Genesis 49

NIV — New International Version Bible (NIV)

JLB — Japanese Living Bible (JLB)

Verse 1

Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

いよいよ最期の時がきました。ヤコブは息子たちをみな呼び寄せました。「いいか、みんな私の回りに集まるのだ。一人一人の将来がどうなるか教えよう。

Verse 2

“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.

おまえたちはみな、私の息子だ。これから言うことをよく注意して聞くのだよ。

Verse 3

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.

長男のルベン。おまえは私がまだ若く、血気盛んなころに生まれた子だ。長男として、あらゆる点で兄弟の上に立ってもよいはずだった。

Verse 4

Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.

だが実際は、海の荒波のような無法者だ。長男の資格はない。義理の母と関係するとは何事だ。私の顔に泥を塗った報いを受けるがよい。

Verse 5

“Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords^[a] are weapons of violence.

シメオンとレビは似た者同士だ。乱暴で手がつけられない。

Verse 6

Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

くれぐれもこの二人には近づくな。その悪だくみに加担するな。彼らは怒りにまかせて人を殺し、おもしろ半分に牛を傷つけた。

Verse 7

Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

彼らの怒りにのろいあれ。激しく残虐な怒りにのろいあれ。二人の子孫は、イスラエルの各地に散らしてしまおう。

Verse 8

“Judah,^[b] your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.

ユダよ。兄弟はおまえをたたえる。おまえは敵を滅ぼし、兄弟はみなおまえにひざまずく。

Verse 9

You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

ユダは、獲物をたいらげる、たくましく成長した若いライオンだ。何ものをも恐れず、ゆうゆうと寝そべっている。だれも、これを起こすことはできない。あえてそんな危険を冒す者はいない。

Verse 10

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,^[c]
until he to whom it belongs^[d] shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

その王位はシロ（権威を持つ者、メシヤとも解される）が来る時まで続く。人々がみなシロに従うその時まで、ユダは安泰である。

Verse 11

He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.

彼は大いに栄え、ろばをえり抜きのぶどうの木につなぎ、服をぶどう酒で洗う。

Verse 12

His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.^[e]

その目はぶどう酒より黒く、その歯はミルクより白い。

Verse 13

“Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.

ゼブルンは海のそばに住む。港は船でにぎわい、境界線はシドンにまで及ぶ。

Verse 14

“Issachar is a rawboned^[f] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.^[g]

イッサカルはたくましいろばだ。鞍袋の間にうずくまって休む。

Verse 15

When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.

美しい田園、住みよい土地を見た時、彼は肩にくい込む重い荷をもいとわず、人に仕えることをも拒まない。

Verse 16

“Dan^[h] will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.

ダンはほかの部族と同じように、自分の部族を治める。

Verse 17

Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.

その数は少なくとも、小道をはい回る蛇のように、馬のかかとにかみつき、乗り手を落とす。

Verse 18

“I look for your deliverance, Lord.

主の救いは確実だ。

Verse 19

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

ガドは強盗の一団に襲われる。だが奪い取るのはガドのほうで、敵をさんざんに追い散らす。

Verse 20

“Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

アシェルは実り豊かな地を耕す。その産物は王の食卓にも上る。

Verse 21

“Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.^[j]

ナフタリは解き放たれた鹿で、かわいらしい子鹿を生む。

Verse 22

“Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.^[k]

ヨセフは泉のそばの実り豊かな木だ。その枝は伸びて垣根を覆う。

Verse 23

With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.

一度は、迫害する者に矢を射込まれ、ひどい手傷を負った。

Verse 24

But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed^[l] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

だが、力あるヤコブの神、イスラエルを守る羊飼い、また岩である方のおかげで、みごと敵を打ち負かした。

Verse 25

because of your father’s God, who helps you,
    because of the Almighty,^[m] who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
    blessings of the deep springs below,
    blessings of the breast and womb.

先祖代々にわたり頼ってきた全能の神が、天の恵みと地の恵みをもって、あなたを祝福なさるように。大ぜいの子孫に恵まれ、

Verse 26

Your father’s blessings are greater
    than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
    than^[n] the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
    on the brow of the prince among^[o] his brothers.

山々には穀物と花が満ち、永遠に変わらない祝福があるように。これが、かつて兄たちから追放されたヨセフの受ける祝福だ。

Verse 27

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”

ベニヤミンはほえたける狼だ。明け方には敵を食い荒らし、夕べには戦利品を分け合う。」

Verse 28

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

The Death of Jacob

こうして、彼らそれぞれにふさわしいことばで祝福を与えたのです。

ヤコブの死

Verse 29

Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

それから、こうつけ加えました。「私はじきに死ぬ。そうしたらカナンの地に葬ってくれ。マムレに面したマクペラの野にあるほら穴を知っているだろう。おまえたちのひいおじいさんのアブラハムが、墓地にしようとヘテ人エフロンから買ったあの土地だ。

Verse 30

the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.

— not in JLB

Verse 31

There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.

そこは一族の墓として代々使われ、私もレアをそこに葬った。よいか。私も必ずそこへ葬ってくれ。」

Verse 32

The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.^[p]”

— not in JLB

Verse 33

When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

ヤコブはもう思い残すことはないと、安心して床について息を引き取りました。