 14 (AJ)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Preeminence of Christ

15 (AK)He is the image of (AL)the invisible God, (AM)the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[f] him all things were created, (AN)in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (AO)thrones or (AP)dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created (AQ)through him and for him. 17 And (AR)he is before all things, and in him all things (AS)hold together. 18 And (AT)he is the head of the body, the church. He is (AU)the beginning, (AV)the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For (AW)in him all the (AX)fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and (AY)through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, (AZ)making peace (BA)by the blood of his cross.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
  2. Colossians 1:7 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word sundoulos, see Preface
  3. Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts our
  4. Colossians 1:12 Or patience, with joy giving thanks
  5. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us
  6. Colossians 1:16 That is, by means of; or in

Paul, an apostle(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(B) and Timothy(C) our brother,

To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:

Grace(D) and peace to you from God our Father.[b](E)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

We always thank God,(F) the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love(G) you have for all God’s people(H) the faith and love that spring from the hope(I) stored up for you in heaven(J) and about which you have already heard in the true message(K) of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit(L) and growing throughout the whole world(M)—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras,(N) our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister(O) of Christ on our[d] behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.(P)

For this reason, since the day we heard about you,(Q) we have not stopped praying for you.(R) We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will(S) through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e](T) 10 so that you may live a life worthy(U) of the Lord and please him(V) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,(W) 11 being strengthened with all power(X) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,(Y) 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,(Z) who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance(AA) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.(AB) 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness(AC) and brought us into the kingdom(AD) of the Son he loves,(AE) 14 in whom we have redemption,(AF) the forgiveness of sins.(AG)

The Supremacy of the Son of God

15 The Son is the image(AH) of the invisible God,(AI) the firstborn(AJ) over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created:(AK) things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;(AL) all things have been created through him and for him.(AM) 17 He is before all things,(AN) and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head(AO) of the body, the church;(AP) he is the beginning and the firstborn(AQ) from among the dead,(AR) so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased(AS) to have all his fullness(AT) dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile(AU) to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,(AV) by making peace(AW) through his blood,(AX) shed on the cross.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 4:15.
  2. Colossians 1:2 Some manuscripts Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
  3. Colossians 1:7 Or slave
  4. Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
  5. Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  6. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us