Genesis 49:1-28

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! “Gad will be raided by raiders, but he will raid at their heels and overcome them at last. “Asher’s food will be rich, and he will provide delicacies fit for a king. “Naphtali is a doe set free, who bestows beauty on his offspring. “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine growing by a spring, whose branches run over a wall. Persecutors fiercely attacked him; they pursued him with their bow and arrows. But Joseph’s bow remained steady, because the power of the Mighty One of Jacob strengthened him, by the name of the loving Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. The God of your father will help and protect you; the God who is more than enough will bless you. He will bless you with the blessings of heaven, blessings of the deep that lie beneath, and blessings of the breast and womb. The blessings of your father will be greater than the blessings of the eternal mountains, surpassing the blessings of my ancestors! May Joseph’s blessings crown his head and rest on the brow of the one set apart, prince among his brothers. “Benjamin is a ferocious wolf. He devours his prey; in the evening, he divides the spoil.” All these men became the twelve tribes of Israel. These were prophetic words their father spoke to them when he blessed them, blessing each son with a parting word appropriate to him.