8-12 You, Judah, your brothers will praise you:
    Your fingers on your enemies’ throat,
    while your brothers honor you.
You’re a lion’s cub, Judah,
    home fresh from the kill, my son.
Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts;
    who dares mess with him?
The scepter shall not leave Judah;
    he’ll keep a firm grip on the command staff
Until the ultimate ruler comes
    and the nations obey him.
He’ll tie up his donkey to the grapevine,
    his purebred prize to a sturdy branch.
He will wash his shirt in wine
    and his cloak in the blood of grapes,
His eyes will be darker than wine,
    his teeth whiter than milk.

Read full chapter

You are a lion’s(A) cub,(B) Judah;(C)
    you return from the prey,(D) 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,(E)
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[a]
until he to whom it belongs[b] shall come(F)
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.(G)
11 He will tether his donkey(H) to a vine,
    his colt to the choicest branch;(I)
he will wash his garments in wine,
    his robes in the blood of grapes.(J)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 49:10 Or from his descendants
  2. Genesis 49:10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.