Genesis 49
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 49
Jacob’s Testament.[a] 1 Jacob called his sons and said: “Gather around, that I may tell you what is to happen to you in days to come.
2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel, your father.
3 “You, Reuben, my firstborn,
my strength and the first fruit of my vigor,
excelling in rank and excelling in power!
4 Turbulent as water, you shall no longer excel,
for you climbed into your father’s bed
and defiled my couch to my sorrow.(A)
5 [b]“Simeon and Levi, brothers indeed,
weapons of violence are their knives.[c]
6 Let not my person enter their council,
or my honor be joined with their company;
For in their fury they killed men,
at their whim they maimed oxen.(B)
7 Cursed be their fury so fierce,
and their rage so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob,
disperse them throughout Israel.
8 “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise
—your hand on the neck of your enemies;
the sons of your father shall bow down to you.
9 Judah is a lion’s cub,
you have grown up on prey, my son.
He crouches, lies down like a lion,
like a lioness—who would dare rouse him?(C)
10 The scepter shall never depart from Judah,
or the mace from between his feet,
Until tribute comes to him,[d]
and he receives the people’s obedience.
11 He tethers his donkey to the vine,
his donkey’s foal to the choicest stem.
In wine he washes his garments,
his robe in the blood of grapes.[e]
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore;
he will be a haven for ships,
and his flank shall rest on Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey,
crouching between the saddlebags.
15 When he saw how good a settled life was,
and how pleasant the land,
He bent his shoulder to the burden
and became a toiling serf.
16 “Dan shall achieve justice[f] for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Let Dan be a serpent by the roadside,
a horned viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heel,
so that the rider tumbles backward.
18 “I long for your deliverance, O Lord![g]
19 “Gad shall be raided by raiders,
but he shall raid at their heels.[h]
20 “Asher’s produce is rich,
and he shall furnish delicacies for kings.
21 “Naphtali is a hind let loose,
which brings forth lovely fawns.
22 “Joseph is a wild colt,
a wild colt by a spring,
wild colts on a hillside.
23 Harrying him and shooting,
the archers opposed him;
24 But his bow remained taut,
and his arms were nimble,
By the power of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 The God of your father, who helps you,[i]
God Almighty, who blesses you,
With the blessings of the heavens above,
the blessings of the abyss that crouches below,
The blessings of breasts and womb,
26 the blessings of fresh grain and blossoms,
the blessings of the everlasting mountains,
the delights of the eternal hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
mornings he devours the prey,
and evenings he distributes the spoils.”
Farewell and Death. 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said about them, as he blessed them. To each he gave a suitable blessing. 29 Then he gave them this charge: “Since I am about to be gathered to my people, bury me with my ancestors in the cave that lies in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground.(D) 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah— 32 the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
Footnotes
- 49:1–27 The testament, or farewell discourse, of Jacob, which has its closest parallel in Moses’ farewell in Dt 33:6–25. From his privileged position as a patriarch, he sees the future of his children (the eponymous ancestors of the tribes) and is able to describe how they will fare and so gives his blessing. The dense and archaic poetry is obscure in several places. The sayings often involve wordplays (explained in the notes). The poem begins with the six sons of Leah (vv. 2–15), then deals with the sons of the two secondary wives, and ends with Rachel’s two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Reuben, the oldest son, loses his position of leadership as a result of his intercourse with Bilhah (35:22), and the words about Simeon and Levi allude to their taking revenge for the rape of Dinah (chap. 34). The preeminence of Judah reflects his rise in the course of the narrative (mirroring the rise of Joseph). See note on 44:1–34.
- 49:5–7 This passage probably refers to their attack on the city of Shechem (Gn 34). Because there is no indication that the warlike tribe of Levi will be commissioned as a priestly tribe (Ex 32:26–29; Dt 33:11), this passage reflects an early, independent tradition.
- 49:5 Knives: if this is the meaning of the obscure Hebrew word here, the reference may be to the knives used in circumcising the men of Shechem (34:24; cf. Jos 5:2).
- 49:10 Until tribute comes to him: this translation is based on a slight change in the Hebrew text, which, as it stands, would seem to mean, “until he comes to Shiloh.” A somewhat different reading of the Hebrew text would be, “until he comes to whom it belongs.” This last has been traditionally understood in a messianic sense. In any case, the passage aims at the supremacy of the tribe of Judah and of the Davidic dynasty.
- 49:11 In wine…the blood of grapes: Judah’s clothes are poetically pictured as soaked with grape juice from trampling in the wine press, the rich vintage of his land; cf. Is 63:2.
- 49:16 In Hebrew the verb for “achieve justice” is from the same root as the name Dan.
- 49:18 This short plea for divine mercy has been inserted into the middle of Jacob’s testament.
- 49:19 In Hebrew there is assonance between the name Gad and the words for “raided,” “raiders,” and “raid.”
- 49:25–26 A very similar description of the agricultural riches of the tribal land of Joseph is given in Dt 33:13–16.
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
1 Mosebok 49
Svenska Folkbibeln
Jakob välsignar sina söner
49 Och Jakob kallade sina söner till sig och sade: "Kom hit till mig, så skall jag tala om vad som skall hända er i kommande dagar. 2 Ja, kom samman och lyssna, ni Jakobs söner, hör på Israel, er fader!
3 Ruben, min förstfödde är du,
min kraft och min styrkas förstling,
främst i myndighet
och främst i makt.
4 Du sjuder över som vatten,
du skall inte bli den främste,
ty du besteg din fars bädd.
Då vanhelgade du den,
ja, min bädd besteg han.
5 Simeon och Levi är bröder.
Våldet är deras vapen.
6 Min själ skall inte ta del i deras råd,
min själ skall inte umgås med dem,
ty i sin vrede dödade de män
och i sitt övermod stympade de oxar.
7 Förbannad är deras vrede som är så våldsam
och deras grymhet som är så stor!
Jag skall strö ut dem i Jakob,
jag skall skingra dem i Israel.
8 Juda, dig skall dina bröder prisa.
Din hand skall vara på dina fienders nacke,
din fars söner skall buga sig för dig.
9 Ett ungt lejon är Juda.
Från rivet byte har du rest dig, min son.
Han böjer sig, han lägger sig ner
som ett lejon,
som en lejoninna -
vem får honom att resa sig?
10 Spiran skall inte vika från Juda,
inte härskarstaven från hans fötter,
förrän han som den tillhör[a] kommer
och folken blir honom lydiga.
11 Han binder sin ungåsna vid vinstocken,
sitt åsneföl vid den ädla rankan.
Han tvättar sina kläder i vin,
sin mantel i druvors blod.
12 Hans ögon är dunkla av vin,
hans tänder vita av mjölk.
13 Sebulon skall bo vid havets strand
och bli en hamn för skepp.
Sin sida skall han vända mot Sidon.
14 Isaskar är en stark åsna,
som ligger i ro i sitt hägn.
15 Han såg att viloplatsen var god
och att landet var ljuvligt.
Då böjde han sin rygg under bördor
och blev en arbetspliktig slav.
16 Dan skall skaffa rätt åt sitt folk
som en av Israels stammar.
17 Dan skall vara en orm på vägen,
en huggorm på stigen,
en som biter hästen i foten,
så att ryttaren faller baklänges.
18 Herre, jag väntar på din frälsning!
19 Gad skall trängas av skaror,
men själv skall han tränga dem in på hälarna.
20 Från Aser kommer utsökta rätter.
Kungliga läckerheter skall han ge.
21 Naftali är en snabb hind,
som talar vackra ord.
22 Ett ungt fruktträd är Josef,
ett ungt fruktträd vid källan.
Grenarna når upp över muren.
23 Bågskyttar oroar honom,
de skjuter på honom och ansätter honom.
24 Men hans båge förblir fast
och hans händer och armar spänstiga
genom dens händer som är den Starke i Jakob,
genom honom som är Herden, Israels Klippa,
25 genom din fars Gud, han skall hjälpa dig,
genom den Allsmäktige, han skall välsigna dig
med välsignelser ovanifrån, från himlen,
välsignelser från djupet som ruvar där nere,
välsignelser från bröst och moderliv.
26 Din fars välsignelser når högt,
högre än mina fäders välsignelser,
till de eviga höjdernas härlighet.
De skall vara över Josefs huvud,
över hjässan på honom som är fursten bland sina bröder.
27 Benjamin är en glupsk varg.
På morgonen äter han rov,
på kvällen fördelar han byte."
28 Alla dessa är Israels stammar, tolv till antalet, och detta är vad deras far sade till dem när han välsignade dem. Åt var och en gav han sin särskilda välsignelse.
Jakob dör
29 Sedan befallde han dem och sade: "Jag skall nu samlas till mitt folk. Begrav mig hos mina fäder i grottan på hetiten Efrons mark, 30 i den grotta som ligger vid fältet i Makpela mitt emot Mamre i Kanaans land. Denna mark köpte Abraham till gravplats av hetiten Efron. 31 Där begravdes Abraham och hans hustru Sara, där begravdes också Isak och hans hustru Rebecka, och där har jag själv begravt Lea, 32 i grottan på den åker som köptes av hetiterna." 33 När Jakob hade givit sina söner dessa befallningar drog han upp fötterna i sängen. Och han gav upp andan och samlades till sitt folk.
Footnotes
- 1 Mosebok 49:10 förrän han som den tillhör Dvs Messias, den rätte härskaren. Jfr Hes 21:27. Annan översättning: "till dess Shilo kommer".
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