Wetin We Fit Learn From the Last Things Wey Jacob Tell Im Sons Before E Die?—Part 1

1-2. Small time before Jacob die, wetin e do, and why? (Still check the picture )

JACOB na old man when e travel with im family go Egypt. And e continue to worship Jehovah well for 17 years before e die for Egypt. (Gen. 47:28) Jacob really happy to see im son Joseph, the pikin wey e be think say e don die. At last, e dey together with all im family again! But when Jacob know say e go soon die, e invite all im sons for one important family meeting.—Gen. 49:28.

² For that time, e dey common make papa gather all im family members together before e die to tell them wetin them go do after e die. (Isa. 38:1) For that meeting, e fit tell all of them who go be the next family head after e die.

3. As e dey for Genesis 49:1, 2, why the family meeting wey Jacob do with im sons before e die dey special?

³ Read Genesis 49:1, 2. But this meeting wey Jacob do no be just ordinary family meeting. For this meeting, Jacob talk wetin go happen for future. Jehovah use Im spirit to help Jacob tell im children some important things wey go happen to them and their families for future. So wetin Jacob tell im sons na prophecy.

4. Wetin Jacob talk about, and wetin we fit learn from the things wey e talk? (Still check the box “Jacob Family.”)

⁴ For this article, we go discuss wetin Jacob tell four of im sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. And for the article wey follow this one, we go discuss wetin e tell im other eight sons. As we go see, Jacob talk about wetin go happen to im sons and their families, and na this families later become the nation of Israel. When we check wetin happen to the nation of Israel for past, we go see how the things wey Jacob talk really happen. And when we think deep about wetin e talk, we go learn better lessons wey fit help us de do wetin Jehovah want.

REUBEN

5. Wetin Reuben fit don de expect say e go receive from im papa?

⁵ Na Reuben be the first person wey Jacob talk to. E tell-am say: “Na you be my firstborn.” (Gen. 49:3) As firstborn, e fit be say Reuben de expect say im papa go give-am more property pass wetin e go give im other brothers. E fit still de think say na im go be the next family head after im papa die and say na person from im own family line go always be family head for Israel.

6. Why Reuben no receive the blessings wey firstborn suppose get? (Genesis 49:3, 4)

⁶ But Reuben no receive the blessings wey firstborn suppose get. (1 Chron. 5:1) Why? Some years before, Reuben go sleep with Bilhah wey be im papa wife. Bilhah na the servant girl of Jacob wife, Rachel, wey don die and Rachel be don already give Bilhah to Jacob as wife. (Gen. 35:​19, 22) Reuben na the son of Leah, wey be Jacob other wife. So why Reuben go do this kind bad thing? E fit be say na body push-am and e no fit control imself. Or e fit be say e do-am so that im papa go hate Bilhah and love im mama more. No matter the reason, wetin e do really pain im papa and no make Jehovah happy.—Read Genesis 49:3, 4.

7. Wetin happen to Reuben and the people wey come from im family line? (Still check the box “The Last Things Wey Jacob Tell Im Sons Before E Die.”)

⁷ Jacob tell Reuben say: “You no go dey front of your brothers again.” Wetin Jacob talk really happen? Yes! No place for Bible ever talk say anybody from the family line of Reuben become king, priest or prophet. But Jacob still see Reuben as im pikin and im family line later become full tribe for Israel. (Josh. 12:6) E get other time wey Reuben don show say e get fine character and Bible no talk say e ever sleep with another person wey no be im wife again.—Gen. 37:​20-22; 42:37.

8. Wetin we fit learn from the story of Reuben?

⁸ Wetin we learn? We need to continue to work hard to de control ourself so that we go fit run from sex wey no clean. If we face temptation to commit sin, make we stop and think about how Jehovah go feel if we commit the sin and how e go affect our family and other people. And make we no forget say “anything wey person plant, na that thing e go harvest.” (Gal. 6:7) Another thing wey we learn from Reuben story be say, Jehovah na God wey de show mercy. We fit suffer because of the mistake wey we make, but if we really repent and continue to do wetin correct for Jehovah eye, Jehovah go forgive us and bless us.

SIMEON AND LEVI

9. Why Jacob no happy with Simeon and Levi? (Genesis 49:​5-7)

⁹ Read Genesis 49:​5-7. The next people wey Jacob talk to na Simeon and Levi. But wetin e talk show say e no happy with them. Some years before that time, one man from Canaan wey im name na Shechem rape Dinah wey be Jacob daughter. Na true say all Jacob sons no happy with wetin happen to their sister, but Simeon and Levi no control their anger. The sons of Jacob pretend say them want make peace with the men of Shechem if them agree to circumcise. The people agree and circumcise. When the people still de feel pain from the circumcision, Simeon and Levi “take their sword enter inside the city when people no suspect, and kill all the men.”—Gen. 34:​25-29.

10. How wetin Jacob talk about Simeon and Levi happen? (Still check the box “The Last Things Wey Jacob Tell Im Sons Before E Die.”)

¹⁰ Jacob really vex for wetin Simeon and Levi do. E talk say them go scatter for different-different part of the land of Israel. Wetin e talk happen 200 years later when the nation of Israel enter Promise Land. The tribe of Simeon receive land inside different-different city for Judah. (Josh. 19:1) And Levi receive 48 cities for different-different place for Israel.—Josh. 21:41.

11. Which good things the tribe of Simeon and Levi do?

¹¹ People wey come from the family line of Simeon and Levi no repeat the mistake wey Simeon and Levi make. People from the tribe of Levi worship Jehovah well. For example, when Moses go Mount Sinai to receive the Law from Jehovah, plenty Israel people start to worship idol. But people from the tribe of Levi no join them. Instead, them later join Moses to destroy the people wey worship idol. (Ex. 32:​26-29) Jehovah choose men from the tribe of Levi to be priests for Israel. (Ex. 40:​12-15; Num. 3:​11, 12) And later, when the tribe of Judah de fight Canaan people to get their own land, the tribe of Simeon join them to fight Canaan people and this thing wey them do really make Jehovah happy.—Judg. 1:3, 17.

12. Wetin we fit learn from the example of Simeon and Levi?

¹² Wetin we learn? We must work hard to control the way we de vex. If them treat you or person wey you love for bad way, e dey normal if you vex. (Ps. 4:4) But make we remember say Jehovah no go happy with us if we talk wetin go pain the person or treat-am for bad way because we de over-vex. (Jas. 1:20) When person treat us for bad way, whether the person de serve Jehovah or e no de serve Jehovah, we go do our best to follow Bible advice. This one go help us make we no talk or do wetin fit cause pain to other people. (Rom. 12:​17, 19; 1 Pet. 3:9) Even if your papa and mama no de do wetin de make Jehovah happy, remember say you fit still choose to do wetin correct for Jehovah eye. No ever think say e no dey possible for you to make Jehovah happy. Jehovah go help you to do the correct thing and e go bless you when you do-am.

JUDAH

13. Why Judah fit don de fear when e reach im turn to hear wetin im papa go tell-am?

¹³ Na Judah be the next person wey Jacob talk to. E fit be say Judah fit don de fear after e hear wetin their papa tell im three brothers. Why e de fear? Na because like im brothers, e make some serious mistakes. For example, after Simeon and Levi kill the men for Shechem, Judah join the rest of im brothers to carry all the property wey the people of Shechem get. (Gen. 34:27) E plan with im brothers to sell Joseph as slave and join them to deceive their papa say Joseph don die. (Gen. 37:​31-33) Later, after Judah son die, Judah sleep with Tamar wey be im pikin wife, even though say e be think say na prostitute e sleep with.—Gen. 38:​15-18.

14. Wetin Jacob tell Judah and wetin be some of the good things wey Judah do? (Genesis 49:8, 9)

¹⁴ Even with all the things wey Judah do, Jehovah move Jacob to bless Judah and promise-am say better things go happen to-am and im family. (Read Genesis 49:8, 9.) Judah don show say e really care about how im papa wey don old de feel. And e don still show say e love and care about im junior brother, Benjamin.—Gen. 44:​18, 30-34.

15. How the blessings wey Jacob give Judah take happen?

¹⁵ Jacob bless Judah say e go be leader for im brothers. But about 200 years pass before wetin Jacob talk start to happen. The first time wey Judah take the lead na when Israel people comot from Egypt de go Promise Land. Na the tribe of Judah dey front. (Num. 10:14) Many years after, na the tribe of Judah Jehovah first choose to go fight against Canaan people and win the Promise Land. (Judg. 1:1, 2) And David na the first among the many kings wey come from the tribe of Judah. But wetin Jacob talk still happen for other ways.

16. How wetin Jacob talk for Genesis 49:10 happen? (Still check the box “The Last Things Wey Jacob Tell Im Sons Before E Die.”)

¹⁶ Jacob still talk say the Person wey go rule the whole world forever go come from the family line of Judah. (Read Genesis 49:10 and footnote.) That Ruler na Jesus Christ, the Person wey Jacob call Shiloh. In fact, one angel talk say: “Jehovah God go give-am the throne of David im papa.” (Luke 1:​32, 33) Bible still call Jesus “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”—Rev. 5:5.

17. How we fit copy Jehovah example for the way we de see other people?

¹⁷ Wetin we learn? Jehovah bless Judah even though say e make some serious mistakes. But e fit be say Judah brothers fit de wonder wetin Jehovah see for Judah body wey make-am bless-am for special way. Na true say we no know wetin them fit don think, but wetin we know be say Jehovah see some good things for Judah heart and bless-am. How we fit copy Jehovah example? When brother or sister receive special assignment from Jehovah organization, we fit no understand why them give-am the assignment especially if we know the areas wey e no de do well. But make we remember say Jehovah de see the better-better character wey the brother or sister get. In fact, na the better-better character wey im worshippers get Jehovah de look. So make we do our best to copy Jehovah example.

18. Why we need to dey patient?

¹⁸ Another thing wey we learn from wetin happen to Judah na say we need to dey patient. Na true say Jehovah de always do wetin e promise, but e no de always do-am for the way and time wey we expect. The first-first people wey lead the nation of Israel no come from the tribe of Judah. But them continue to support the people wey Jehovah choose to lead the nation, like Moses wey come from the tribe of Levi, Joshua wey come from the tribe of Ephraim, or King Saul wey come from the tribe of Benjamin. Make we support anybody wey Jehovah choose to take the lead among im people today.—Heb. 6:12.

19. Wetin we fit learn about Jehovah from the last things wey Jacob tell im sons before e die?

¹⁹ Wetin we fit learn from the last things wey Jacob tell im sons before e die? E dey clear say: “The way man de see things no be how God de see things.” (1 Sam. 16:7) Jehovah dey patient and e de forgive. Na true say e no de happy when we do bad things, but e no expect make im worshippers dey perfect. E fit even bless people wey don make serious mistakes for past if them repent and start to do good things. For the next article, we go learn wetin Jacob tell im eight sons wey remain.