القراءة بلغتين

ثُمَّ دَعا يَعْقوبُ بَنيه وقال: إِجتَمِعوا لِأُنبِئَكم بِما يَكونُ لَكم في لاحِقِ الأَيَّام

اِجتَمِعوا وأَصْغوا يا بَني يَعْقوب أَصْغوا إِلى إِسْرائيلَ أَبيكم

رأُوبين، أَنتَ بِكْري قُوَّتي وأَوَّلُ رُجولَتي. فاضِلٌ في الشُّموخ، فاضِلٌ في العِزّ

فُرتَ كالماء: لَن تَفضُل لِأَنَّكَ عَلَوتَ مَضجَعَ أَبيك حينَئِذٍ دَنَّستَ فِراشي عَلَيَّ

شِمْعونُ ولاوي أَخَوان سُيوفُهما آلاتُ عُنْف

مَجلِسُهُما لا تَدخُلْه نَفْسي وإِلى جماعَتِهما لا يَنضَمَّ قَلْبي لِأَنَّهما في سُخْطِهما قَتَلا أُناسًا وفي هَواهما عَقَرا ثيرانًا

مَلْعونٌ سُخْطُهما فإِنَّه شَديد وغَضَبُهما فإِنَّه قاسٍ. أُقَسِّمُهما في يَعْقوب وأُبَدِّدُهما في إِسْرائيل

يَهوذا، إِيَّاكَ يَحمَدُ إخوَتُكَ يَدُكَ على رَقبَةِ أَعْدائِكَ يَسجُدُ لَكَ بَنو أَبيكَ

يَهوذا شِبْلُ أَسَدٍ مِنَ الِٱفتِراسِ صَعِدتَ يا بُنَيَّ. جَثَمَ ورَبَضَ كالأَسَدِ واللَّبُؤَة فمَن ذا يُقيمُه؟

لا يَزولُ الصَّولَجانُ مِن يَهوذا ولا عَصا القِيادةِ مِن بَينِ قَدَمَيه إِلى أَن يأتِيَ صاحِبُها وتُطيعَه الشُّعوب

رابِطٌ بِالجَفْنَةِ جَحشَه وبأَفضَلِ كَرمةٍ ٱبنَ حِمارتِه. غَسَلَ بالخَمْر لِباسَه وبِدَمِ العِنَبِ ثَوبَه

عَيناهُ أَشَدُّ ظُلمةً من الخَمْر أَسنانُه أَشَدُّ بَياضًا مِنَ اللَّبَن

زَبولونُ سواحِلَ البِحارِ يَسكُن ومَتْنَ السُّفُنِ يَركَب وحُدودُه في جِوارِ صَيدون

يَسَّاكَرُ حِمارٌ صُلْبُ العود، رابِضٌ بَينَ الزَّرائِب

وقد رأَى الرَّاحةَ ما أَجوَدَها والأَرضَ ما أَروَعها فأَحْنى كَتِفَه لِلْحَمْلِ وصارَ لِلسُّخرَةِ عَبْدًا

دانٌ يَحكُمُ لِقَومِه كأَحَدِ أَسْباطِ إِسْرائيل

يَكونُ دانٌ ثُعْبانًا على الطَّريق وقَرْناءَ على السَّبيل. يَلسَعُ عُرْقوبَ الفَرَس فَيَسقُطُ الرَّاكِبُ إِلى الوَراء

خَلاصَكَ ٱنتَظَرتُ يا ربّ

جادٌ يَغْزوه الغُزاة وهو يَغْزو في أَعْقابِهم

أَشيرُ خُبزُه دَسِم وهو يُعْطي مَآكِلَ مُلوكٍ فاخِرة

نَفْتالي أَيِّلةٌ سارِحة تَلِدُ شَوادِنَ ظَريفة

يوسفُ غَرسَةٌ خَصيبة غَرسَةٌ خَصيبةٌ على عَين لَها أَغْصانٌ تَسلَّقَتِ السُّور

تَحَدَّاه أَصْحابُ السِّهام ورَمَوه وٱضطَهَدوه

لٰكِنَّ قَوسَه ثَبَتَت وسَواعِدَ يَدَيه تَشَدَّدَت مِن يَدَي عَزيزِ يَعْقوب مِنِ ٱسمِ الرَّاعي، حَجَرِ إِسْرائيل

مِن إِلٰهِ أَبيكَ – فلْيُعِنْكَ – ومِنَ القَدير – فَلْيُبارِكْكَ -: بَرَكاتُ السَّماءِ مِنَ العَلاء وبَركاتُ الغَمْرِ الرَّابِضِ في أَسْفَل وبَرَكاتُ الثَّدْيَينِ والرَّحِم

بَرَكاتُ أَبيكَ تفوق بَرَكاتِ الجِبالِ الأَزلِيَّة ومُنْيَةَ التِّلالِ القَديمة ولْتَكُنْ على رأسِ يوسُف وعلى قِمَّةِ رأسِ النَّذيرِ بَينَ إِخوَتِه

بَنْيامينُ ذِئبٌ مُفتَرِس في الصَّباحِ يأكلُ الفَريسة وفي المَساءِ يُقَسِّمُ الغَنيمة»

هٰؤُلاءِ كُلُّهم أَسْباطُ إِسْرائيلَ الِٱثْنا عَشَر، وهٰذا ما قالَ لَهم أَبوهم. وبارَكَهم: كُلُّ واحِدٍ بَرَكَتَه بارَكَهم

وأَوصاهُم يَعْقوبُ وقالَ لَهم: «أَنا مُنضَمٌّ إِلى أَجدادي. فٱدْفِنوني مع آبائي في المَغارةِ الَّتي في حَقْلِ عَفْرونَ الحِثِّيّ

المَغارةِ الَّتي في حَقْلِ المَكْفيلة، بِإِزاءِ مَمْرا، في أَرضِ كَنْعان، والَّتي ٱشتَراها إِبْراهيمُ مع الحَقْلِ مِن عَفْرونَ الحِثِّيّ، مِلكَ قَبْرٍ

هُناكَ دُفِنَ إِبْراهيمُ وسارةُ ٱمرَأَتُه، وهُناكَ دُفِنَ إِسْحٰقُ ورِفقَةُ ٱمرَأَتُه، وهُناكَ دَفَنتُ لَيئَة

شِرَاءُ الْحَقْلِ وَالْمَغَارَةِ الَّتِي فِيهِ كَانَ مِنْ بَنِي حِثَّ».

فلَمَّا ٱنتَهى يَعْقوبُ مِن وَصِيَّته لِبَنيه، ضَمَّ رِجلَيه على السَّرير، وفاضَت روحُه، وٱنضَمَّ إِلى أجداده

Jacob called to his sons, and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come.

Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.

“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.

Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.

My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.

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.

“Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.

Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. The obedience of the peoples will be to him.

Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk.

“Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.

“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags.

He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

“Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.

I have waited for your salvation, LORD.

“A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel.

“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.

“Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns.

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.

The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:

But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, (from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel),

even by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.

The blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of my ancestors, above the boundaries of the ancient hills. They will be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his own blessing.

He instructed them, and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place.

There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah:

the field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Heth.”

When Jacob finished charging his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, breathed his last breath, and was gathered to his people.