5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—

their swords are weapons of violence.

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.

7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce,

and their fury, so cruel!

I will scatter them in Jacob

and disperse them in Israel.

8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;

your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;

your father’s sons will bow down to you.

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?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he to whom it belongs shall come

and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

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.

12 His eyes will be darker than wine,

his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore

and become a haven for ships;

his border will extend toward Sidon.

14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey

lying down among the sheep pens.

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.

16 “Dan will provide justice for his people

as one of the tribes of Israel.

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.

18 “I look for your deliverance, LORD.

19 “Gad[i] will be attacked by a band of raiders,

but he will attack them at their heels.

20 “Asher’s food will be rich;

he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

21 “Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.

22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine,

a fruitful vine near a spring,

whose branches climb over a wall.

23 With bitterness archers attacked him;

they shot at him with hostility.

24 But his bow remained steady,

his strong arms stayed limber,

because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25 because of your father’s God, who helps you,

because of the Almighty, who blesses you

with blessings of the skies above,

blessings of the deep springs below,

blessings of the breast and womb.

26 Your father’s blessings are greater

than the blessings of the ancient mountains,

than the bounty of the age-old hills.

Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

in the morning he devours the prey,

in the evening he divides the plunder.”

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.

Dear God, I told my wife this morning, “Isn’t it interesting to call your children to you on your deathbed and curse half of them.” Now, I didn’t do the numbers and see that it was half, but really, do you really need to curse any of your children on your deathbed?

I am continuously amazed at how the little comments I make, usually in jest, are taken as damning curses by my children. Since I have seen the results of my teasing, I am so much better about it than I used to be, but I still let things slip, looking for the joke—even at their expense. Just this weekend my son mentioned something that I said in front of my parents that was rude. I would have thought that I hadn’t done anything on that trip to their house that hurt my kids, but when he gave me his example he was right.

Father, my desire is to only speak blessings over my children—both directly and indirectly. I want them to feel not only loved by me, but also blessed by me. Help me to use my words in a positive way to encourage and bless them. Help me to love them richly. Love them through me. Show me where I am foolish. Show me where I need to encourage them to do better through a blessing instead of relegating them to a life of giving into their vices through a curse. I do not want to live verse 28, giving each the blessing appropriate to him or her. I want to give the blessing that you want them to live into. You do not want them to live into their negative qualities. You want them to live into your calling for them. Help me to see that and to give them that blessing as their father.