1. Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around. I want to tell you what you can expect in the days to come.”
2. Come together, listen sons of Jacob,listen to Israel your father.
3-4. Reuben, you’re my firstborn,my strength, first proof of my manhood,at the top in honor and at the top in power,But like a bucket of water spilled,you’ll be at the top no more,Because you climbed into your father’s marriage bed,mounting that couch, and you defiled it.
5-6. Simeon and Levi are two of a kind,ready to fight at the drop of a hat.I don’t want anything to do with their vendettas,want no part in their bitter feuds;They kill men in fits of temper,slash oxen on a whim.
7. A curse on their uncontrolled anger,on their indiscriminate wrath.I’ll throw them out with the trash;I’ll shred and scatter them like confetti throughout Israel.
8-12. You, Judah, your brothers will praise you:Your fingers on your enemies’ throat,while your brothers honor you.You’re a lion’s cub, Judah,home fresh from the kill, my son.Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts;who dares mess with him?The scepter shall not leave Judah;he’ll keep a firm grip on the command staffUntil the ultimate ruler comesand the nations obey him.He’ll tie up his donkey to the grapevine,his purebred prize to a sturdy branch.He will wash his shirt in wineand his cloak in the blood of grapes,His eyes will be darker than wine,his teeth whiter than milk.