Genesis 49
49
Chapter 49
Jacob speaks to his 12 sons for the last time
1Then Jacob called for all his sons. He said, ‘Come here to me. Then I can tell you what will happen to you, in the future. 2My sons, sons of Jacob, come together now and listen to your father, Israel.’ #49:2 Jacob also uses his new name, Israel, to talk about himself.
3Jacob said, ‘Reuben you are my firstborn son. You were born first, when I was a strong young man. Of all my sons, you are the most famous and the most powerful. 4But you are as wild as the sea. You had sex on your father's bed with his slave wife. This bad thing brought me great shame. So you will not become great. #49:4 See Genesis 35:22.
5Simeon and Levi are brothers. They use their swords as weapons to destroy people. #49:5 See Genesis 34:25-26. 6I will not join them when they decide to do wicked things. I will not meet with them. They have killed people when they are angry. They have been cruel to oxen because it makes them happy. 7Their anger is so strong that God will curse them. Their anger makes them do cruel things. So God will curse them. I will cause your descendants to divide from each other. They will live everywhere in the country of Israel.
8Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will win against your enemies. Your father's sons will bend down towards the ground to give you honour. 9Judah is like a young lion who has eaten good food. He has eaten what he killed and now he rests. Nobody would want to wake him up!
10Judah's descendants will always rule as kings. They will continue to hold the stick and the sceptre that show the king's authority. They will rule until the man comes who truly has that authority. People from all nations will obey that king. #49:10 King David and Jesus Christ were both descendants of Judah. Jesus has the authority to rule as king for ever.
11Judah will tie his young donkey to a vine. It will be a vine that has the best grapes. He will wash his clothes in the red wine that is made from those grapes. 12His eyes will become red because he drinks so much wine. His teeth will become white because he drinks so much milk.#49:12 Judah will be rich. He will have plenty of everything.
13Zebulun will live by the shore of the sea. His town will be a safe place for ships to stay. His land will reach as far as Sidon.
14Issachar is like a strong donkey that is lying down to rest between its two heavy bags. 15He will see that he has a good place to live, with good land. Then he will agree to work hard. He will work like a slave for other people. #49:15 Donkeys work hard and they carry heavy loads.
16Dan will be a ruler for his people. His descendants will be equal with the other tribes of Israel. 17He will be small and dangerous, like a snake that lies beside the road. He will be like a snake that bites the legs of horses so that the riders fall off. #49:17 The tribe of Dan was a small tribe, but its people would still be powerful.
18 Lord, I trust you to save me from trouble. #49:18 Jacob prays for himself before he continues to speak to his sons.
19Robbers will attack Gad, but he will fight back against them.
20Asher will have much good food. It will be good enough for kings to eat.
21Naphtali is like a deer that runs freely and gives birth to beautiful babies.
22Joseph is like a vine that has lots of fruit. It grows near a well and its branches reach over a wall. 23His enemies will be angry with him. They will attack him with arrows. 24But he will hold his own bow strongly. He will shoot his arrows well. The Mighty One of Jacob will give Joseph strength. God, who is Israel's Shepherd and Rock, will help him. #49:24 Mighty One is a name for the Lord God. Shepherd is also a name for God. See Genesis 48:15.
25The Almighty God, the God of your father, will help you and he will bless you. He will give you rain that comes from the sky above. He will give you springs of water from below the ground. He will cause you to have many descendants. That is how God will bless you.
26The blessings are great that I, your father, give to you! They are greater than any good things that the old mountains or hills can give to you. They are special blessings for you, Joseph, because you are the leader of your brothers.
27Benjamin is like a hungry wolf. He kills an animal and he eats it in the morning. In the evening, he gives what remains to his people.’ #49:27 Jacob is saying that Benjamin's descendants will attack their enemies and kill them in the morning. In the evening, they will share the things that they have taken from their enemies.
28All these are ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He spoke to each of his sons the words that were right for them and for their descendants. #49:28 The descendants of each of Jacob's sons would become the tribes of Israel.
Jacob dies
29Then Jacob said to his 12 sons, ‘I will soon die. You must take my dead body back to Canaan. Bury me there with my ancestors. Bury me in the cave in the field that belonged to Ephron the Hittite. 30The cave is at Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan. Abraham bought this cave from Ephron as a place to bury his family. 31That is where they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. They also buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah there. I buried Leah there too. 32Abraham had bought the cave and the field from the Hittites.’
33Jacob finished telling his sons what they should do. Then he lay down on his bed again. He breathed for the last time and he died there.
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