Genesis 49
King James Version
49 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
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:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers 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, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.
32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.
33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Genesis 49
New King James Version
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:
2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,
And listen to Israel your father.
3 “Reuben, you are (C)my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
4 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.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of [a]cruelty are in their dwelling place.
6 (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.
7 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.
8 “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.
9 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!
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
- Genesis 49:5 violence
- Genesis 49:6 lamed
- Genesis 49:9 couches
- Genesis 49:10 A symbol of kingship
- Genesis 49:19 Lit. Troop
- Genesis 49:19 Lit. raid
- Genesis 49:24 Or supple
Genèse 49
Segond 21
Bénédiction et mort de Jacob
49 Jacob appela ses fils et dit: «Rassemblez-vous et je vous annoncerai ce qui vous arrivera dans l’avenir.
2 Rassemblez-vous et écoutez, fils de Jacob!
Ecoutez Israël, votre père!
3 »Ruben, toi, mon aîné,
toi qui es ma force et le premier de mes enfants,
supérieur en dignité et en puissance,
4 impétueux comme l’eau, tu n'auras aucun avantage,
car tu es monté sur le lit de ton père,
tu as souillé mon lit en y montant.
5 »Siméon et Lévi sont frères;
leurs épées sont des instruments de violence.
6 Je ne veux pas participer à leur conciliabule,
je ne veux pas m’associer à leur assemblée,
car pour assouvir leur colère ils ont tué des hommes
et pour suivre leurs désirs ils ont mutilé les jarrets des taureaux.
7 Maudite soit leur colère, car elle est violente,
et leur fureur, car elle est cruelle!
Je les séparerai dans Jacob,
je les disperserai dans Israël.
8 »Juda, c’est toi que tes frères célébreront.
Ta main sera sur la nuque de tes ennemis.
Les fils de ton père se prosterneront devant toi.
9 Juda est un jeune lion.
Tu reviens du carnage, mon fils!
*Il plie les genoux, il se couche comme un lion,
comme une lionne: qui le fera se lever?[a]
10 Le sceptre ne s'éloignera pas de Juda,
ni le bâton souverain d'entre ses pieds,
jusqu'à ce que vienne le Shilo[b]
et que les peuples lui obéissent.
11 Il attache son âne à la vigne
et le petit de son ânesse au meilleur cep.
Il lave son vêtement dans le vin
et son manteau dans le sang des raisins.
12 Il a les yeux rouges de vin
et les dents blanches de lait.
13 »Zabulon résidera sur la côte maritime,
il sera sur la côte des bateaux
et sa frontière s'étendra du côté de Sidon.
14 »Issacar est un âne robuste
qui se couche dans les étables.
15 Il voit que le repos est agréable
et que la région est magnifique,
et il courbe son épaule sous le fardeau,
il se soumet à des corvées d’esclave.
16 »Dan jugera son peuple
comme une seule des tribus d'Israël.
17 Dan sera un serpent sur le chemin,
une vipère sur le sentier,
qui mord les talons du cheval
pour que le cavalier tombe à la renverse.
18 »J'espère en ton secours, Eternel!
19 Gad sera attaqué par des bandes armées,
mais c’est lui qui les attaquera et les poursuivra.
20 »Aser produit une nourriture excellente;
il fournira les plats les plus raffinés des rois.
21 »Nephthali est une biche en liberté.
Il profère de belles paroles.
22 »Joseph est le rejeton d'un arbre fertile,
le rejeton d'un arbre fertile près d'une source;
ses branches dépassent le mur.
23 On l’a provoqué, on lui a lancé des flèches,
les archers l'ont poursuivi de leur haine,
24 mais son arc est resté ferme
et ses bras ont été fortifiés
par l’intervention du Dieu puissant de Jacob.
Il est ainsi devenu le berger, le rocher d'Israël.
25 C'est l'œuvre du Dieu de ton père, et il t'aidera;
c'est l'œuvre du Tout-Puissant, et il te bénira.
Il t’accordera les bénédictions du ciel,
les bénédictions de l’eau souterraine,
les bénédictions de la mamelle et du ventre maternel.
26 Les bénédictions de ton père dépassent celles de ses ancêtres,
elles vont jusqu’aux limites des anciennes collines.
Qu'elles reposent sur la tête de Joseph,
sur le crâne de celui qui est le prince consacré de ses frères!
27 »Benjamin est un loup qui déchire.
Le matin il dévore sa proie,
et le soir il partage le butin.»
28 Voilà quels sont tous ceux qui forment les douze tribus d'Israël, et voilà ce que leur dit leur père en les bénissant. Il les bénit en attribuant à chacun la bénédiction qui lui était propre. 29 Puis il leur donna cet ordre: «Je vais rejoindre les miens. Enterrez-moi avec mes pères dans la grotte qui se trouve dans le champ d'Ephron le Hittite, 30 dans la grotte du champ de Macpéla, vis-à-vis de Mamré dans le pays de Canaan. C'est le champ qu'Abraham a acheté à Ephron le Hittite comme propriété funéraire. 31 C’est là qu’on a enterré Abraham et sa femme Sara, là qu’on a enterré Isaac et sa femme Rebecca, et c’est là que j'ai enterré Léa. 32 Le champ et la grotte qui s'y trouve ont été achetés aux Hittites.»
33 Lorsque Jacob eut fini de donner ses ordres à ses fils, il remit ses pieds dans le lit, il expira et alla rejoindre les siens.
Footnotes
- Genèse 49:9 Il plie… se lever: cité en Nombres 24.9.
- Genèse 49:10 Le Shilo: le sens de ce mot est incertain (l’envoyé, le pacifique ou encore celui à qui il appartient), mais il est généralement compris comme renvoyant au Messie.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2004 by World Bible Translation Center
Version Segond 21 Copyright © 2007 Société Biblique de Genève by Société Biblique de Genève