Genèse 49

¹ Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.

² Come together and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel:

³ Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my strength and the firstfruits of my virility,
excelling in prominence, excelling in power.

⁴ Turbulent as water, you will not excel,
because you got into your father’s bed
and you defiled it — he got into my bed.

⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their knives are vicious weapons.

⁶ May I never enter their council;
may I never join their assembly.
For in their anger they kill men,
and on a whim they hamstring oxen.

⁷ Their anger is cursed, for it is strong,
and their fury, for it is cruel!
I will disperse them throughout Jacob
and scatter them throughout Israel.

Note · Genèse 49.1–7

La colère des fils n’est pas bénie

Le rappel de Ruben rejoint Genèse 35.22. Les paroles sur Siméon et Lévi reprennent leur violence, notamment racontée en Genèse 34. Le langage de bénédiction du chapitre n’exige donc pas d’approuver chaque conduite : la colère meurtrière peut être dénoncée au moment même où l’avenir est transmis.

⁸ Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.

⁹ Judah is a young lion —
my son, you return from the kill.
He crouches; he lies down like a lion
or a lioness — who dares to rouse him?

¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah
or the staff from between his feet
until he whose right it is comes
and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.

¹¹ He ties his donkey to a vine,
and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine.
He washes his clothes in wine
and his robes in the blood of grapes.

¹² His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.

Note · Genèse 49.8–12

L’avenir royal de Juda

Le lion, le sceptre et l’abondance donnent à Juda une portée de gouvernement et de fécondité. La formulation de Genèse 49.10 est difficile et reçoit des traductions différentes. L’interprétation messianique chrétienne est importante, mais elle ne permet pas de faire comme si toutes les difficultés de la phrase hébraïque avaient disparu.

¹³ Zebulun will live by the seashore
and will be a harbor for ships,
and his territory will be next to Sidon.

¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey
lying down between the saddlebags.

¹⁵ He saw that his resting place was good
and that the land was pleasant,
so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load
and became a forced laborer.

¹⁶ Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷ Dan will be a snake by the road,
a viper beside the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider falls backward.

¹⁸ I wait for your salvation, Lord.

¹⁹ Gad will be attacked by raiders,
but he will attack their heels.

²⁰ Asher’s food will be rich,
and he will produce royal delicacies.

²¹ Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.

Note · Genèse 49.13–21

Des images différentes pour des destins collectifs

Les paroles sur les autres fils utilisent des paysages, des activités et des animaux. Elles appellent à considérer la diversité des tribus plutôt qu’à établir une échelle simple de valeur personnelle. La brève invocation du salut au milieu du poème rappelle aussi que l’avenir dépend de Dieu.

²² Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine beside a spring;
its branches climb over the wall.

²³ The archers attacked him,
shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

²⁴ Yet his bow remained steady,
and his strong arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

²⁵ by the God of your father who helps you,
and by the Almighty who blesses you
with blessings of the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
and blessings of the breasts and the womb.

²⁶ The blessings of your father excel
the blessings of my ancestors
and the bounty of the ancient hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

²⁷ Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey.
In the morning he devours the prey,
and in the evening he divides the plunder.”

²⁸ These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

Note · Genèse 49.22–28

Joseph béni au milieu de l’adversité

Les images de fécondité et d’attaque associent la vie de Joseph à une protection reçue. La bénédiction de l’ensemble des fils maintient leur appartenance commune malgré la diversité des paroles. L’unité de la famille n’exige pas que toutes ses histoires aient été identiques ni que chaque blessure soit oubliée.

²⁹ Then he commanded them: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite.

³⁰ The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.

³¹ Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there, Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there, and I buried Leah there.

³² The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites.”

³³ When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.

Note · Genèse 49.29–33

Transmettre jusqu’au lieu de la sépulture

Jacob répète sa demande d’être enterré avec ses pères et nomme ceux qui y reposent. Le geste rattache sa mort à une mémoire et à une promesse. Le livre ne conclut pas que les descendants possèdent déjà tout le pays ; ils doivent encore vivre une histoire d’attente.