¹ Und der HERR sprach zu Abram: Gehe aus deinem Vaterland und von deiner Freundschaft und aus deines Vaters Hause in ein Land, das ich dir zeigen will.

² Und ich will dich zum großen Volk machen und will dich segnen und dir einen großen Namen machen, und sollst ein Segen sein.

³ Ich will segnen, die dich segnen, und verfluchen, die dich verfluchen; und in dir sollen gesegnet werden alle Geschlechter auf Erden.

⁴ Da zog Abram aus, wie der HERR zu ihm gesagt hatte; und Lot zog mit ihm. Abram aber war fünfundsiebenzig Jahre alt, da er aus Haran zog.

⁵ Also nahm Abram sein Weib Sarai und Lot, seines Bruders Sohn, mit aller ihrer Habe, die sie gewonnen hatten, und Seelen, die sie gezeuget hatten in Haran, und zogen aus, zu reisen in das Land Kanaan. Und als sie kommen waren in dasselbige Land,

⁶ zog Abram durch bis an die Stätte Sichem und an den Hain More. Denn es wohneten zu der Zeit die Kanaaniter im Lande.

⁷ Da erschien der HERR Abram und sprach: Deinem Samen will ich dies Land geben. Und er bauete daselbst dem HERRN einen Altar, der ihm erschienen war.

⁸ Danach brach er auf von dannen an einen Berg, der lag gegen dem Morgen der Stadt Bethel, und richtete seine Hütte auf, daß er Bethel gegen Abend und Ai gegen dem Morgen hatte, und bauete daselbst dem HERRN einen Altar und predigte von dem Namen des HERRN.

⁹ Danach wich Abram ferner und zog aus gegen den Mittag.

¹⁰ Es kam aber eine Teurung in das Land. Da zog Abram hinab in Ägypten, daß er sich daselbst als ein Fremdling enthielte; denn die Teurung war groß im Lande.

¹¹ Und da er nahe bei Ägypten kam, sprach er zu seinem Weibe Sarai: Siehe, ich weiß, daß du ein schön Weib von Angesicht bist.

¹² Wenn dich nun die Ägypter sehen werden, so werden sie sagen: Das ist sein Weib; und sie werden mich erwürgen und dich behalten.

¹³ Lieber, sage doch, du seiest meine Schwester, auf daß mir's desto baß gehe um deinetwillen, und meine Seele bei dem Leben bleibe um deinetwillen.

¹⁴ Als nun Abram nach Ägypten kam, sahen die Ägypter das Weib, daß sie fast schön war.

¹⁵ Und die Fürsten des Pharao sahen sie und preiseten sie vor ihm. Da ward sie in des Pharao Haus gebracht.

¹⁶ Und er tat Abram Gutes um ihretwillen. Und er hatte Schafe, Rinder, Esel, Knechte und Mägde, Eselinnen und Kamele.

¹⁷ Aber der HERR plagte den Pharao mit großen Plagen und sein Haus um Sarais, Abrams Weibes, willen.

¹⁸ Da rief Pharao Abram zu sich und sprach zu ihm: Warum hast du mir das getan? Warum sagtest du mir's nicht, daß sie dein Weib wäre?

¹⁹ Warum sprachest du denn, sie wäre deine Schwester? derhalben ich sie mir zum Weibe nehme wollte. Und nun siehe, da hast du dein Weib; nimm sie und zeuch hin.

²⁰ Und Pharao befahl seinen Leuten über ihm, daß sie ihn geleiteten und sein Weib und alles, was er hatte.

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.