Judah

8Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

"Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will hold your enemies by the neck. Your father's sons will bow down to you."

9Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

"Judah is like a young lion. My son, you come home from the hunt. He crouches and lies down like a lion. Who would dare to wake him?"

10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

"A king's staff will always stay with Judah. Rulers will come from his family until Shiloh comes. Then the nations will follow him."

11Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

"He ties his donkey to a grapevine. He ties his young donkey to the best branch. He washes his clothes in wine, in the red juice of grapes."

12His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

"His eyes are darker than wine. His teeth are whiter than milk."

1Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

Reuben was the oldest son of Israel, who is also called Jacob. But Reuben did a wrong thing with his father's wife. So the rights of the oldest son were given to Joseph's sons instead. That is why the family list does not put Reuben first.

2For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:)

Judah became the strongest of the brothers. A ruler came from his family. But the rights of the oldest son still belonged to Joseph.