Jacob called all his sons together and gathered them around his bedside. He said to them, “Let me prophesy to you about your future destinies:
“Come together and listen to me, O sons of Jacob,
Listen to your father Israel.
“Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength
and the firstfruits of my manhood.
You are preeminent in pride
and surpassing others in power.
You are unstable—as turbulent as floodwaters;
you will no longer excel,
for you have slept with my concubine
and defiled yourself in your father’s bed!
“Simeon and Levi, you are two of a kind and brothers in crime,
for your swords have committed violent acts.
O my soul, let me not join in their secret plans.
O my heart, never let me be counted in their assembly,
for they killed men in fits of rage,
and for pleasure, they maimed an ox.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath so relentless.
I will divide your descendants throughout Jacob’s territory
and scatter them throughout Israel.
“O Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You will conquer your foes in battle,
And your father’s sons will bow down before you.
Judah, my son, you are like a young lion
who has devoured its prey and departed.
Like a lion, he crouches and lies down,
and like a lioness—who dares to awaken him?
The scepter of rulership will not be taken from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the Shiloh comes
and takes what is due him,
for the obedience of nations belongs to him.
He will tether his donkey to the vine
and his purebred colt to the choicest branch.
He will wash his garments in wine
and his robe in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are more exhilarating than wine
and his teeth whiter than milk.
“Zebulun will settle along the seashore
and become a safe harbor for ships,
and his borders will extend to Sidon.
“Issachar is a strong donkey
lying down between its saddlebags.
When he sees that his resting place is good,
and his portion is so pleasant,
then he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and labor for his master.
“Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan will be a snake waiting by the roadside,
like a snake in the grass.
He bites the horse’s heels,
making its rider fall backward.
“I wait in hope for your salvation, O YAHWEH!
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