Genesis 49

49 ¹Jacob call im sons come, e sey, "Una gather come, make I fit tell una wetin go happen to una for di days wey dey come. ²Gather come and listen, una sons of Jacob; listen to Israel una papa. ³Reuben, na you be my firstborn, my power and di firstfruits of my strength, wey pass for honour and pass for power. ⁴You dey shake like water, so you no go pass, because you climb go your papa im bed; you spoil am—e climb go my place wey I dey lie down. ⁵Simeon and Levi na brothers; na weapon of violence be dia swords. ⁶Make I no ever enter dia meeting; make my honour no join dia gathering. Because for dia vex dem kill men, and for dia hard head dem cut di leg-string of ox. ⁷Make curse dey on dia vex, because e strong well well, and on dia anger, because e wicked! I go divide dem inside Jacob and scatter dem inside Israel. ⁸Judah, your brothers go praise you; your hand go dey for di neck of your enemies; your papa im sons go bow down for your front. ⁹Judah na small lion pikin; from di meat wey you catch, my son, you don come back. E bend down; e lie down like lion ¹⁰Di ruling-stick no go comot from Judah, and di ruler im staff no go comot from between im legs, until di one wey e belong to go come—Jesus—and na to am all di people go dey obey. ^a a v10 Di ruling-stick wey dem promise Judah and di one wey e belong to na Jesus — wey born comot for Judah im family line, wey dem call di Lion of di tribe of Judah for Revelation 5:5. ¹¹E tie im young donkey for di vine and im donkey pikin for di best vine, e don wash im cloth for wine and im robe for di blood of grape. ¹²Im eyes dark pass wine, and im teeth white pass milk. ¹³Zebulun go stay for di shore of di sea; e go be place wey ship dey rest, and im border go reach Sidon. ¹⁴Issachar na strong donkey, wey lie down between di two sheep-pen. ¹⁵E see sey di resting place good and sey di land sweet, so e bend im shoulder carry di load and turn to servant wey dem dey force work. ¹⁶Dan go judge im people as one of di tribes of Israel. ¹⁷Dan go be snake for di road, poison snake for di path, wey go bite di horse for im heel so dat di rider go fall back. ¹⁸I dey wait for your salvation, my Papa. ^b b v18 For di middle of blessing im sons, Jacob just burst into im own prayer — na di only direct cry to our Papa for di whole chapter. Im word for "salvation" carry di very root wey, as time go on, turn to di name Jesus. ¹⁹Gad—raiders go raid am, but e go raid dem for dia heel. ²⁰Asher im food go rich, and e go bring out kingly sweet-sweet food. ²¹Naphtali na deer wey dem release comot wey dey born fine-fine pikin deer. ²²Joseph na branch wey dey bear fruit, branch wey dey bear fruit for beside spring; im branches dey run pass di wall. ²³Di people wey dey shoot arrow attack am with bitterness, shoot am, and worry am well well. ²⁴But im bow stand still; dem make im arms strong by di hand of di Mighty One of Jacob—our Papa—na from there di Shepherd, di Stone of Israel dey come. ^c c v24 Di Mighty One of Jacob na one of di oldest title for our Papa for di Bible — di strong one wey dey hold im children hand steady when arrow dey fly. Di Shepherd and di Stone na title wey our Papa dey share with im Son Jesus, wey call imsef di good shepherd and wey Peter call di cornerstone. ²⁵By di God of your papa wey go help you, by El Shaddai—di Almighty, our Papa—wey go bless you with blessing of heaven wey dey up, blessing of di deep wey dey lie down under, blessing of di breast and of di womb. ²⁶Di blessing of your papa strong pass di blessing of my ancestors, e reach di riches of di hills wey dey forever. Make dem dey on Joseph im head, and on di forehead of di one wey dem set apart from im brothers. ²⁷Benjamin na wolf wey dey hungry to tear meat, for morning e dey chop di prey and for evening e dey share di things wey e catch."

Blessing for Each Son

²⁸All dis na di twelve tribes of Israel; na dis their papa talk as e dey bless dem, e bless each one with di blessing wey fit am.

²⁹E command dem, e sey, "Dem dey gather me go meet my people. Bury me with my fathers for inside di cave wey dey for di field of Ephron di Hittite man, ³⁰for inside di cave wey dey di field for Machpelah, for east of Mamre for Canaan land, wey Abraham buy together with di field from Ephron di Hittite man make e be burial ground. ³¹Na there dem bury Abraham and Sarah im wife; na there dem bury Isaac and Rebekah im wife; and na there I bury Leah, ³²di field and di cave wey dey inside am, na from di Hittite people dem buy am. ³³As Jacob finish to command im sons, e draw im leg enter di bed, breathe im last breath, and dem gather am go meet im people."