Genesis 49 — Side by side (WEB, ASV, BBE, DRA)

1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

1And Jacob sent for his sons, and said, Come together, all of you, so that I may give you news of your fate in future times.

1And 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.

2Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.

2 Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; And hearken unto Israel your father.

2Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.

2Gather yourselves together, and hear, O ye sons of Jacob, hearken to Israel, your father:

3Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength; The pre-eminence of dignity, and the pre-eminence of power.

3Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:

3Ruben, my firstborn, thou art my strength, and the beginning of my sorrow; excelling in gifts, greater in command.

4Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

4But because you were uncontrolled, the first place will not be yours; for you went up to your father's bed, even his bride-bed, and made it unclean.

4Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, and didst defile his couch.

5Simeon and Levi are brethren; Weapons of violence are their swords.

5Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.

5Simeon and Levi brethren: vessels of iniquity waging war.

6O my soul, come not thou into their council; Unto their assembly, my glory, be not thou united; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hocked an ox.

6Take no part in their secrets, O my soul; keep far away, O my heart, from their meetings; for in their wrath they put men to death, and for their pleasure even oxen were wounded.

6Let 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 self-will they undermined a wall.

7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; And their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel.

7A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.

7Cursed 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.

8Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise: Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; Thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.

8To you, Judah, will your brothers give praise: your hand will be on the neck of your haters; your father's sons will go down to the earth before you.

8Juda, thee shall thy brethren praise: thy hand shall be on the necks of thy enemies; the sons of thy father shall bow down to thee.

9Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up: He stooped down, he couched as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?

9Judah is a young lion; like a lion full of meat you have become great, my son; now he takes his rest like a lion stretched out and like an old lion; by whom will his sleep be broken?

9Juda 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?

10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

10The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah, and he will not be without a law-giver, till he comes who has the right to it, and the peoples will put themselves under his rule.

10The 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.

11Binding his foal unto the vine, And his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; He hath washed his garments in wine, And his vesture in the blood of grapes:

11Knotting his ass's cord to the vine, and his young ass to the best vine; washing his robe in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes:

11Tying his foal to the vineyard, and his ass, O my son, to the vine. He shall wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape.

12His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk.

12His eyes will be dark with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

12His eyes are more beautiful than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; And he shall be for a haven of ships; And his border shall be upon Sidon.

13The resting-place of Zebulun will be by the sea, and he will be a harbour for ships; the edge of his land will be by Zidon.

13Zabulon shall dwell on the seashore, and in the road of ships, reaching as far as Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong ass, Couching down between the sheepfolds:

14Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:

14Issachar shall be a strong ass, lying down between the borders.

15And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

15And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.

15He 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.

16Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.

16Dan will be the judge of his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

16Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel.

17Dan shall be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the horse’s heels, So that his rider falleth backward.

17May Dan be a snake in the way, a horned snake by the road, biting the horse's foot so that the horseman has a fall.

17Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse's heels, that his rider may fall backward.

18I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah.

18I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.

18I will look for thy salvation, O Lord.

19Gad, a troop shall press upon him; But he shall press upon their heel.

19Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.

19Gad, being girded, shall fight before him: and he himself shall be girded backward.

20Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, And he shall yield royal dainties.

20Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.

20Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.

21Naphtali is a hind let loose: He giveth goodly words.

21Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.

21Nephthali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.

22Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a fountain; His branches run over the wall.

22Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;

22Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold: the daughters run to and fro upon the wall;

23The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecuted him:

23He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:

23But they that held darts, provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.

24But his bow abode in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong, By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

24But their bows were broken by a strong one, and the cords of their arms were cut by the Strength of Jacob, by the name of the Stone of Israel:

24His 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.

25Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee, And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee, With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath, Blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

25Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:

25The 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.

26The blessings of thy father Have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

26Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.

26The 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.

27Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth: In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at even he shall divide the spoil.

27Benjamin is a wolf, searching for meat: in the morning he takes his food, and in the evening he makes division of what he has taken.

27Benjamin a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall divide the spoil.

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

28These are the twelve tribes of Israel: and these are the words their father said to them, blessing them; to every one he gave his blessing.

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed every one with their proper blessings.

29And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

29And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

29And 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,

30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place.

30In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.

30Over against Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought together with the field, of Ephron the Hethite, for a possession to bury in.

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah—

31There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.

31There they buried him, and Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca, his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried.

32the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.

32In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.

32And when he had ended the commandments, wherewith he instructed his sons, he drew up his feet upon the bed, and died: and he was gathered to his people.

33And when Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

33And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.

33(not in this translation)