14. “Issachar is like a donkey that has worked too hard. He will lie down under his heavy load.
15. He will see his land is pleasant and that his resting place is good. But he will agree to carry heavy loads; he will agree to work as a slave.
16. “Dan will rule his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17. Dan will be like a snake at the side of the road. He will be like a dangerous snake lying near the path. That snake bites a horse’s foot, and the rider falls to the ground.
18. “Lord, I am waiting for your salvation.
19. “A group of robbers will attack Gad, but Gad will chase them away.
20. “Asher’s land will grow much good food. He will have food fit for a king!
21. “Naphtali is like a deer running free, and his words are beautiful.
22. “Joseph is like a wild donkey, like a young donkey by a spring, like colts grazing in a pasture.
23. People attacked him and made life hard for him. Men with arrows became his enemies.
24. But he won the fight with his mighty bow and his skillful arms. He gets power from the Mighty One of Jacob, from the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25. the God of your father who helps you. May God All-Powerful bless you and give you blessings from the sky above and from the deep below. May he give you blessings from breast and womb.
26. My parents had many good things happen to them. And I, your father, was blessed even more. Your brothers left you with nothing. But now I pile all my blessings on you, as high as a mountain.
27. “Benjamin is like a hungry wolf. In the morning he kills and eats. In the evening he shares what is left.”
28. These are the twelve families of Israel. And this is what their father said to them. He gave each son a blessing that was right for him.
29. Then Israel gave them a command. He said, “When I die, I want to be with my people. I want to be buried with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.
30. That cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought that field from Ephron so that he could have a burying place.
31. Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried in that cave. Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried in that cave. I buried my wife Leah in that cave.