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Genesis 49
New Catholic Bible
Genesis 49
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 49
Jacob’s Predictions for His Sons.[a] 1 Jacob then summoned his sons and said, “Gather together so that I can tell you what will happen to you in future days.
2 “Gather and listen, sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel, your father.
3 “Reuben, you are the firstborn,
my strength and the firstfruit of my might,
excelling in dignity and excelling in power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence
because you invaded your father’s bed
and defiled my couch
upon which you climbed.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their swords are implements of violence.
6 Let my soul not come into their council
nor my heart into their assembly,
for they have killed men with anger
and they maimed oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.
8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you.
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies.
The sons of your father shall bow down before you.
9 A young lion is Judah.
From the prey, my son, you have turned.
He crouches like a lion,
and like a lioness;
who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah
nor the mace from between his feet,
until it comes to whom it belongs,
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
11 He tethers his colt to the vine,
and to a choice vine the colt of his donkey.
He washes his garments in wine,
and in the blood of the grapes his clothes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun shall dwell along the sea,
and he shall be a haven to ships
and shall border upon Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a strong-boned donkey
crouching between two saddlebags.
15 He saw that his resting place was good
and his land was pleasant
so he bent down his shoulder to bear the burden
and became a toiling servant.
16 “Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be like a serpent by the wayside,
an adder by the path,
that bites the heels of horses
and its horsemen fall backward.
18 “I hope in your salvation, O Lord.
19 “Gad shall be attacked by raiders,
but he shall raid them in return.
20 “Asher’s food is rich,
and he shall provide delicacies for the king.
21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose;
he brings forth beautiful words.
22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches run over the wall.
23 They have grieved him and attacked him,
archers have persecuted him,
24 but his bow is strong,
and the hands of his arms were made strong
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25 From the God of your father who helps you
and God Almighty
who blesses you with blessings from the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lie below,
blessings of breasts and womb.
26 The blessings of your father,
are mighty beyond the blessings of the eternal mountains,
the boundaries of the everlasting hills;
may they come upon the head of Joseph
upon the crown of the head of the prince among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.
In the morning he devours his prey;
in the evening he divides his spoil.”
28 All these make up the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father told them, blessing them. He blessed each one with his own blessing.
29 The Death of Jacob. Then he gave this command: “I am about to be reunited with my ancestors. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is found in the field of Machpelah facing Mamre in the land of Canaan. This is the cave that Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, as his burial ground. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there they buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it used to belong to the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob had finished giving this command to his sons, he drew back his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was reunited with his ancestors.
Footnotes
- Genesis 49:1 A metric composition from the Yahwist source that specifies the characteristics of the various tribes of Israel; in it can be recognized essential parts and subsidiary parts, and there is no reason for denying that the substance of the discourse really goes back to Jacob. The theme of Judah’s preeminence receives an unexpected development. After the beginning of the poem, which confirms the rejection of Reuben and the condemnation of Simeon and Levi for the faults of which we already know, the words concerning Judah, the fourth son, take the form not of a blessing but of a prophetic oracle (vv. 8-12). Judah will enjoy a supremacy over his brothers and also victory over his enemies; he will be strong as a lion that returns from its prey and commands respect from all; he will retain the royal scepter until the moment when he passes it to its true owner, who will be a universal sovereign; this will be followed by a period of great prosperity. This means that Judah’s sovereignty will be vicarious and temporary; but the true owner of the scepter will be from the same tribe because the enthusiastic praise of Judah would be inexplicable if his task were simply to prepare for the reign of a foreigner. The prophecy will be fulfilled in the reign of the House of David, which is to be followed by the Messianic reign that successive Prophets will describe. The prophecies concerning the other sons of Jacob are by their nature subsidiary.
From this point on, two facts are to be noted. The promises that God makes to a single person are no longer of the type “I will make of you a great people,” for in the sons of Jacob this “great people” is already a reality, and the single person is no longer the father of the entire people of God; the blessings promised to the Patriarchs will rather be what the whole community expects. The new promises, on the other hand, look to the interior of the community and announce a particular person who will carry out the functions of a sovereign: he will lead the people to the victory predicted from Genesis 3:15 on, and he will make a reality the universal blessing already announced to the Patriarchs (Gen 12:3; etc.). In the second place, these promises are dissociated from primogeniture: the choice of Judah foreshadows that of David, the last of his brothers (1 Sam 16:1-13).
Genesis 49
New International Version
Genesis 49
New International Version
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)
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,(E)
my might, the first sign of my strength,(F)
excelling in honor,(G) excelling in power.
4 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)
5 “Simeon(J) and Levi(K) are brothers—
their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(L)
6 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.
7 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)
8 “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)
9 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.
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)”
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.(CN)
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
- Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
- Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
- Genesis 49:32 Or the descendants of Heth
创世记 49
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
创世记 49
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
雅各祝福众子
49 雅各把他的众子叫来，说：“你们要聚集在一起，我要把你们日后必遇到的事告诉你们。
2 雅各的儿子们哪，你们要一起来听；
要听你们父亲以色列的话。
3 流本哪，你是我的长子，
是我的力量，是我的初生子；
你大有尊荣，权力超众；
4 但是你放纵情欲，好象水沸腾一样，你必不能居首位；
因为你上了你父亲的床；
上了我的榻，然后把它玷污了。
5 西缅和利未是兄弟；
他们的刀剑是强暴的武器。
6 我的灵啊，不可加入他们的阴谋；
我的心啊，不可参与他们的集会，
因为他们在怒中杀人，
任意砍断牛的腿筋。
7 他们的怒气可咒，因为非常暴烈；
他们的烈怒可诅，因为十分凶猛；
我要把他们分散在雅各家；
把他们散居在以色列。
8 犹大啊，你的兄弟们要称赞你；
你的手必压住仇敌的颈项；
你父亲的众子必向你下拜。
9 犹大是只小狮子；
我儿啊，你猎取了食物就上到洞穴去。
他屈身伏卧，好象公狮，
又像母狮，谁敢惊动他呢？
10 权杖必不离开犹大，
王圭必不离他两脚之间，
直到细罗（“细罗”有古译本作“属他的那位”）来到，
万族都要臣服他。
11 犹大把自己的驴驹拴在葡萄树旁，
把自己的小驴系在上等的葡萄树旁；
他在葡萄酒中洗净自己的衣服，
在血红的葡萄汁中洗衣袍。
12 他因饮酒而双眼发红，
他因喝奶而牙齿雪白。
13 西布伦必在沿海地带居住，
他必成为船只停泊的港口，
他的边界必伸到西顿。
14 以萨迦是一头粗壮的驴，
伏卧在羊圈（“羊圈”原文意思不详，或译：“重驮”）之间；
15 他看安居为美，
他看肥地为佳，
他屈肩负重，
成了服苦的奴仆。
16 但要审判自己的人民，
作以色列的一个支派。
17 但要作路上的蛇，
道中的毒蛇，
他要咬伤马蹄，
使骑马的人向后坠落。
18 耶和华啊，我向来等候你的拯救。
19 迦得必被侵略者追逼，
他却要追逼他们的脚跟。
20 至于亚设，他的食物必定肥美，
他有美食可以供奉君王。
21 拿弗他利是只得释放的母鹿，
发出优美的言语。
22 约瑟是一根结果子的树枝，
是一根泉旁结果子的树枝，
他的枝条蔓延出墙外。
23 弓箭手把他苦害，
向他射箭敌对他。
24 但他的弓依然坚硬，
他的手臂仍旧敏捷，
这是出于雅各的大能者之手；
出于以色列的牧者，以色列的盘石。
25 是你父亲的 神帮助你，
是那全能者赐给你；
他把从天上来的福，
地下深渊蕴藏着的福，
哺乳和生育的福，都赐给你。
26 你父亲的祝福，
胜过我祖先的祝福（“胜过我祖先的祝福”有古译本作“胜过亘古的山冈”），胜过永远山岭上的美物。
愿这些福都降在约瑟的头上，
降在兄弟中作王子的那一位头上。
27 便雅悯是只撕掠的豺狼，
早晨吞吃他的猎物，
晚上瓜分他的掳物。”
28 这些就是以色列的十二支派；以上是他们父亲对他们所说的话，是按着各人的福分给他们所祝的福。
雅各的遗嘱及其逝世
29 雅各又嘱咐他们，对他们说：“我快要归到我的亲族那里去，你们要把我埋葬在赫人以弗仑田间的洞里，与我的祖先在一起。 30 这个洞在迦南地，在幔利前面的麦比拉的田间。那地方原是亚伯拉罕向赫人以弗仑买下来作坟地的。 31 他们在那里埋葬了亚伯拉罕和他的妻子撒拉；又在那里埋葬了以撒和他的妻子利百加；我也在那里埋葬了利亚。 32 那块田和田间的洞，是向赫人买来的。” 33 雅各对他的众子嘱咐完了，就把双脚收回床上，气绝而死，归到他的亲族那里去了。
New International Version (NIV) 
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Chinese New Version (Simplified) (CNVS)
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.