| Genesis 49 | Deuteronomy 33 |
| 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the very first son I had, first in majesty and first in power. 4 You will no longer be first because you were out of control like a flood and you climbed into your father’s bed. Then you dishonored it. He climbed up on my couch. | “May the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though their people are few in number.” |
| 5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords[a] are weapons of violence. 6 Do not let me attend their secret meetings. Do not let me join their assembly. In their anger they murdered men. At their whim they crippled cattle. 7 May their anger be cursed because it’s so fierce. May their fury be cursed because it’s so cruel. I will divide them among the sons of Jacob and scatter them among the tribes of Israel. | 8 About the tribe of Levi he said, “Your Thummim and Urim[d] belong to your faithful people. You tested your people at Massah. You quarreled with them at the oasis of Meribah. 9 They said that they didn’t know their father and mother. They didn’t recognize their own brothers. They didn’t acknowledge their own children. But they obeyed your word and were faithful to the terms of your promise.[e] 10 They teach Jacob your rules and give Israel your teachings. They burn incense for you to smell and sacrifice burnt offerings on your altar. 11 Yahweh, bless them with strength and be pleased with the work they do. Break the backs of those who attack them and hate them so that they can never get up again.” |
| 8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 Judah, you are a lion cub. You have come back from the kill, my son. He lies down and rests like a lion. He is like a lioness. Who dares to disturb him? 10 A scepter will never depart from Judah nor a ruler’s staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes and the people obey him. 11 He will tie his donkey to a grapevine, his colt to the best vine. He will wash his clothes in wine, his garments in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine. His teeth are whiter than milk. | 7 This is what he said about the tribe of Judah: “Hear the cry of Judah, O Yahweh, and bring them to their people. They must defend themselves. Help them against their enemies.” |
| “Zebulun will live by the coast. He will have ships by the coast. His border will go as far as Sidon. | 18 About the tribe of Zebulun he said, “People of Zebulun, enjoy yourselves when you go to war, and you people of Issachar, enjoy yourselves when you stay at home. 19 They will invite nations to their mountain, and there they will offer the proper sacrifices. They will be nourished by the abundance from the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand.” |
| 14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags. 15 When he sees that his resting place is good and that the land is pleasant, he will bend his back to the burden and will become a slave laborer. | 18 About the tribe of Zebulun he said, “People of Zebulun, enjoy yourselves when you go to war, and you people of Issachar, enjoy yourselves when you stay at home. 19 They will invite nations to their mountain, and there they will offer the proper sacrifices. They will be nourished by the abundance from the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand.” |
| 16 “Dan will hand down decisions[b] for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan will be a snake on a road, a viper on a path, that bites a horse’s heels so that its rider falls off backwards. 18 “I wait with hope for you to rescue me, O Yahweh. | 22 About the tribe of Dan he said, “The people of Dan are a lion cub. Out of Bashan they pounce on their enemies.” |
| 19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will strike back at their heels. | 20 About the tribe of Gad he said, “Blessed is the one who gives the people of Gad more land. They wait there like a lion. They can tear off an arm or a head. 21 They chose the best land for themselves. Indeed, a commander’s piece of land was reserved for them. They were leaders of the people and did for Israel what Yahweh considers fair and honorable.”[f] |
| 20 “Asher’s food will be rich. He will provide delicacies fit for a king. | 24 About the tribe of Asher he said, “The people of Asher are the most blessed of the sons of Israel. May they be the Israelites’ favorite tribe and wash their feet in olive oil. 25 May the locks and bolts of your gates be made of iron and copper. May your strength last as long as you live. |
| 21 “Naphtali is a doe set free that has beautiful fawns. | 23 About the tribe of Naphtali he said, “The people of Naphtali enjoy Yahweh’s favor and are filled with Yahweh’s blessings. They will take possession of the lake and the land south of it.” |
| 22 “Joseph is a fruitful tree, a fruitful tree by a spring, with branches climbing over a wall. 23 Archers provoked him, shot at him, and attacked him. 24 But his bow stayed steady, and his arms remained limber because of the help of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of the El of your father who helps you, because of the Shadday who gives you blessings from the heavens above, blessings from the deep springs below the ground, blessings from breasts and womb. 26 The blessings of your father are greater than the blessings of the oldest mountains and the riches of the ancient hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the prince among his brothers. | 13 About the tribes of Joseph he said, “May Yahweh bless their land with water, the best gift heaven can send, with dew and deep springs below the ground. 14 May Yahweh bless their land with crops, the best gift the sun can give, the best produce of each month, 15 the finest fruits from the oldest mountains, the best from the ancient hills, 16 and the most plentiful crops of the earth. May Yahweh bless their land with the favor of the one who was in the burning bush. May these blessings come to the tribes of Joseph. May they crown the people who are like princes in Israel. 17 They will be as majestic as a firstborn bull. Their horns will be like the horns of a wild ox. They will use them to push away nations including those at the ends of the earth. The tens of thousands from the tribe of Ephraim and the thousands from the tribe of Manasseh will be like this.” |
| “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he devours his prey. In the evening he divides the plunder.” | 12 About the tribe of Benjamin he said, “Yahweh’s beloved people will live securely with him. Yahweh will shelter them all day long, since he, too, lives on the mountain slopes.” |
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