BROADCASTS.com

Jacob, nearing his death, begins to bless his sons. Jacob claims\xa0Joseph's Egyptian-born sons as his own, incorporating them into his\xa0heritage. This doubles Joseph's tribal allotment. Jacob also blesses\xa0Ephraim, the secondborn, more than Manasseh, the firstborn. Jacob also\xa0gives Joseph a mountain slope, and all the blessings on Joseph's\xa0children will be remembered in Heb\xa011:21.

Jacob remembers Reuben as powerful and unruly, and because he took up\xa0with Bilhah, he is no longer given preeminence. Simeon and Levi are\xa0divided, and their tribes will be scattered, because they are weapons\xa0of violence. Levi is not given a region in the tribal allotment, and\xa0Simeon is given a region entirely surrounded by Judah.

Judah will be praised, and rulers will come from him, and we look to\xa0the eventual coming of Christ through this. Zebulun is given the\xa0crossroads from the trade coming over the sea. Issachar is also given\xa0an area of trade, but will have to labor for it. Dan is given his\xa0portion, but will eventually be dispossessed from it. Joseph is given\xa0many blessings.

After all of this, Jacob dies.