Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

² “If the Lord had not been on our side
    when our enemies attacked us,
³ then they would have swallowed us alive
    in their furious anger against us;
⁴ then the flood would have carried us away,
    the water would have covered us,
⁵     the raging torrent would have drowned us.”

⁶ Let us thank the Lord,
    who has not let our enemies destroy us.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap;
    the trap is broken, and we are free!
⁸ Our help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

² “Come together and listen, sons of Jacob.
Listen to your father Israel.

³ “Reuben, my first-born, you are my strength
And the first child of my manhood,
The proudest and strongest of all my sons.
⁴ You are like a raging flood,
But you will not be the most important,
For you slept with my concubine
And dishonored your father's bed.

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers.
They use their weapons to commit violence.
⁶ I will not join in their secret talks,
Nor will I take part in their meetings,
For they killed people in anger
And they crippled bulls for sport.
⁷ A curse be on their anger, because it is so fierce,
And on their fury, because it is so cruel.
I will scatter them throughout the land of Israel.
I will disperse them among its people.

⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You hold your enemies by the neck.
Your brothers will bow down before you.
^9 (A)Judah is like a lion,
Killing his victim and returning to his den,
Stretching out and lying down.
No one dares disturb him.
¹⁰ Judah will hold the royal scepter,
And his descendants will always rule.
Nations will bring him tribute^[a]
And bow in obedience before him.
¹¹ He ties his young donkey to a grapevine,
To the very best of the vines.
He washes his clothes in blood-red wine.
¹² His eyes are bloodshot from drinking wine,
His teeth white from drinking milk.^[b]

¹³ “Zebulun will live beside the sea.
His shore will be a haven for ships.
His territory will reach as far as Sidon.

¹⁴ “Issachar is no better than a donkey
That lies stretched out between its saddlebags.
¹⁵ But he sees that the resting place is good
And that the land is delightful.
So he bends his back to carry the load
And is forced to work as a slave.

¹⁶ “Dan will be a ruler for his people.
They will be like the other tribes of Israel.
¹⁷ Dan will be a snake at the side of the road,
A poisonous snake beside the path,
That strikes at the horse's heel,
So that the rider is thrown off backward.

¹⁸ “I wait for your deliverance, Lord.

¹⁹ “Gad will be attacked by a band of robbers,
But he will turn and pursue them.

²⁰ “Asher's land will produce rich food.
He will provide food fit for a king.

²¹ “Naphtali is a deer that runs free,
Who bears lovely fawns.^[c]

²² “Joseph is like a wild donkey by a spring,
A wild colt on a hillside.^[d]
23 His enemies attack him fiercely
And pursue him with their bows and arrows.
²⁴ But his bow remains steady,
And his arms are made strong^[e]
By the power of the Mighty God of Jacob,
By the Shepherd, the Protector of Israel.
²⁵ It is your father's God who helps you,
The Almighty God who blesses you
With blessings of rain from above
And of deep waters from beneath the ground,
Blessings of many cattle and children,
²⁶ Blessings of grain and flowers,^[f]
Blessings of ancient mountains,^[g]
Delightful things from everlasting hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
On the brow of the one set apart from his brothers.

²⁷ “Benjamin is like a vicious wolf.
Morning and evening he kills and devours.”