¹ Jakov zatim sazva svoje sinove te reče: "Skupite se da vam kažem što će vas snaći u kasnije vrijeme:

² Okupite se, čujte, sinovi Jakovljevi, čujte oca svoga Izraela!

³ Ti Rubene, moj prvorođenče, snaga ti si moja, prvenac moje muškosti. Ističeš, se ponosom, snagom se ističeš,

⁴ no, poput vode nabujao, nećeš više imati prvenstva, jer na ležaj oca svog se pope, moj tad oskvrnu krevet.

⁵ Šimun i Levi braća su prava! Mačevi im oruđe nasilja.

⁶ Na njihova vijećanja ja ne silazio, u njihovim zborovima udjela ne imao! U srdžbi su svojoj ljude ubijali; u obijesti bikove sakatili.

⁷ Prokleta im srdžba, jer je prežestoka! Prokleta im obijest, jer je preokrutna! Razdijelit ću ih po Jakovu, Izraelom raspršiti.

⁸ Judo! Tvoja braća slavit će te; svagda ti je šaka na šiji dušmana, sinci oca tvoga tebi će se klanjat.

⁹ Judo, laviću mali! Plijenom si se, sine, udebljao; poput lava, poput lavice legao potrbuške! Tko bi ga dražiti smio?

¹⁰ Od Jude žezlo se kraljevsko, ni palica vladalačka od nogu njegovih udaljiti neće dok ne dođe onaj kome pripada - kome će se narodi pokoriti.

¹¹ Svog magarca za lozu privezuje, mlado magarice svoje za čokot. U vinu on kupa svoju odjeću svoju halju u krvi od grožđa.

¹² Oči su mu od vina mutne, zubi bjelji od mlijeka.

¹³ Zebulun će stanovati uz obalu morsku, luka spasa bit će brodarima, uz bok njegov Sidon će ležati.

¹⁴ Jisakar je koščat magarac polegao među ogradama.

¹⁵ Vidje da je odmor ugodan, a zemlja lijepa, te leđa svoja pod teret podmetnu i na tlaku pristade.

¹⁶ Dan će narod svoj suditi kao svako pleme Izraelovo.

¹⁷ Nek' Dan zmija bude na putu, guja pokraj staze što će konja za zglob ujesti, i njegov konjik nauznak će pasti.

¹⁸ U spas tvoj se, Jahve, uzdam!

¹⁹ Gada će pljačkat razbojnici, pljačkom će im za petama biti.

²⁰ U Ašera bit će hrane, poslastica za kraljeve.

²¹ Naftali je košuta lakonoga koja krasnu lanad mladi.

²² Josip je stablo plodno, plodno stablo kraj izvora, grane svoje grana preko zida.

²³ Strijelci njega saletjeli, strijeljali ga, opljačkali.

²⁴ Ali luk mu čvrst ostaje, mišice mu ojačale, rukom Jakog Jakovljeva, imenom Pastira, Stijene Izraela,

²⁵ Bogom, Ocem tvojim, koji ti pomaže, Svesilnim koji te blagoslivlje blagoslovom ozgo sa nebesa, blagoslovom ozdo iz dubina, blagoslovom iz svih prsa, iz svih utroba!

²⁶ Blagoslovom klasja i cvjetova, blagoslovom drevnih brda, želja vječnih brežuljaka - nek' se oni spuste na Josipa, između braće posvećenog!

²⁷ Benjamin je vuk grabežljivi, lovinu on jutrom jede, a navečer plijen dijeli."

²⁸ Sve su to Izraelova plemena - dvanaest ih na broj - i to im je otac rekao kad ih je blagoslivljao; svakoga je od njih blagoslovio njegovim blagoslovom.

²⁹ Poslije toga im dade ovu naredbu: "Naskoro ću se pridružiti svojim precima. Sahranite me kraj mojih otaca,

³⁰ u spilji što se nalazi na polju Efrona, Hetita, u spilji na polju Makpeli, nasuprot Mamri, u zemlji kanaanskoj. To je ona koju je Abraham kupio s poljem od Hetita Efrona za mjesto sahranjivanja.

³¹ Ondje je sahranjen Abraham i njegova žena Sara; sahranjeni su ondje Izak i njegova žena Rebeka; ondje sam ja sahranio Leu.

³² Polje i spilja na njemu kupljeni su od Hetita."

³³ Kad je Jakov tako naputio svoje sinove, povuče noge natrag na postelju te izdahnu - pridruži se svojim precima.

¹ Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

² Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

³ "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

⁴ Boiling over as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father's bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

⁵ "Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

⁶ My soul, don't come into their council. My glory, don't be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

⁷ Cursed 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.

⁸ "Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's sons will bow down before you.

⁹ Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.

¹¹ Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey's colt to the choice vine; he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

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

¹³ "Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

¹⁴ "Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

¹⁵ He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

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

¹⁷ Dan will be a serpent in the way, an adder in the path, That bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward.

¹⁸ I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.

¹⁹ "A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

²⁰ "Asher's food will be rich. He will yield royal dainties.

²¹ "Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

²² "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

²³ The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecute him:

²⁴ But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

²⁵ even by the God of your father, who will help you; by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

²⁶ The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

²⁷ "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the spoil."

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing.

²⁹ He instructed them, and said to them, "I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

³⁰ in 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 as a burial place.

³¹ There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

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

³³ When Jacob made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the spirit, and was gathered to his people.