3. "Reuben, you are my oldest son. You were my first child. You were the first sign of my strength. You were first in honor. You were first in power.
4. But you are as unsteady as water. So you won't be first anymore. You had sex with your father's concubine in his bed. You lay on his couch and made it 'unclean.'
5. "Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords have killed a lot of people.
6. I won't share in their plans. I won't have anything to do with them. They became angry and killed people. They cut the legs of oxen just for the fun of it.
7. May the Lord put a curse on them because of their terrible anger. I will scatter them in Jacob's land. I will spread them around in Israel.
8. "Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your enemies will be brought under your control. Your father's sons will bow down to you.
9. Judah, you are like a lion's cub. You return from hunting, my son. Like a lion, you lie down and sleep. You are like a mother lion. Who dares to wake you up?
10. The right to rule will not leave Judah. The ruler's rod will not be taken from between his feet. It will be his until the king it belongs to comes. It will be his until the nations obey him.