Daily Bread

² “Assemble^(C) and listen, sons of Jacob;
    listen to your father Israel.^(D)

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn,^(E)
    my might, the first sign of my strength,^(F)
    excelling in honor,^(G) excelling in power.
⁴ Turbulent as the waters,^(H) you will no longer excel,
    for you went up onto your father’s bed,
    onto my couch and defiled it.^(I)

⁵ “Simeon^(J) and Levi^(K) are brothers—
    their swords^[a] are weapons of violence.^(L)
6 Let me not enter their council,
    let me not join their assembly,^(M)
for they have killed men in their anger^(N)
    and hamstrung^(O) oxen as they pleased.
⁷ Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
    and their fury,^(P) so cruel!^(Q)
I will scatter them in Jacob
    and disperse them in Israel.^(R)

⁸ “Judah,^[b](S) your brothers will praise you;
    your hand will be on the neck^(T) of your enemies;
    your father’s sons will bow down to you.^(U)
9 You are a lion’s^(V) cub,^(W) Judah;^(X)
    you return from the prey,^(Y) my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,^(Z)
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,^[c]
until he to whom it belongs^[d] shall come^(AA)
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.^(AB)
11 He will tether his donkey^(AC) to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;^(AD)
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.^(AE)
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.^[e](AF)

¹³ “Zebulun^(AG) will live by the seashore
    and become a haven for ships;
    his border will extend toward Sidon.^(AH)

¹⁴ “Issachar^(AI) is a rawboned^[f] donkey
    lying down among the sheep pens.^[g](AJ)
15 When he sees how good is his resting place
    and how pleasant is his land,^(AK)
he will bend his shoulder to the burden^(AL)
    and submit to forced labor.^(AM)

¹⁶ “Dan^[h](AN) will provide justice for his people
    as one of the tribes of Israel.^(AO)
17 Dan^(AP) will be a snake by the roadside,
    a viper along the path,^(AQ)
that bites the horse’s heels^(AR)
    so that its rider tumbles backward.

¹⁸ “I look for your deliverance,^(AS) Lord.^(AT)

¹⁹ “Gad^[i](AU) will be attacked by a band of raiders,
    but he will attack them at their heels.^(AV)

²⁰ “Asher’s^(AW) food will be rich;^(AX)
    he will provide delicacies fit for a king.^(AY)

²¹ “Naphtali^(AZ) is a doe set free
    that bears beautiful fawns.^[j](BA)

²² “Joseph^(BB) is a fruitful vine,^(BC)
    a fruitful vine near a spring,
    whose branches^(BD) climb over a wall.^[k]
23 With bitterness archers attacked him;^(BE)
    they shot at him with hostility.^(BF)
24 But his bow remained steady,^(BG)
    his strong arms^(BH) stayed^[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,^(BI)
    because of the Shepherd,^(BJ) the Rock of Israel,^(BK)
25 because of your father’s God,^(BL) who helps^(BM) you,
    because of the Almighty,^[m](BN) who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
    blessings of the deep springs below,^(BO)
    blessings of the breast^(BP) and womb.^(BQ)
26 Your father’s blessings are greater
    than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
    than^[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.^(BR)
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,^(BS)
    on the brow of the prince among^[o] his brothers.^(BT)

²⁷ “Benjamin^(BU) is a ravenous wolf;^(BV)
    in the morning he devours the prey,^(BW)
    in the evening he divides the plunder.”^(BX)