The Twelve Tribes

Jacob had twelve sons
And with them it begun
He bestowed a unique blessing upon each one
And with them, this tradition begun

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin
Jesus replaced them with the twelves disciples of the New Testament
But these were the original twelve
Ancient books like Genesis will tell

Let's take one, for example to consider
I've been studying the tribe of Asher
These were the blessings Jacob bestowed upon his eighth born
He foretold material prosperity
Fit for a king will be his delicacies
Asher will always have plenty
rich in food and luxury
And then Moses blessed Asher with preference
With charm and grace, magnetism and favouritism

The children belonging to the tribe of Asher 
Got the best blessings of worldly desires
Asher did not get a single negative comment
At least in this world, he will not lament

Asher means 'blessed' or 'happy'
His foot is dipped in oil, so there's always plenty
Asher does not lack any
Blessed more than all the eleven others
Even in times of draught and scarcity
Asher provided for the eleven with much and many
Asher has fertile land
And all his daughters were blessed with beauty so grand
Asher had an abundance 
With male children and descendants
And the beauty of his daughters
Found them favour, so in marriage they were much sought after

The garment of a Jewish High Priest was adorned
With twelve different gemstones
One representing each of these twelve tribes
The Hebrew calendar has 12 months that are rather difficult to describe.

- RUELHA
www.ruelha.com
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Disclaimer: This poem is purely literary. Please read it with an open mind and out of respect for the written word. To me, writing is my life. There is nothing I love more. I have a very creative imagination. Most of my poems do not hint at my life/situation. Kindly refrain from drawing such parallels. Much of what I write is purely fictional. Situations and examples may be hypothetical. I have always written about topics I am passionate about – Christianity, makeup, melancholic poetry, food, romance, women’s issues, soulful music, narratives, etc. Given the circumstances, my gender, situation, geography, etc., I feel the need to put up a disclaimer! Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But, please don’t interpret this poem in a disrespectful manner. Please extend me the grace of excusing typos if you notice any. I seldom ever edit due to time constraints. I do not claim to understand the secrets in the Bible. I just love researching and learning. So I delve into very unusual subjects in my pursuit of the truth. My writings contain material unsuitable for children.

Genesis 49:1-28, Deuteronomy 33:24

Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, lost his inheritance because of his sin wherein he lay with his father’s mistress. Israel decreed that his tribe would be as unstable as water and would not be successful.

Both Levi and Simeon were hateful and unforgiving. Jacob sentenced them to be separated from each other in the promised land, for, together in their anger, they had killed a man.

To Judah, Jacob promised praise and dominion over the tribes of Israel. He compared him to a lion and foretold that the scepter would reside in his tribe until the time of Shiloh.

To Zebulun, Jacob gave the sea and all of its trade. He proclaimed that it would be a great port, with its border stretching as far as Zidon.

Jacob then prophesied that Issachar would be like a strong donkey crouched between two burdens and that he would become a servant to the other tribes of Israel.

Dan, Jacob foretold, would be a judge to the other tribes. He compared him to a snake on the path that would attack riders as they passed.

Jacob promised that the tribe of Gad would become warriors. He declared that, while they would be overtaken for a time, they would eventually overcome.

Jacob proclaimed that Asher would be rewarded with the best grain in all the land and become rich as a result of it. He promised that royalty would come from his lineage.

Naphtali, Jacob predicted, would be like a deer, using beautiful words.

To his oldest son by Rachel, Jacob promised a fruitful lineage. He promised that, while others would hate and try to destroy him, the tribe of Joseph would be made strong by the will of God.

Jacob compared his youngest son to a ravenous wolf, saying that he would devour his prey in the morning and then split the reward amongst the other tribes in the evening. {borrowed from http://www.totallyhistory.com}