| 1 Jacob llamó a sus hijos y les dijo: «Reuníos, que os voy a contar lo que os va a suceder en el futuro; | 1 Jacob cal ed his sons and said, 'Gather round, so that I can tell you what is in store for you in the final days. |
| 2 agrupaos y escuchadme, hijos de Jacob, oíd a vuestro padre Israel: | 2 Gather round, sons of Jacob, and listen; listen to Israel your father. |
| 3 Tú, Rubén, mi primogénito, | mi fuerza y primicia de mi virilidad, | primero en honor, primero en poder. | 3 Reuben, you are my first-born, my vigour, and the first-fruit of my manhood, foremost in pride,foremost in strength, |
| 4 Burbujeante como agua, no descollarás; | porque subiste al lecho de tu padre, | lo profanaste, escalando mi tálamo. | 4 uncontrol ed as water: you wil not be foremost, for you climbed into your father's bed, and so defiledmy couch, to my sorrow. |
| 5 Simeón y Leví, hermanos, | armas criminales sus espadas. | 5 Simeon and Levi are brothers in carrying out their malicious plans. |
| 6 Ojalá no participe yo en sus consejos, | ni me siente yo en su asamblea, | pues mataron hombres ferozmente, | y mutilaron bueyes a su antojo. | 6 May my soul not enter their council nor my heart join their company, for in their rage they have kil edmen and hamstrung oxen at their whim. |
| 7 Maldita su furia, tan cruel, | y su cólera implacable. | Los repartiré entre Jacob | y los dispersaré por Israel. | 7 Accursed be their rage for its ruthlessness, their wrath for its ferocity. I shall disperse them in Jacob, Ishall scatter them through Israel. |
| 8 A ti, Judá, te alabarán tus hermanos, | pondrás tu mano sobre la cerviz de tus enemigos, | se postrarán ante ti los hijos de tu padre. | 8 Judah, your brothers wil praise you: you grip your enemies by the neck, your father's sons wil do youhomage. |
| 9 Judá es un león agazapado, | has vuelto de hacer presa, hijo mío; | se agacha y se tumba como león | o como leona, ¿quién se atreve a desafiarlo? | 9 Judah is a lion's whelp; You stand over your prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, amighty lion: who dare rouse him? |
| 10 No se apartará de Judá el cetro, | ni el bastón de mando de entre sus rodillas, | hasta que venga aquel a quien está reservado, | y le rindan homenaje los pueblos. | 10 The sceptre shall not pass from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute bebrought him and the peoples render him obedience. |
| 11 Ata su asno a una viña, | y a una cepa, el pollino de la asna; | lava su sayo en vino, | y su túnica en sangre de uvas. | 11 He tethers his donkey to the vine, to its stock the foal of his she-donkey. He washes his clothes inwine, his robes in the blood of the grape. |
| 12 Sus ojos son más oscuros que vino, | y sus dientes más blancos que leche. | 12 His eyes are darkened with wine and his teeth are white with milk. |
| 13 Zabulón morará junto a la costa, | será un puerto para los barcos, | vuelto a Sidón su flanco. | 13 Zebulun wil live by the seashore and be a sailor on board the ships, with Sidon on his flank. |
| 14 Isacar, asno robusto, | se acuclilla entre las alforjas. | 14 Issachar is a strong donkey lying down among sheepfolds. |
| 15 Viendo qué bueno es el establo | y qué placentero el país, | inclinó su lomo a la carga | y aceptó trabajos de esclavo. | 15 When he saw how good the resting-place and how pleasant the country, he bowed his shoulder tothe load and became a slave to forced labour. |
| 16 Dan gobernará a su pueblo, | como una de las tribus de Israel. | 16 Dan wil govern his people like any other of the tribes of Israel. |
| 17 Dan es culebra junto al camino, | víbora junto al sendero. | Muerde los talones del caballo, | y cae de espaldas su jinete. | 17 May Dan be a snake on the road, a viper on the path, who bites the horse on the hock so that itsrider falls off backwards! |
| 18 Espero tu salvación, Señor. | 18 I long for your deliverance, Yahweh! |
| 19 Gad: le asaltarán los bandidos, | y él los asaltará por la espada. | 19 Gad wil be raided by raiders, and he wil raid at their heels. |
| 20 De Aser viene el grano suculento, | que proporciona manjares de reyes. | 20 Rich the food produced by Asher: he will furnish food fit for kings. |
| 21 Neftalí, cierva suelta, | que da hermosos cervatillos. | 21 Naphtali is a swift hind bearing lovely fawns. |
| 22 José es un potro salvaje, | un potro junto a la fuente, | asnos salvajes en una ladera. | 22 Joseph is a fruitful plant near a spring whose tendrils reach over the wal . |
| 23 Los arqueros los hostigan, | los persiguen y los atacan. | 23 Archers in their hostility drew their bows and attacked him. |
| 24 Pero su arco se queda rígido, | y tiemblan sus manos y sus brazos, | ante el Fuerte de Jacob, | el Pastor, la Roca de Israel. | 24 But their bows were broken by a mighty One, the sinews of their arms were snapped by the power ofthe Mighty One of Jacob, by the Name of the Stone of Israel, |
| 25 El Dios de tu padre te auxilia, | el Todopoderoso te bendice: | bendiciones de lo alto del cielo, | bendiciones de lo profundo del océano, | bendiciones de pechos y ubres. | 25 the God of your father who assists you, El Shaddai who blesses you: blessings of heaven above,blessings of the deep lying below, blessings of the breasts and womb, |
| 26 Las bendiciones de tu padre superan | las bendiciones de los collados antiguos, | las delicias de las colinas perdurables. | Descansen sobre la cabeza de José, | coronen al elegido entre sus hermanos. | 26 blessings of the grain and flowers, blessings of the eternal mountains, bounty of the everlasting hil s-- may they descend on Joseph's head, on the crown of the one dedicated from among his brothers! |
| 27 Benjamín, lobo rapaz: | por la mañana devora la presa, | por la tarde reparte los despojos». | 27 Benjamin is a ravening wolf, in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he is still sharing outthe spoil.' |
| 28 Todas estas son las tribus de Israel, doce en total, y esto es lo que su padre les dijo al bendecirlos, dando a cada uno su bendición pertinente. | 28 Al these make up the tribes of Israel, twelve in number, and this is what their father said to them ashe bade them farewell, giving each an appropriate blessing. |
| 29 Luego les dio estas instrucciones: «Cuando me reúna con los míos, enterradme con mis padres en la cueva del campo de Efrón, el hitita, | 29 Then he gave them these instructions, 'I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with myancestors, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, |
| 30 la cueva del campo de Macpela frente a Mambré, en la tierra de Canaán, la que compró Abrahán a Efrón, el hitita, como sepulcro en propiedad. | 30 in the cave in the field at Machpelah, facing Mamre, in Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephronthe Hittite as a burial site of his own. |
| 31 Allí enterraron a Abrahán y Sara, su mujer; allí enterraron a Isaac y a Rebeca, su mujer; allí enterré yo a Lía. | 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. There Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; andthere I buried Leah- |
| 32 El campo y la cueva fueron comprados a los hititas». | 32 the field and the cave in it which were bought from the Hittites.' |
| 33 Cuando Jacob terminó de dar instrucciones a sus hijos, recogió los pies en la cama, expiró y se reunió con los suyos. | 33 When Jacob had finished giving his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, andbreathing his last was gathered to his people. |
