Bible Verses About The Tribes of Israel

While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.

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

Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are weapons of violence.

May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger, and hamstring oxen on a whim.

Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

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

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.

He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.

His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.

Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.

Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.

Dan shall provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

I await Your salvation, O LORD.

Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.