(KJV) Genesis 49¹

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⥃Jacob Blesses His Sons

[1] And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather² yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days³. [2] Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken⁴ unto Israel your father.

[3] [¶]Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn⁵, my might⁶, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: [4] Unstable⁷ as water, thou shalt not excel⁸; because⁹ thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my couch¹⁰.

[5] Simeon¹¹ and Levi [are] brethren; instruments¹² of cruelty [are in] their habitations. [6] O my soul¹³, come¹⁴ not thou into their secret¹⁵; unto their¹⁶ assembly, mine honour¹⁷, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man¹⁸, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall¹⁹. [7] Cursed²⁰ [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide²¹ them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

[8] Judah, thou [art he] whom thy brethren shall praise²²: thy hand²³ [shall be] in the neck²⁴ of thine enemies; thy father’s²⁵ children shall bow down before thee. [9] Judah [is] a lion’s²⁶ whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped²⁷ down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? [10] The sceptre²⁸ shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver²⁹ from between³⁰ his feet, until³¹ Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering³² of the people [be]. [11] Binding his foal³³ unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed³⁴ 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.³⁵

[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.³⁶

[14] [¶]Issachar [is] a strong ass couching down between two burdens:³⁷ [15] And he saw that rest³⁸ [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed³⁹ his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

[16] [¶]Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.⁴⁰ [17] Dan shall be⁴¹ a serpent by the way, an adder⁴² in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. [18] I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.⁴³

[19] [¶]Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.⁴⁴

[20] [¶]Out of Asher his bread [shall be] fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.⁴⁵

[21] [¶]Naphtali [is] a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.⁴⁶

[22] Joseph [is] a fruitful⁴⁷ bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches⁴⁸ run over the wall: [23] The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him:⁴⁹ [24] But his bow⁵⁰ abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made⁵¹ strong by the hands of the mighty⁵² [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd⁵³, the stone⁵⁴ of Israel:) [25] [Even] by the God⁵⁵ of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty⁵⁶, who shall bless thee with blessings⁵⁷ 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 prevailed⁵⁸ above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills⁵⁹: they shall⁶⁰ be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate⁶¹ from his brethren.

[27] [¶]Benjamin shall ravin⁶² [as] a wolf⁶³: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night⁶⁴ he shall divide the spoil.

[28] All these [are] the twelve⁶⁵ tribes of Israel: and this [is it] that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one⁶⁶ according to his blessing he blessed them.

⥃The Death of Jacob

[29] And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered⁶⁷ unto my people: bury me⁶⁸ with my fathers in the cave⁶⁹ that [is] in the field of Ephron⁷⁰ the Hittite, [30] In the cave that [is] in the field of Machpelah, which [is] before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought⁷¹ with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place. [31] There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.⁷² [32] The purchase of the field and of the cave that [is] therein [was] from the children of Heth.⁷³ [33] And when Jacob had made⁷⁴ an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded⁷⁵ up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

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