1   And Iacob called his sonnes, and said to them: Come together, that I ^note may shew you the things that shal come to you in the last dayes.

2   Come together, and heare you sonnes of Iacob, heare ye Israel your father:

3   Ruben my first begotten, thou art my strength, and the begining of my sorow: former in giftes, greater in empyre.

4   Thou art poured out as water, ^note encrease thou not:09Q0108 because thou diddest ascend thy fathers bed, and diddest defile his coutch.

Iacob.

5   Simeon and Leui brethren:09Q0109 vessels of iniquitie warring.

6   Into their counsel come not my soule, and in their congregation be not my glorie: because in their furie they slew a man, and in their wilfulnes they vndermined a wall. ^note

7   Cursed be their furie, because it is stubborne: and their indignation, because it is hard: I wil diuide them in Iacob, and wil disperse them in Israel.

8   Iudas, thee thy brethren shal praise: thy hand shalbe in the neck of thyne enemies: thy fathers children shal adore thee.

9   A lions whelp Iudas: to the pray my sonne thou didst ascend: taking thy rest thou didst lye as a lion, and as it were a lyonesse, who shal raise him vp?

10   09Q0110The scepter shal not Be taken away from Iudas, and a duke out of his thigh, til he doe come that is to be sent, and the same shal be the expectation of the gentiles.

11   Tying to the vineyard his colt, and to the vine, o my sonne, his she asse. 09Q0111He shal wash his stole in wine, and in the bloud of the grape his cloke.

12   His eyes are more beautiful then wine, and his teeth whiter then milke.

13   Zabulon shal dwel in the shore of the sea, and in the road of shippes reaching as farre as Sidon.

14   Issachar a strong asse lying at rest betwen the borders.

15   He saw rest that it was good: and the earth that it was very good: and he put vnder his shoulder to cary, and became seruing vnder tributes.

16   Dan shal iudge his owne people as also an other tribe in Israel.

17   Be Dan09Q0112 a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, byting the hooffes of the horse, that his ryder may fal backward.

18   I wil expect thy salvation o Lord.

19   Gad, the gyrded shal fight before him: and himself shal be gyrded backward.

20   Aser, his bread is fat, and he shal geue daynties to kinges.

21   Nepthali, a hart let forth, & geuing speaches of beautie.

22   09Q0113Ioseph a child encreasing, encreasing and comelie to behold: the daughters coursed to and for vpon the wall.

23   But the dart men did exasperate him, & brawled, and enuied him.

24   His bowe sate vpon the strong, & the bands of his armes and his handes were dissolued, by the handes of the mightie of Iacob: thence came forth a pastour, the stone of Israel.

25   The God of thy father shal be thy helper, &

Iacob. the Almightie shal blesse thee with the blessinges of heauen from aboue, with the blessinges of the deapth, that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the pappes and of the wombe.

26   The blessinges of thy father were strengthned with the blessings of his fathers: vntil the desire of the eternal hilles came: be they vpon the head of Ioseph, & vpon the crowne of the Nazarite among his brethren.

27   Beniamin ^note a rauening woolfe, in the morning shal eate the pray, and in the euening shal diuide the spoile.

28   Al these in the tribes of Israel twelue: these things spake their father to them, and he blessed euerie one, with their proper blessings.

29   And he commanded them, saying: I am geathered vnto my people: burie you me with my fathers in the duble caue, which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,

30   against Mambre in the Land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hethite for a possession to burie in.

31   There they buried him, & Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried.

32   And when he had finished the precepts wherwith he instructed his sonnes, he plucked vp his feet vpon the bed, and died: & he was put vnto his people.

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