27 Isaac became old. He could not see anything because his eyes were weak. He called for his older son, Esau. Isaac said, ‘My son.’ Esau replied, ‘Yes, I am here.’ 2 Isaac said, ‘I am an old man. I may die very soon. 3 Get your bow and your arrows. [ a ] Go out into the country and kill some wild animals for me. 4 Then prepare the food that I like to eat. Bring it to me so that I can eat it. Then I will give you my blessing before I die.’ [ b ]
5 Rebekah listened to what Isaac said to Esau. She waited until Esau went out to the country to kill an animal and bring back the meat. 6 Then she said to Jacob, ‘I heard your father say this to Esau: 7 “Bring me some meat and prepare the food that I like to eat. When I have eaten it, I will give you my blessing. I will bless you in front of the Lord before I die.” 8 Now my son, listen carefully and do as I tell you. 9 Go out to the animals and bring two goats to me. They must be very good young goats. Then I will prepare some food that your father likes to eat. I will cook the meat in the way that he likes. 10 Then take the food to your father. When he has eaten it, he will give you his blessing before he dies.’
11 Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, ‘That will be difficult. Hair covers my brother's skin. But my skin does not have any hair. 12 My father may touch me. Then he will know that I am deceiving him. He will not bless me. He will curse me instead.’ 13 Jacob's mother said, ‘My son, the curse will happen to me, not you. Do what I say. Go and get the things that I told you.’
14 Jacob went and he got the goats. He brought them to his mother. She prepared some food in the way that Isaac liked to eat. 15 Then Rebekah took some of Esau's best clothes that were in her house. She put them on Jacob, her younger son. 16 She covered Jacob's hands with the skin from the goats. She also covered the part of his neck that had no hair. 17 Then she gave to Jacob the food that Isaac liked to eat. And she gave him some bread that she had made.
18 Jacob went to his father. He said, ‘My father.’ Isaac replied ‘Yes, my son. Who are you, Esau or Jacob?’ 19 Jacob said, ‘I am Esau. I am your firstborn son. I have done as you told me. Please sit up. Eat some of the meat from the wild animal that I killed. Then you can bless me.’ 20 Isaac asked his son, ‘My son, how did you find it so quickly?’ Jacob replied, ‘The Lord your God helped me find it.’ [ c ]
21 Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come near to me so that I can touch you, my son. Then I will know if you really are my son Esau.’
22 Jacob went near to his father. Isaac touched him and he said, ‘The voice is Jacob's voice. But the hands are Esau's hands.’ 23 Isaac did not know that it was Jacob because he could feel the hair on Jacob's hands. They felt like Esau's hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob.
24 Isaac asked again, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ Jacob replied, ‘I am.’ 25 Isaac said, ‘My son, bring me some of your meat. I will eat it. Then I will bless you.’ So Jacob brought the food to him and Isaac ate it. Jacob also brought some wine and Isaac drank it.
26 Then Isaac said, ‘Come here my son and kiss me.’ 27 So Jacob went to Isaac and kissed him. Isaac smelled the clothes that Jacob wore. Then Isaac blessed him. He said,
‘The smell of my son is like the smell of a field.
It is like a field that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you rain for your crops,
so that they grow well in the good ground. [ d ]
Then you will have plenty of grain for food.
And you will have grapes to make wine.
29 May the people of many nations serve you.
May they respect you as their master.
You will rule over your brothers.
Yes, your mother's sons will bend down to respect you.
May God curse anyone who curses you.
And may he bless anyone who blesses you.’ [ e ]
30 When Isaac had blessed Jacob, Jacob left him. Just then, Esau came back from the country where he had killed an animal. 31 He prepared nice food that Isaac liked to eat. Then he took the food to his father, Isaac. Esau said, ‘My father, please sit up. Eat some of the meat from the wild animal that I have killed. Then you can bless me.’
32 His father Isaac asked, ‘Who are you?’ Esau replied, ‘I am your firstborn son, Esau.’ 33 Isaac's body shook very much. He asked, ‘Who was it who killed an animal and brought the meat to me? Just before you came, I ate all of it. And then I blessed him. And God will certainly bless him!’ [ f ]
34 Esau heard what his father had said and he cried aloud. He was very upset. He said, ‘My father, please bless me too!’ 35 But Isaac said, ‘Your brother came to me. He deceived me and he took your blessing away from you.’ 36 Esau said, ‘Yes, “Jacob” is the right name for him. He has cheated me twice. First he took my birthright. Now he has taken my blessing as well!’ Then Esau asked his father, ‘You must still have some blessing left for me, don't you?’ [ g ]
37 Isaac replied, ‘I have made Jacob master over you. All his relatives will become his servants. I have given him crops and wine. So what can I still do to bless you, my son?’ [ h ]
38 Esau said, ‘My father, you surely have one blessing left for me. Please bless me too!’ Then Esau wept loudly.
39 Isaac replied,
‘You will not live in a place where the ground gives good food.
You will not have rain to make your crops grow.
40 You will have to fight to get the things that you need.
You will serve your brother as your master.
But when you choose to turn against him,
you will become free from his power over you.’ [ i ]
41 Because Isaac had blessed Jacob, Esau hated his younger brother Jacob. Esau said quietly, ‘My father will die soon. When we have buried his body, I will kill my brother.’ 42 Someone told Rebekah what her older son, Esau, had said. So she told her younger son, Jacob, to come to her. She said to him, ‘Your brother Esau wants to kill you, because of what you did to him. 43 Now my son, do what I tell you. Quickly go away from here. Go to my brother Laban who lives in Haran. 44 Live with him for a time. Stay there until your brother is not angry with you any longer. 45 He may forget what you did to him. Then I will send a message to you, so that you can come back from Haran. I do not want to lose both of my sons in one day.’ [ j ]
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, ‘I do not like living in the same place as Esau's wives. It makes me very upset, because they are Hittites. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women who live in this land, I will be very sad. I would rather die!’ [ k ]
27 Isaac grew old, and his eyes became so weak that he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, “Son!”
Esau answered, “Here I am.”
2 Isaac said, “I am old. Maybe I will die soon. 3 So take your bow and arrows and go hunting. Kill an animal for me to eat. 4 Prepare the food that I love. Bring it to me, and I will eat it. Then I will bless you before I die.” 5 So Esau went hunting.
Rebekah was listening when Isaac told this to his son Esau. 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I heard your father talking to your brother Esau. 7 Your father said, ‘Kill an animal for me to eat. Prepare the food for me, and I will eat it. Then, with the Lord as witness, I will bless you before I die.’ 8 So listen, son, and do what I tell you. 9 Go out to our goats and bring me two young ones. I will prepare them the way your father loves them. 10 Then you will carry the food to your father, and he will bless you before he dies.”
11 But Jacob told his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man. I am not hairy like him. 12 If my father touches me, he will know that I am not Esau. Then he will not bless me—he will curse me because I tried to trick him.”
13 So Rebekah said to him, “I will accept the blame if there is trouble. Do what I said. Go get the goats for me.”
14 So Jacob went out and got two goats and brought them to his mother. His mother cooked the goats in the special way that Isaac loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the clothes that her older son Esau loved to wear. She put these clothes on the younger son Jacob. 16 She took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and on his neck. 17 Then she got the food she had cooked and gave it to Jacob.
18 Jacob went to his father and said, “Father.”
His father answered, “Yes, son. Who are you?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your first son. I have done what you told me. Now sit up and eat the meat from the animals that I hunted for you. Then you can bless me.”
20 But Isaac said to his son, “How have you hunted and killed the animals so quickly?”
Jacob answered, “Because the Lord your God allowed me to find the animals quickly.”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near to me so that I can feel you, my son. If I can feel you, I will know if you are really my son Esau.”
22 So Jacob went to Isaac his father. Isaac felt him and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob’s voice, but your arms are hairy like the arms of Esau.” 23 Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his arms were hairy like Esau’s. So Isaac blessed Jacob.
24 Isaac said, “Are you really my son Esau?”
Jacob answered, “Yes, I am.”
25 Then Isaac said, “Bring me the food. I will eat it and bless you.” So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate it. Then Jacob gave him some wine, and he drank it.
26 Then Isaac said to him. “Son, come near and kiss me.” 27 So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes, he blessed him and said,
“My son smells like the fields
the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you plenty of rain,
good crops, and wine.
29 May the nations serve you
and many people bow down to you.
You will rule over your brothers.
Your mother’s sons will bow down to you and obey you.
Whoever curses you will be cursed.
Whoever blesses you will be blessed.”
30 Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting. 31 Esau prepared the food in the special way his father loved. He brought it to his father and said, “Father, I am your son. Get up and eat the meat from the animals that I killed for you. Then you can bless me.”
32 But Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”
He answered, “I am your son—your first son—Esau.”
33 Then Isaac became so upset that he began to shake. He said, “Then who was it that cooked and brought me food before you came? I ate it all, and I blessed him. Now it is too late to take back my blessing.”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he became very angry and bitter. He cried out and said to his father, “Then bless me also, father!”
35 Isaac said, “Your brother tricked me! He came and took your blessing!”
36 Esau said, “His name is Jacob. [ a ] That is the right name for him. He has tricked me twice. He took away my rights as the firstborn son. And now he has taken away my blessing.” Then Esau said, “Have you saved any blessing for me?”
37 Isaac answered, “I have already given Jacob the power to rule over you. And I said all his brothers would be his servants. I have given him the blessing for much grain and wine. There is nothing left to give you, my son.”
38 But Esau continued to beg his father. “Do you have only one blessing, father? Bless me also, father!” Esau began to cry.
39 Then Isaac said to him,
“You will not live on good land.
You will not have much rain.
40 You will have to fight to live,
and you will be a slave to your brother.
But when you fight to be free,
you will break away from his control.”
41 After that Esau hated Jacob because of this blessing. Esau said to himself, “My father will soon die, and after we are finished with that, I will kill Jacob.”
42 Rebekah heard about Esau’s plan to kill Jacob. She sent for Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is planning to kill you. 43 So, son, do what I say. My brother Laban is living in Haran. Go to him and hide. 44 Stay with him for a short time until your brother stops being angry. 45 When your brother forgets what you did to him, I will send a servant to bring you back. I don’t want to lose both of my sons the same day.”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “Your son Esau married Hittite women. I am very upset about this, because they are not our people. I’ll have nothing to live for if Jacob marries one of these women!”
27 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.
8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
27 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and ( A ) his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his ( B ) older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 2 Then [ a ] ( C ) Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and ( D ) hunt game for me; 4 and prepare a delicious meal for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that ( E ) my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home , 6 ( F ) Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare a delicious meal for me, so that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ 8 So now, my son, ( G ) listen to [ b ] me [ c ] as I command you. 9 Go now to the flock and [ d ] bring me two choice [ e ] young goats from there, so that I may prepare them as a delicious meal for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Behold, my brother Esau is a ( H ) hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12 ( I ) Perhaps my father will touch me, then I will be like a [ f ] deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” 13 But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only ( J ) obey my voice, and go, get the goats for me.” 14 So he went and got them , and brought them to his mother; and his mother made a delicious meal such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the [ g ] best ( K ) garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 And she put the skins of the [ h ] young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 She also gave the delicious meal and the bread which she had made [ i ] to her son Jacob.
18 Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. ( L ) Come now, sit and eat of my game, so that [ j ] ( M ) you may bless me.” 20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “ ( N ) Because the Lord your God made it [ k ] come to me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, so that ( O ) I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, and he touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were ( P ) hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that [ l ] ( Q ) I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he ( R ) blessed him and said,
“See, ( S ) the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field ( T ) which the Lord has blessed;
28 Now may ( U ) God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the ( V ) fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 ( W ) May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
( X ) Be master of your brothers,
( Y ) And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
( Z ) Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
30 Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, that his brother Esau came in from his hunting. 31 Then he also made a delicious meal, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “ ( AA ) Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that [ m ] ( AB ) you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “ ( AC ) Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, ( AD ) your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac [ n ] trembled violently, and said, “ ( AE ) Who then was he who hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate from all of it before you came, and blessed him? ( AF ) Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, ( AG ) he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me as well, my father!” 35 And he said, “ ( AH ) Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36 Then Esau said, “ [ o ] Is he not rightly named ( AI ) [ p ] Jacob, for he has betrayed me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him ( AJ ) your master, and I have given to him all his relatives [ q ] as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me as well, my father.” So Esau raised his voice and ( AK ) wept.
39 Then ( AL ) his father Isaac answered and said to him,
“Behold, [ r ] ( AM ) away from the [ s ] fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling,
And [ t ] away from the dew of heaven from above.
40 And by your sword you shall live,
And ( AN ) you shall serve your brother;
But it shall come about ( AO ) when you become restless,
That you will [ u ] break his yoke from your neck.”
41 So Esau ( AP ) held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said [ v ] to himself, “ ( AQ ) The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent word and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. 43 Now then, my son, ( AR ) obey my voice, and arise, [ w ] flee to ( AS ) Haran, to my brother ( AT ) Laban! 44 Stay with him ( AU ) a few days, until your brother’s fury [ x ] subsides, 45 until your brother’s anger [ y ] against you subsides and he forgets ( AV ) what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of [ z ] living because of ( AW ) the daughters of Heth; ( AX ) if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, ( A ) he called for Esau his older son ( B ) and said to him, “My son.”
“Here I am,” he answered.
2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. ( C ) 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country ( D ) to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like ( E ) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing ( F ) before I die.” ( G )
5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country ( H ) to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ( I ) “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ ( J ) 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: ( K ) 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, ( L ) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. ( M ) 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing ( N ) before he dies.”
11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man ( O ) while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? ( P ) I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse ( Q ) on myself rather than a blessing.”
13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. ( R ) Just do what I say; ( S ) go and get them for me.”
14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. ( T ) 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes ( U ) of Esau her older son, ( V ) which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. ( W ) 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”
“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” ( X )
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. ( Y ) I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, ( Z ) so that you may give me your blessing.” ( AA )
20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success, ( AB ) ” he replied.
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, ( AC ) my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, ( AD ) who touched ( AE ) him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; ( AF ) so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied.
25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” ( AG )
Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”
27 So he went to him and kissed ( AH ) him ( AI ) . When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, ( AJ ) he blessed him and said,
“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed. ( AK )
28 May God give you heaven’s dew ( AL )
and earth’s richness ( AM ) —
an abundance of grain ( AN ) and new wine. ( AO )
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you. ( AP )
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. ( AQ )
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed. ( AR ) ”
30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” ( AS )
32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” ( AT )
“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau. ( AU ) ”
33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? ( AV ) I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed! ( AW ) ”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry ( AX ) and said to his father, “Bless ( AY ) me—me too, my father!”
35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully ( AZ ) and took your blessing.” ( BA )
36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob [ a ] ? ( BB ) This is the second time he has taken advantage of ( BC ) me: He took my birthright, ( BD ) and now he’s taken my blessing!” ( BE ) Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”
37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. ( BF ) So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. ( BG )
39 His father Isaac answered him, ( BH )
“Your dwelling will be
away from the earth’s richness,
away from the dew ( BI ) of heaven above. ( BJ )
40 You will live by the sword
and you will serve ( BK ) your brother. ( BL )
But when you grow restless,
you will throw his yoke
from off your neck. ( BM ) ”
41 Esau held a grudge ( BN ) against Jacob ( BO ) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning ( BP ) for my father are near; then I will kill ( BQ ) my brother Jacob.” ( BR )
42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau ( BS ) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. ( BT ) 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: ( BU ) Flee at once to my brother Laban ( BV ) in Harran. ( BW ) 44 Stay with him for a while ( BX ) until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, ( BY ) I’ll send word for you to come back from there. ( BZ ) Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite ( CA ) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, ( CB ) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” ( CC )
