The Last Words of Jacob
1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future:
2 “Come together and listen, sons of Jacob.
Listen to your father Israel.
3 “Reuben, my first-born, you are my strength
And the first child of my manhood,
The proudest and strongest of all my sons.
4 You are like a raging flood,
But you will not be the most important,
For you slept with my concubine
And dishonored your father's bed.
5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers.
They use their weapons to commit violence.
6 I will not join in their secret talks,
Nor will I take part in their meetings,
For they killed people in anger
And they crippled bulls for sport.
7 A curse be on their anger, because it is so fierce,
And on their fury, because it is so cruel.
I will scatter them throughout the land of Israel.
I will disperse them among its people.
8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You hold your enemies by the neck.
Your brothers will bow down before you.
9 Judah is like a lion,
Killing his victim and returning to his den,
Stretching out and lying down.
No one dares disturb him.
10 Judah will hold the royal scepter,
And his descendants will always rule.
Nations will bring him tribute
And bow in obedience before him.
11 He ties his young donkey to a grapevine,
To the very best of the vines.
He washes his clothes in blood-red wine.
12 His eyes are bloodshot from drinking wine,
His teeth white from drinking milk.
13 “Zebulun will live beside the sea.
His shore will be a haven for ships.
His territory will reach as far as Sidon.
14 “Issachar is no better than a donkey
That lies stretched out between its saddlebags.
15 But he sees that the resting place is good
And that the land is delightful.
So he bends his back to carry the load
And is forced to work as a slave.
16 “Dan will be a ruler for his people.
They will be like the other tribes of Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake at the side of the road,
A poisonous snake beside the path,
That strikes at the horse's heel,
So that the rider is thrown off backward.
18 “I wait for your deliverance, Lord.
19 “Gad will be attacked by a band of robbers,
But he will turn and pursue them.
20 “Asher's land will produce rich food.
He will provide food fit for a king.
21 “Naphtali is a deer that runs free,
Who bears lovely fawns.
22 “Joseph is like a wild donkey by a spring,
A wild colt on a hillside.
23 His enemies attack him fiercely
And pursue him with their bows and arrows.
24 But his bow remains steady,
And his arms are made strong
By the power of the Mighty God of Jacob,
By the Shepherd, the Protector of Israel.
25 It is your father's God who helps you,
The Almighty God who blesses you
With blessings of rain from above
And of deep waters from beneath the ground,
Blessings of many cattle and children,
26 Blessings of grain and flowers,
Blessings of ancient mountains,
Delightful things from everlasting hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
On the brow of the one set apart from his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is like a vicious wolf.
Morning and evening he kills and devours.”
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he spoke a suitable word of farewell to each son.
The Death and Burial of Jacob
29 Then Jacob commanded his sons, “Now that I am going to join my people in death, bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 at Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this cave and field from Ephron for a burial ground. 31 That is where they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; that is where they buried Isaac and his wife Rebecca; and that is where I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. Bury me there.” 33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he lay back down and died.
Matama e bupelo a Jakubo
1 Jakubo kadana bakololo babe kati ku bali, “Kubunganani kuti ndimubudze tjinowoshingikala mu mazhuba anozha.
2 “Kubunganani mubhulutane,
imwi bakololo ba Jakubo,
hwililani tate benyu Iziraela.
3 “Rubheni, iwe u mbano yangu,
u simba langu ne ntjelo we kuzwihwa kwangu
unopinda bose nge mamo ne simba.
4 Unokubhungana se vula,
autowobe utji nkulu,
ngoti wakatatha bulawo gwa tate babo,
ukatemapadza malalo angu.
5 “Simiyoni na Levi bana be nkadzi,
mathumo abo zwibhayano zwe phipiti.
6 Ngandisiwanike mu nlangano wabo,
meya yangu usishangane ne gubungano labo,
ngoti mu kugwadza moyo kwabo bakabulaya bathu,
bakathubula ngabe makanyu besudza.
7 Kugwadza moyo kwabo ngakube bhiso, ngoti kotjisa,
ne bushongola gwabo, ngoti gwakabipa.
Ndowobakobanya muna Jakubo,
abapaladza mu Iziraela.
8 “Juda, bana ba tate babo banowokukudza,
tjiazha tjitjo tjowobe pa hwulo dze zwita zwizo,
bana ba tate babo banowokuthigamila.
9 Juda i shumbana,
unoshandukila ku guwu lilo wabulaya.
Unolala pasi, kazwitambunudza se shumba.
Unonga shumbakadzi, ndiani ungammusa kene?
10 Ludozo gwe bushe agutowobhuda muna Juda,
ne swimbo ye bushe aingabhude pakati kwe bana babe,
kuswikila wakagulingisana ezha,
njudzi dzose dzowonteedza.
11 Unosungilila donkana iye pa nzhambi,
donkana e isungilila pa nzhambi washalugwa.
Unosuka zwiambalo zwizwe nge nkumbi,
jasi lile unolisuka nge nkumbi nshaba se malopa.
12 Mesho awe mashabashaba ngo laladzisa,
meno awe matjena ngo ng'wisa nkaka.
13 “Zebuluni unowogala mu tjekelo dze gungwa,
unowobe maswikilo e zwikepe,
n'gathu uwe unowobe ku Sidoni.
14 “Isakari i donki yakasima,
ilele pakati kwe matanga.
15 Wakabona kuti magalo e kunyaluluka mabuya,
ne kuti shango yakanaka,
ndizo kaduma kupika ntolo
kabe nlanda unoshingisiwa zwakasima.
16 “Dani unowosumikilisa bathu babe,
se tjimwe tje itjaba tje Iziraela.
17 Dani unowobe nyoka i pa hwunde ye zila,
ipakupaku tji mu zijana,
tjinoluma mbizi mu itshitshino,
ntathi wayo kawila pasi.
18 “Ndakalindila jidzo lenyu, Yahwe.
19 “Gadi unowonginiligwa nge gupo le batoleli,
koga unowobalonda kabanginilila.
20 “Asheri unowobe ne zojiwa zwi pezhugwi,
unowobe ne zojiwa zwakafanila mambo.
21 “Nafutali i phala hadzi yakasununguka,
inozwala phalana dzakanaka.
22 “Josefa lutabi gunozwala,
lutabi gunozwala gupa nsenya,
thabi dzidze dzotatha guma.
23 Babhayani nge misebe bakan'nginilila kunotjisa,
bakamposa bakammanikidza.
24 Koga dati lile likasitongozunguzika,
ne maboko awe akathamiwa majatu,
nge maboko a Masimbawose wa Jakubo,
nge zina le Nlisi, Shongwe ye Iziraela.
25 Ndzimu wa botate benyu unomubhatsha,
Masimbawose banowomukombolela,
nge makombolelo e vula kudwa kudzimu,
nenge makombolelo nge vula i pasi,
nge makombolelo e zwithuwo ne bana.
26 Makombolelo a tate babo makulu
pa makombolelo e matombo agelile tjose,
kupinda bubuya gose gwe matuthu amile nge kusingapele,
atshene angabe makombolelo a Josefa,
iye wakathamiwa ntungamili we bakulu babe.
27 “Bhenjamini i phele inopalulanya,
mu mangwanana inoja tjayabhata,
madekwana inokoba tjaatolela.”
28 Bose ibaba i njudzi dzili gumi lina mbili dze Iziraela. Matama iyawa ndiwo akalebgwa ndi tate babo tjibaka tjabakabe bebakombolela, bekombolela mmwe ne mmwe nge tjakanlingisana.
Lufu ne mbiganyo ya Jakubo
29 Ipapo kabalaya eti, “Ndabe pejo ngofa. Mundibiganye pakabiganyiwa botate bangu mu guwu li mu nnda wa Efuroni we Nhiti, 30 mu guwu li mu nnda ku Makipela, pejo ne Mamure mu shango ye Kanana, mu ntuthu wakatengwa ndi Abhurahama kuna Efuroni we Nhiti kube zwikumbu. 31 Abhurahama ne nkadzikulu uwe Sara bakabiganyiwako, Isaki ne nkadzikulu uwe bakabiganyiwako Ribeka wakabiganyiwako, nami ndakabiganya Liya ko. 32 Ntuthu iwoyo ne guwu li imomo zwakatengwa mu Bahiti.” 33 Kwakati Jakubo epedza kulaya bakololo babe kalala pa bulawo kafema gwe bupelo ngono kafa.