Genesis 35:22

¹The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be listed according to the birthright.

⁸“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.

²¹Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.”

²²So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

³David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in custody and provided them with sustenance, but didn’t go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

¹Jacob 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. ²Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father. ³“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in dignity, and excelling in power. ⁴Boiling 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. ⁵“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence. ⁶My 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. ⁷Cursed 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. ⁸“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. ⁹Judah 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? ¹⁰The 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. ¹¹Binding 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. ¹²His eyes will be red with wine, his teeth white with milk. ¹³“Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon. ¹⁴“Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the saddlebags. ¹⁵He 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. ¹⁶“Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward. ¹⁸I have waited for your salvation, LORD. ¹⁹“A troop will press on Gad, but he will press on their heel. ²⁰“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties. ²¹“Naphtali is a doe set free, who bears beautiful fawns. ²²“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall. ²³The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him: ²⁴But 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), ²⁵even 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. ²⁶The 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. ²⁷“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”

²⁸All 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.

¹It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, that one has his father’s wife.

¹Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): ²Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, ³Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, ⁴Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ⁵All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already.

²³These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the LORD’s word. ²⁴The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed for war. ²⁵Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war: seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶Of the children of Levi: four thousand six hundred. ²⁷Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three thousand seven hundred, ²⁸and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty-two captains. ²⁹Of the children of Benjamin, Saul’s relatives: three thousand, for until then, the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to Saul’s house. ³⁰Of the children of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. ³¹Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king. ³²Of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their command. ³³Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array with all kinds of instruments of war: fifty thousand who could command and were not of double heart. ³⁴Of Naphtali: one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand. ³⁵Of the Danites who could set the battle in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. ³⁶Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array: forty thousand. ³⁷On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred twenty thousand.

³⁸All these were men of war who could order the battle array, and came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. ³⁹They were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them. ⁴⁰Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen: supplies of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.

³¹The LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³²Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, “Because the LORD has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” ³³She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.” She named him Simeon. ³⁴She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. ³⁵She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

¹This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. ²He said, “The LORD came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them.³Yes, ^[+] he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words. ⁴Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. ⁵He was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. ⁶“Let Reuben live, and not die; Nor let his men be few.”

⁷This is for Judah. He said, “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah. Bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself. You shall be a help against his adversaries.”

⁸About Levi he said, “Your Thummim and your Urim are with your godly one, whom you proved at Massah, with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah. ⁹He said of his father, and of his mother, ‘I have not seen him.’ He didn’t acknowledge his brothers, nor did he know his own children; for they have observed your word, and keep your covenant. ¹⁰They shall teach Jacob your ordinances, and Israel your law. They shall put incense before you, and whole burnt offering on your altar. ¹¹LORD, bless his skills. Accept the work of his hands. Strike through the hips of those who rise up against him, of those who hate him, that they not rise again.”

¹²About Benjamin he said, “The beloved of the LORD will dwell in safety by him. He covers him all day long. He dwells between his shoulders.”

¹³About Joseph he said, “His land is blessed by the LORD, for the precious things of the heavens, for the dew, for the deep that couches beneath, ¹⁴for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, for the precious things that the moon can yield, ¹⁵for the best things of the ancient mountains, for the precious things of the everlasting hills, ¹⁶for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush.Let this come ^[+] on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brothers. ¹⁷Majesty belongs to the firstborn of his herd. His horns are the horns of the wild ox. With them he will push all the peoples to the ends of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim. They are the thousands of Manasseh.”

¹⁸About Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and Issachar, in your tents. ¹⁹They will call the peoples to the mountain. There they will offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they will draw out the abundance of the seas, the hidden treasures of the sand.”

²⁰About Gad he said, “He who enlarges Gad is blessed. He dwells as a lioness, and tears the arm and the crown of the head. ²¹He provided the first part for himself, for the lawgiver’s portion was reserved for him. He came with the heads of the people. He executed the righteousness of the LORD, His ordinances with Israel.”

²²About Dan he said, “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps out of Bashan.”

²³About Naphtali he said, “Naphtali, satisfied with favor, full of the LORD’s blessing, Possess the west and the south.”

²⁴About Asher he said, “Asher is blessed with children. Let him be acceptable to his brothers. Let him dip his foot in oil. ²⁵Your bars will be iron and bronze. As your days, so your strength will be. ²⁶“There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies. ²⁷The eternal God is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’ ²⁸Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine. Yes, his heavens drop down dew. ²⁹You are happy, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, the sword of your excellency? Your enemies will submit themselves to you. You will tread on their high places.”