1Jacob summoned all his sons, and said to them,
2“Gather around me in order that I can tell you what will happen in the future.
3Reuben, you are my oldest son.
4But you were as uncontrollable as a flood [SIM].
5Simeon and Levi, you have both acted like criminals.
6I do not want to be with you when you make evil plans [DOU].
7God says, ‘I will ◄curse/cause bad things to happen to► them for being very angry,
8Judah, your older and younger brothers will praise you.
9Judah is like a young lion [SIM] that has returned to its den satisfied
10There will always be a ruler [MTY] from the descendants of Judah [MTY].
11The grapevines of Judah’s descendants will produce grapes very abundantly.
12Their eyes will be red because of drinking too much wine,
13Zebulun, your descendants will live by the seashore
14Issachar, your descendants will be like strong donkeys
15They will see that their resting place is good,
16Dan, although your tribe will be small,
17Your descendants will be like snakes at the side of a road,
18Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, I am waiting for you to rescue me from my enemies.”
19Then Jacob continued telling his sons what would happen in the future. He said,
20Asher, your descendants will eat good-tasting food;
21Naphtali, your descendants will be like deer [MET] that are ◄free to/not tied down and can► run wherever they wish.
22Joseph, you will have many descendants [MET].
23Their enemies will attack them fiercely,
24But they will hold their bows steady and their arms will remain strong,
25God, the one whom I worship, will help your descendants.
26The blessings that I want God to give you are great ones.
27Benjamin, your descendants will be like [MET] vicious/fierce wolves:
28Those twelve sons are the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. That is what their father said to them as he blessed them, telling to each one words that were appropriate for him.
29Then Jacob said to his sons, “I will soon die. Bury my body where some of my ancestors are buried, in the cave that is in the field that was bought from Ephron, who belonged to the Heth people-group.
30That field is in the Machpelah area, east of Mamre town, in Canaan. My grandfather Abraham bought it from Ephron to use as a burial place.
31That is where they buried him and his wife Sarah. That is where they buried my father Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And that is where I buried my wife Leah.
32That field and the cave in it were bought from the Heth people-group; so that is where I want you to bury me.”
33When Jacob finished giving those instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed again. Then he died [IDM].