Genesis 49

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Jacob called his sons and said: "Gather around, that I may tell you what is to happen to you in days to come.	1 And Jacob called his sons, and said to them: Gather yourselves together that I may tell you the things that shall befall you in the last days.
2 "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father.	2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, O ye sons of Jacob, hearken to Israel your father:
3 "You, Reuben, my first-born, my strength and the first fruit of my manhood, excelling in rank and excelling in power!	3 Ruben, my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow: excelling in gifts, greater in command.
4 Unruly as water, you shall no longer excel, for you climbed into your father's bed and defiled my couch to my sorrow.	4 Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not: because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, and didst defile his couch.
5 "Simeon and Levi, brothers indeed, weapons of violence are their knives.	5 Simeon and Levi brethren: vessels of iniquity, waging war.
6 Let not my soul enter their council, or my spirit be joined with their company; For in their fury they slew men, in their willfulness they maimed oxen.	6 Let not my soul go into their counsel, nor my glory be in their assembly: because in their fury they slew a man, and in their selfwill they undermined a wall.
7 Cursed be their fury so fierce, and their rage so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob, disperse them throughout Israel.	7 Cursed be their fury, because it was stubborn: and their wrath because it was cruel: I Will divide them in Jacob, and will scatter them in Israel.
8 "You, Judah, shall your brothers praise --your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you.	8 Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise: thy hands shall be on the necks of thy enemies: the sons of thy father shall bow down to thee.
9 Judah, like a lion's whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts--who would dare rouse him?	9 Juda is a lion's whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up: resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage.	10 The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations.
11 He tethers his donkey to the vine, his purebred ass to the choicest stem. In wine he washes his garments his robe in the blood of grapes.	11 Tying his foal to the vineyard, and his ass, 0 my son, to the vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.	12 His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 "Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore (This means a shore for ships), and his flank shall be based on Sidon.	13 Zabulon shall dwell on the sea shore, and in the road of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.
14 "Issachar is a rawboned ass, crouching between the saddlebags.	14 Issachar shall be a strong ass lying down between the borders.
15 When he saw how good a settled life was, and how pleasant the country, He bent his shoulder to the burden and became a toiling serf.	15 dummy verses inserted by amos
16 "Dan shall achieve justice for his kindred like any other tribe of Israel.	16 He saw rest that it was good: and the land that it was excellent: and he bowed his shoulder to carry, and became a servant under tribute.
17 Let Dan be a serpent by the roadside, a horned viper by the path, That bites the horse's heel, so that the rider tumbles backward.
18 "(I long for your deliverance, O LORD!)	18 Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel.
19 "Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.	19 Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse's heels that his rider may fall backward.
20 "Asher's produce is rich, and he shall furnish dainties for kings.	20 I will look for thy salvation, 0 Lord.
21 "Naphtali is a hind let loose which brings forth lovely fawns.	21 Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall be girded backward.
22 "Joseph is a wild colt ,a wild colt by a spring, a wild ass on a hillside.	22 Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.
23 Harrying and attacking, the archers opposed him;	23 Nephtali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.
24 But each one's bow remained stiff, as their arms were unsteady, By the power of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,	24 Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold; the daughters run to and fro upon the wall.
25 The God of your father, who helps you, God Almighty, who blesses you, With the blessings of the heavens above, the blessings of the abyss that crouches below, The blessings of breasts and womb,	25 But they that held darts provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.
26 the blessings of fresh grain and blossoms, The blessings of the everlasting mountains, the delights of the eternal hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.	26 His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, the stone of Israel.
27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; mornings he devours the prey, and evenings he distributes the spoils."	27 dummy verses inserted by amos
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said about them, as he bade them farewell and gave to each of them an appropriate message.	28 The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
29 Then he gave them this charge: "Since I am about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground.	30 The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers: until the desire of the everlasting hills should come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.
31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah--	31 Benjamin a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall divide the spoil.
32 the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites."	32 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed every one, with their proper blessings.
33 When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was taken to his kindred.	33 And he charged them, saying: I am now going to be gathered to my people : bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,
	34 Over against Mambre in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought togather with the field of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to bury in.