Font Size
Genesis 49:3-27
New International Version
Genesis 49:3-27
New International Version
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn,(A)
my might, the first sign of my strength,(B)
excelling in honor,(C) excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters,(D) you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.(E)
5 “Simeon(F) and Levi(G) are brothers—
their swords[a] are weapons of violence.(H)
6 Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,(I)
for they have killed men in their anger(J)
and hamstrung(K) oxen as they pleased.
7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury,(L) so cruel!(M)
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.(N)
8 “Judah,[b](O) your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck(P) of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.(Q)
9 You are a lion’s(R) cub,(S) Judah;(T)
you return from the prey,(U) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,(V)
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come(W)
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(X)
11 He will tether his donkey(Y) to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;(Z)
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.(AA)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e](AB)
13 “Zebulun(AC) will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.(AD)
14 “Issachar(AE) is a rawboned[f] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.[g](AF)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,(AG)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden(AH)
and submit to forced labor.(AI)
16 “Dan[h](AJ) will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.(AK)
17 Dan(AL) will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,(AM)
that bites the horse’s heels(AN)
so that its rider tumbles backward.
22 “Joseph(AX) is a fruitful vine,(AY)
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches(AZ) climb over a wall.[k]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;(BA)
they shot at him with hostility.(BB)
24 But his bow remained steady,(BC)
his strong arms(BD) stayed[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,(BE)
because of the Shepherd,(BF) the Rock of Israel,(BG)
25 because of your father’s God,(BH) who helps(BI) you,
because of the Almighty,[m](BJ) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,(BK)
blessings of the breast(BL) and womb.(BM)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.(BN)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,(BO)
on the brow of the prince among[o] his brothers.(BP)
Footnotes
- Genesis 49:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:8 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.
- Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
- Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Genesis 49:12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk
- Genesis 49:14 Or strong
- Genesis 49:14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
- Genesis 49:16 Dan here means he provides justice.
- Genesis 49:19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders.
- Genesis 49:21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words
- Genesis 49:22 Or Joseph is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill
- Genesis 49:24 Or archers will attack … will shoot … will remain … will stay
- Genesis 49:25 Hebrew Shaddai
- Genesis 49:26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as
- Genesis 49:26 Or of the one separated from
Genesis 49:3-27
King James Version
Genesis 49:3-27
King James Version
3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
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, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.
19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
Read full chapter
Deuteronomy 33:6-29
New International Version
Deuteronomy 33:6-29
New International Version
7 And this he said about Judah:(B)
“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah;
bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause.
Oh, be his help against his foes!”
8 About Levi(C) he said:
“Your Thummim and Urim(D) belong
to your faithful servant.(E)
You tested(F) him at Massah;
you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.(G)
9 He said of his father and mother,(H)
‘I have no regard for them.’
He did not recognize his brothers
or acknowledge his own children,
but he watched over your word
and guarded your covenant.(I)
10 He teaches(J) your precepts to Jacob
and your law to Israel.(K)
He offers incense before you(L)
and whole burnt offerings on your altar.(M)
11 Bless all his skills, Lord,
and be pleased with the work of his hands.(N)
Strike down those who rise against him,
his foes till they rise no more.”
12 About Benjamin(O) he said:
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,(P)
for he shields him all day long,(Q)
and the one the Lord loves(R) rests between his shoulders.(S)”
13 About Joseph(T) he said:
“May the Lord bless his land
with the precious dew from heaven above
and with the deep waters that lie below;(U)
14 with the best the sun brings forth
and the finest the moon can yield;
15 with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains(V)
and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
16 with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness
and the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush.(W)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[b] his brothers.(X)
17 In majesty he is like a firstborn bull;
his horns(Y) are the horns of a wild ox.(Z)
With them he will gore(AA) the nations,
even those at the ends of the earth.
Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim;(AB)
such are the thousands of Manasseh.(AC)”
18 About Zebulun(AD) he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
and you, Issachar,(AE) in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain(AF)
and there offer the sacrifices of the righteous;(AG)
they will feast on the abundance of the seas,(AH)
on the treasures hidden in the sand.”
20 About Gad(AI) he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges Gad’s domain!(AJ)
Gad lives there like a lion,
tearing at arm or head.
21 He chose the best land for himself;(AK)
the leader’s portion was kept for him.(AL)
When the heads of the people assembled,
he carried out the Lord’s righteous will,(AM)
and his judgments concerning Israel.”
22 About Dan(AN) he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub,
springing out of Bashan.”
23 About Naphtali(AO) he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord
and is full of his blessing;
he will inherit southward to the lake.”
24 About Asher(AP) he said:
“Most blessed of sons is Asher;
let him be favored by his brothers,
and let him bathe his feet in oil.(AQ)
25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze,(AR)
and your strength will equal your days.(AS)
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,(AT)
who rides(AU) across the heavens to help you(AV)
and on the clouds(AW) in his majesty.(AX)
27 The eternal(AY) God is your refuge,(AZ)
and underneath are the everlasting(BA) arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,(BB)
saying, ‘Destroy them!’(BC)
28 So Israel will live in safety;(BD)
Jacob will dwell[c] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew.(BE)
29 Blessed are you, Israel!(BF)
Who is like you,(BG)
a people saved by the Lord?(BH)
He is your shield and helper(BI)
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights.(BJ)”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 33:6 Or but let
- Deuteronomy 33:16 Or of the one separated from
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Septuagint; Hebrew Jacob’s spring is
Deuteronomy 33:6-29
King James Version
Deuteronomy 33:6-29
King James Version
6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.
7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.
8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.
10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
11 Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.
20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.
24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Read full chapter
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.