Wat We Can Learn From Jacob’s Las Words To His Eight Odda Boys

1. Wat we goin talk about in dis lesson?

JACOB’S boys all stay aroun him an lissening real good wen dea faddah stay talking to dem. In da las lesson we wen talk about wat Jacob wen tell Reuben, Simeon, Levi, an Judah. An dose four boys wuz shock by wat he wen tell dem, an dey probly like kno wat dea faddah goin tell da eight odda braddahs. We go see wat we can learn from wat Jacob wen tell Zebulun, Issakar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naftali, Joseph, an Benjamin.a

ZEBULUN

2. Wat Jacob wen tell Zebulun, an how wen come tru? (Da Start 49:13) (Go look da box.)

² Read um Da Start 49:13. Wat Jacob had say wen show dat da Zebulun ohana wuz goin live by da north paht of da Promise Land right by da seashore. Dat wen come tru ova 200 years layta. Dey wuz happy cuz dey wuz right between da Galilee Sea an da Mediterranean sea. Dat wen make um easy fo trade stuff wit odda peopo, even tho dey wuzn’t right on da seashore. Dass how come Moses wen say, “You Zebulun ohana, stay good inside.”​—Rules 33:18

3. Wat can help us be happy wit wat we get?

³ Wat us can learn? No matta wea we live or wat stay goin on in oua life, we still can be happy. But fo stay lidat, we gotta be happy wit wat we get. (Songs 16:6; 24:5) Iz ony easy fo come futless if we tink about da stuff we no moa. Dass why we gotta try tink about da good tings in oua life.​—Gal 6:4.

ISSAKAR

4. Wat Jacob wen tell Issakar, an how wen come tru? (Da Start 49:14, 15) (Go look da box.)

⁴ Read um Da Start 49:14, 15, NEW WORLD TRANSLATION. Jacob wen tell Issakar dat he wuz one hahd worka an he wuz like one donkey dat could carry heavy stuff. Anodda ting he wen tell Issakar wuz da land dat he wuz goin get wuz goin be good. An dat wen happen wen da Issakar ohana wen get da land right by da Jordan Riva wea wuz real good fo grow stuff. (Josh 19:22) Dey wen work hahd fo take kea dea land an fo take kea odda peopo too. (1 Ki 4:7, 17) Like wen Barak an Deborah wen ask da Israel peopo fo help dem fight, da Issakar ohana wuz ready fo go. An had odda times dey wuz willing fo go fight too.​—Leadas 5:15

5. Why we should work hahd?

⁵ Wat us can learn? Jehovah wuz happy wit da Issakar ohana cuz dey wen work hahd. An Jehovah happy wen we work hahd fo him too. (Teacha 2:24) Try tink about da braddahs who work hahd fo take kea da local hui. (1 Tim 3:1, NWT.) Dey go all out fo proteck da braddahs an sistahs from tings dat can jam dem up spiritually. (1 Cor 5:1, 5; Jude 17-23) Dey also work hahd fo make an give talks dat goin build up da hui.​—1 Tim 5:17.

DAN

6. Wat kuleana da Dan ohana wen get? (Da Start 49:17, 18) (Go look da box.)

⁶ Read um Da Start 49:17, 18. Jacob wen say dat Dan wuz like one snake dat attack animals moa big den dem, like one war horse. Dan’s ohana had plenny courage an wuz ready fo attack wateva enemies. Wen da Israel peopo wuz goin to da Promise Land, da Dan ohana wuz “da las ones fo leave,” protecking erybody from behind. (Cens 10:25) Even tho nobody seen wat dey wuz doin, dat wuz one importan kuleana.

7. Wat we gotta rememba about da stuff we do fo Jehovah?

⁷ Wat us can learn? You eva wen do work fo Jehovah dat you feel like nobody else wen see? Like maybe clean or take kea da Kingdom Hall, work at da big kine meetings, or odda stuff. If you do dat kine stuff, right on! Rememba dat Jehovah see eryting you do fo him. He real happy wen you do stuff cuz you love him, not cuz you like odda peopo tell you dat you awesome.​—Mat 6:1-4, NWT.

GAD

8. Why wuz easy fo enemies attack da Gad ohana? (Da Start 49:19) (Go look da box.)

⁸ Read um Da Start 49:19. Jacob wen say wuz goin have guys dat would raid da Gad ohana. Moa den 200 years layta, dey wen get da land on da east side of da Jordan Riva. Dey wanted dis land cuz wuz good fo raise animals. (Cens 32:1, 5) But all aroun dem had plenny enemies, an dass how come wuz easy fo dem get attack. Da Gad ohana wen show plenny courage an dey wen trus Jehovah fo help dem proteck da land dey wen get. Dey wen even sen dea army guys fo help da odda Israel ohanas fo go fight on da west side of da Jordan in da Promise Land. (Cens 32:16-19) Even tho dey wuz goin be gone fo plenny years, dey wen trus dat Jehovah wuz goin proteck dea families. Jehovah wen bless dem fo showing courage an helping da odda Israel ohanas.​—Josh 22:1-4.

9. If we trus Jehovah, wat kine choices we goin make?

⁹ Wat us can learn? Fo serve Jehovah wen times iz hahd, we gotta keep trusting him. (Songs 37:3) Plenny today show dea trus in Jehovah by making sacrifices fo go work on construcktion projecks, preach wea need help, or take kea odda kuleana in Jehovah’s hui. Dey do dis cuz dey trus dat Jehovah always goin take kea dem.​—Songs 23:1.

ASHER

10. Wat Asher neva do? (Da Start 49:20) (Go look da box.)

¹⁰ Read um Da Start 49:20. Jacob wen say dat Asher wuz goin come rich, an dass wat wen happen. Da land da Asher ohana wen get wuz good fo grow stuff. (Rules 33:24) Dea land wuz right nex to da Mediterranean Sea wea had da Sidon port dat wen bring in plenny money. But da Asher ohana neva chase out da Canaan peopo from da land. (Leadas 1:31, 32) An cuz dey neva do dat, da Canaan peopo wen rub off on dem fo go afta money radda den serve Jehovah. Wen Barak wen try find guys fo help dem fight da Canaan peopo, da Asher guys neva show up. An cuz of dat, dey wen miss out on bein paht of dat unreal win “by da Megiddo watta.” (Leadas 5:19-21) Musta been shame fo da Asher ohana wen Barak an Deborah wen sing one song about da win an wen say dat da Asher peopo neva do notting fo help.​—Leadas 5:17.

11. Why we gotta be balanced wen come to money kine stuff?

¹¹ Wat us can learn? We like give Jehovah oua bes. Fo do dat, we no can be like da peopo in da world who tink dat money an da tings we can buy wit um iz da mos importan ting in oua life. (Smart Guys 18:11) Wen come to money, we gotta be balanced. (Teacha 7:12; Heb 13:5) So we no goin wase oua time trying fo get tings we no really need. Instead, we goin do eryting we can fo Jehovah, trusting dat if we stay faitful, he goin give us eryting we need now an in da future.​—Songs 4:8.

NAFTALI

12. How Jacob’s words to Naftali wen come tru? (Da Start 49:21, NWT.) (Go look da box.)

¹² Read um Da Start 49:21, NWT. Wen Jacob sed dat Nafali wuz goin “talk nice,” maybe he wuz talking about how Jesus wen talk wen he wuz preaching. Jesus wen spen plenny time living in Capernaum, one town in da Naftali ohana land. Dass why dey call Capernaum, “da town wea he live.” (Mat 4:13; 9:1; John 7:46) An Isaiah wen tell one prophecy about how Jesus wuz goin be “one big light” to da Zebulun an Naftali peopo. (Isa 9:1, 2) How Jesus wen teach wen show dat he wuz “da light dass fo real” an “da light dat show erybody wass true.”​—John 1:9.

13. How we can make Jehovah happy by da way we talk?

¹³ Wat us can learn? Jehovah kea about wat we say an da way we say um. How we can make Jehovah happy an talk nice? Tell da trut. (Songs 15:1, 2) Wen oddas do someting good, tell um, cuz dat goin build dem up. An we neva like put oddas down or grumbo about dem. (Efe 4:29) And we like get betta at talking story wit peopo so we can tell dem about Jehovah.

JOSEPH

14. How da prophecy about Joseph wen come tru. (Da Start 49:22, 26) (Go look da box.)

¹⁴ Read um Da Start 49:22, 26. Jacob wuz real proud of Joseph cuz Jehovah wen make him “come mo importan den all his odda braddah guys.” Jacob wen call him “one tree branch dat get plenny fruit.” Jacob wuz da tree an Joseph wuz da branch. Joseph wuz da numba one boy from Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel. Jacob wen say dat Joseph wuz goin get wat Reuben wen lose out on. (Start 48:5, 6; 1 Rec 5:1, 2) Dat prophecy wen come tru wen Joseph’s two boys Efraim an Manasseh wen come two tribes an get dea own pieces of land.​—Start 49:25; Josh 14:4.

15. How Joseph wen ack wen tings no wuz fair?

¹⁵ Jacob wen also say dat army guys wen “use bow an arrow fo attack Joseph.” (Start 49:23) Dose guys he wuz talking about wuz Joseph’s braddahs who wuz jealous of him an wen make him suffa real plenny. Joseph neva blame his braddahs or Jehovah fo wat wen happen. Instead, Jacob wen say dat Joseph neva pay dem back by using his “bow” agains dem. (Start 49:24) He wen trus Jehovah wen he wuz goin tru hahd times an wen fogive his braddahs an treat dem good. (Start 47:11, 12) Joseph wen let all dese tings make him one betta person. (Songs 105:17-19) Cuz of dat, Jehovah wen use him fo plenny importan tings.

16. How we can copy Joseph wen we go tru hahd times?

¹⁶ Wat us can learn? No let da hahd times you go tru make you lose yoa love fo Jehovah an yoa braddahs an sistahs. We like rememba dat sometimes wen Jehovah let us go tru dese tings, it can be paht of oua training fo help us fo come betta. (Heb 12:7) It can help us fo show moa pity an learn how fo let oddas go. (Heb 12:11) Wen we do dat, jus like how Jehovah wen do good tings fo Joseph, he goin do da same ting fo us.

BENJAMIN

17. How da prophecy about Benjamin had come tru? (Da Start 49:27) (Go look da box.)

¹⁷ Read um Da Start 49:27. Jacob wen tell dat da Benjamin ohana wuz goin be good fightas jalike one wolf. (Leadas 20:15, 16; 1 Rec 12:2) Da firs king of Israel wuz Saul from da Benjamin ohana. An he wuz one mean fighta agains da Filisha guys. (1 Sam 9:15-17, 21) Plenny years layta, Queen Esther an Mordecai from da Benjamin ohana wen fight hahd fo save da Israel peopo from getting wipe out.​—Est 2:5-7; 8:3; 10:3.

18. How we can copy da Benjamin ohana an how dey wen stick to who Jehovah wen pick?

¹⁸ Wat us can learn? Da Benjamin guys wuz proud fo have somebody from dea own ohana come king. But layta on wen Jehovah wen make David from da Judah ohana come king, da Benjamin guys wen back um up. (2 Sam 3:17-19) Years afta dat, wen da odda tribes wen go agains Judah, ony da Benjamin ohana wen stick to da one Jehovah wen pick fo be king. (1 Ki 11:31, 32; 12:19, 21) We can do da same ting an stick to da braddahs who Jehovah use fo lead us today.​—1 Tess 5:12.

19. How Jacob’s las words to his boys can help us?

¹⁹ Jacob’s las words to his boys can help us plenny. Seeing how dose words wen come tru make oua fait moa strong in Jehovah’s odda promises. An goin ova how Jehovah wen bless Jacob’s boys fo da good stuff dey wen do help us fo see wat we gotta do fo make Jehovah happy.