131 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
131 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
Jacob's Last Words
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# Chapter 49
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1. Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
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2. Come together and listen, sons of Jacob;
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listen to your father Israel:
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3. Reuben, you are my firstborn,
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my strength and the firstfruits of my virility,
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excelling in prominence, excelling in power.
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4. Turbulent as water, you will not excel,
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because you got into your father's bed
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and you defiled it--he got into my bed.
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5. Simeon and Levi are brothers;
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their knives are vicious weapons.
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6. May I never enter their council;
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may I never join their assembly.
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For in their anger they kill men,
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and on a whim they hamstring oxen.
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7. Their anger is cursed, for it is strong,
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and their fury, for it is cruel!
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I will disperse them throughout Jacob
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and scatter them throughout Israel.
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8. Judah, your brothers will praise you.
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Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;
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your father's sons will bow down to you.
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9. Judah is a young lion--
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my son, you return from the kill.
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He crouches; he lies down like a lion
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or a lioness--who dares to rouse him?
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10. The scepter will not depart from Judah
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or the staff from between his feet
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until he whose right it is comes
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and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.
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11. He ties his donkey to a vine,
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and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine.
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He washes his clothes in wine
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and
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his robes in the blood of grapes.
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12. His eyes are darker than wine,
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and his teeth are whiter than milk.
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13. Zebulun will live by the seashore
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and will be a harbor for ships,
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and his territory will be next to Sidon.
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14. Issachar is a strong donkey
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lying down between the saddlebags.
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15. He saw that his resting place was good
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and that the land was pleasant,
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so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load
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and became a forced laborer.
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16. Dan will judge his people
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as one of the tribes of Israel.
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17. Dan will be a snake by the road,
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a viper beside the path,
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that bites the horse's heels
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so that its rider falls backward.
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18. I wait for your salvation, Lord.
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19. Gad will be attacked by raiders,
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but he will attack their heels.
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20. Asher's food will be rich,
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and he will produce royal delicacies.
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21. Naphtali is a doe set free
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that bears beautiful fawns.
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22. Joseph is a fruitful vine,
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a fruitful vine beside a spring;
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its branches climb over the wall.
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23. The archers attacked him,
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shot at him, and were hostile toward him.
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24. Yet his bow remained steady,
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and his strong arms were made agile
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by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
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by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
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25. by the God of your father who helps you,
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and by the Almighty who blesses you
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with blessings of the heavens above,
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blessings of the deep that lies below,
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and blessings of the breasts and the womb.
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26. The blessings of your father excel
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the blessings of my ancestors
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and the bounty of the ancient hills.
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May they rest on the head of Joseph,
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on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
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27. Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey.
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In the morning he devours the prey,
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and in the evening he divides the plunder."
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28. These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
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Jacob's Burial Instructions
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29. Then he commanded them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite.
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30. The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.
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31. Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there.
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32. The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites."
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33. When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.
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