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Genesis 49
Evangelical Heritage Version
Genesis 49
Evangelical Heritage Version
Jacob Blesses His Sons
49 Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, so that I can declare to you what will happen to you in the days to come.” [a]
2 Assemble together, and listen to this, you sons of Jacob.
Listen to Israel, your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,
and the beginning of my vigor,
excelling in dignity and excelling in power.
4 Boiling over like water, you shall not excel,
because you went up to your father’s bed,
and you defiled it.
He went up to my couch!
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers.
Their daggers[b] are weapons of violence.
6 My soul, do not enter their council.
My glory, do not join in their assembly.
Yes, in their anger they killed men.
In their spitefulness they hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce.
Cursed be their wrath, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob.
I will scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the throat of your enemies.
Your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 Judah is a lion’s cub.
You have gone up from the prey, my son.
He stooped down. He crouched like a lion.
He is like a lioness. Who will provoke him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until the one to whom it belongs comes.[c]
He will receive the obedience of the peoples.
11 He will tie his foal to the vine,
his donkey’s colt to the choice vine.
He has washed his clothing in wine,
his garments in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[d]
13 Zebulun will dwell at the seashore.
He will provide a landing place for ships.
His border will extend toward Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey,
lying down between the saddlebags.[e]
15 He saw a resting place that was good.
He saw land that was pleasant.
He bows his shoulder under the burden
and becomes a slave doing forced labor.
16 Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake in the way,
a viper in the path.
It bites the horse’s heels,
so that its rider falls backward.
18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.
19 Raiders will attack Gad,
but he will attack their heels.
20 Asher’s food will be rich.
He will produce delicacies fit for a king.
21 Naphtali is a doe set free,
that bears beautiful fawns.[f]
22 Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine by a spring.
His branches run over the wall.[g]
23 The archers have fiercely attacked him.
They shot at him and harassed him,
24 but his bow remained steady.
His arms and hands were made strong
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of[h] the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel,
25 by the God of your father, who will help you,
by the Almighty, who will bless you
with blessings from heaven above,
blessings from the deep that lies below,
blessings from the breasts and from the womb.
26 The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of
my parents,[i]
greater than the treasures of the ancient hills.
They will rest on the head of Joseph,
on the forehead of him who is elevated above his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.
In the morning he will devour the prey.
At evening he will divide the spoils.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them. He blessed each one with the appropriate blessing. 29 He instructed them and said to them, “I am going to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, which is near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham purchased along with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is in it was purchased from the descendants of Heth.”[j]
The Death and Burial of Jacob
33 When Jacob finished instructing his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
Footnotes
- Genesis 49:1 This phrase often refers to the distant future.
- Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the word is uncertain. The suggestions are many.
- Genesis 49:10 Or until Shiloh comes. Shiloh is simply a transliteration of the Hebrew. Shiloh is not used elsewhere as a name of the Messiah. Ezekiel 21:27 and the ancient versions support the translation of shelo as to whom it belongs or which belongs to him. In either case the reference is to the coming Messiah.
- Genesis 49:12 Or dark from wine, white from milk
- Genesis 49:14 The meaning of the word is uncertain, perhaps sheepfolds or campfires.
- Genesis 49:21 The poetic language is difficult. The line may mean he speaks beautiful words.
- Genesis 49:22 The poetic language is difficult. Literally it means a son of fruitfulness, a son of fruitfulness beside a spring; his daughters run over a wall.
- Genesis 49:24 By the name of is an alternate reading of the Hebrew text. The main Hebrew text reads from there.
- Genesis 49:26 The Hebrew of the verse is difficult, and some translations emend the text to read greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains.
- Genesis 49:32 There is no known connection between these descendants of Heth, who were apparently a Canaanite group (see Genesis 10:15), and the later Indo-European Hittites of Anatolia (Turkey). The Hittites of Anatolia did not call themselves Hittites but were given that name in the mistaken belief that they were related to the Hittites of the Bible.
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
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.