Genesis 49:3-27

Matthew^{(i) 3} Ruben thou art myne eldest sonne, my myghte and the begynnyng of my strength, chefe in receyuynge and chefe in power. ⁴ As vnstable as water wast thou: thou shalt therfore not be the chefest, for thou wenst vp vpon thy fathers bedd, and than defyledest thou my couche with goyng vp. ⁵ The brethren Symeon and Leui, wycked instrumentes are their wepons. ⁶ In to theyr secrettes come not my soule, and vnto their congregacion be my honour not coupled: for in their wrath they slewe a man, and in theyr selfe wyll they houghed an oxe. ⁷ Cursed be their wrath for it was stronge, and theyr fearsnes for it was cruell. I wyl therfore deuyde them in Iacob, & scater them in Israell. ⁸ Iuda, thy brethren shal prayse the, & thyne hand shalbe in the necke of thyue enemyes, & thy fathers chyldren shall stoupe vnto the. ⁹ Iuda is a lyons whelpe, From spoyle my sonne thou art come an hye: he layde hym doune and couched hym selfe as a lyon, and as a lionesse. Who dare stere hym vp? ¹⁰ The sceptre shal not departe from Iuda, nor a ruelar from betwene hys legges, vntyll Sylo come, vnto whome the people shal hark ¹¹ He shall bynde hys fole vnto the vyne, & hys asses colt vnto the vyne braunche, and shall wash hys garment in wyne and hys mantel in the bloud of grapes, ¹² hys eyes are roudier than wyne, & his teeth whitter then mylke. ¹³ Zabulon shal dwel in the hauen of the sea and in the porte of shyppes, and shal reache vnto Sydon. ¹⁴ Isachar is a stronge asse, he couched hym doune betwene two borders, ¹⁵ and sawe that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shulder to beare, and became a seruaunte vnto trybute. ¹⁶ Dan shall iudge his people, as one of the trybes of Israel. ¹⁷ Dan shalbe a serpent in the way, and an edder in the path, & byte the horsse heles, so that hys ryder shal fal bacward. ¹⁸ After thy sauynge loke I Lord. ¹⁹ Gad, men of warre shal inuade him. And he shal turne them to flyght. ²⁰ Of Asser cometh fat breed, and he shal geue pleasures for a kynge. ²¹ Nepthalim is a swyft hynde, & geueth goodly wordes. ²² That florisshyng chylde Ioseph, that florysshyng chylde and goodly vnto the eye: the daughters ran vpon the wall. ²³ The shoters haue enuyed hym and chydd wt hym and hated hym, ²⁴ and yet hys bowe bode fast, & his armes & hys handes were strong, by the handes of the mightye god of Iacob: out of hym shall come an herde man, a stone in Israel. ²⁵ Thy fathers God shall helpe the, & the almyghtie shal blesse the wt blessynges from heauen aboue, and wyth blessynges of the water that lieth vnder, & with blessynges of the brestes and of the wombe. ²⁶ The blessynges of thy father were stronge: euen as the blessynges of my elders, after the desyre of the hyest in the worlde, & these blessynges shall fall on the head of Ioseph, and on the toppe of the head of hym that was separat from hys brethren. ²⁷ Beniamin is a raueshynge wolfe. In the mornyng he shal deuoure hys praye, and at nyght he shal deuyde his spoyle.