The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 27 -

(Hebrews 11:20)

When Isaac was old, he became almost blind. One day he summoned Esau, his firstborn son, and said to him, “My son?” He replied, “Here I am!”

Isaac said, “Listen to me. I am very old, and I do not know when I will die.

So take now your bow and quiver full of arrows and go out into the countryside, and hunt for a wild animal for me.

Kill one and prepare the kind of tasty meat that I like. Then bring it to me so that after I eat it, I can give you a blessing before I die.”

Rebekah was listening as Isaac said that to his son, Esau. So when Esau left the tent to go hunting,

Rebekah said to her son, Jacob, “Listen to me. I heard your father talking to your brother, Esau, saying,

‘Go and kill some wild animal and bring it here, and prepare the meat in a tasty way, so that I may eat it. Then before I die I will give you my blessing while Yahweh is listening.’

So now, my son, do what I am telling you.

Go out to the flock and kill two nice young goats and bring the meat to me. Then I will prepare some tasty food for your father, the way he likes it.

Then you can take it to your father, in order that he can eat it, and then he will give you his blessing before he dies.”

But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau’s skin has hair all over it, and my skin is not like that! My skin is smooth!

What will happen if my father touches me? He will realize that I am tricking him, and I will bring a curse on myself, not a blessing!”

His mother said to him, “If that happens, my son, let the curse be on me. You do what I am telling you. Go and get the goats for me!”

So Jacob went and killed two goats and brought them to his mother. Then his mother prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked.

Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes that were with her in the tent, and she put them on her younger son Jacob.

She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck.

Then she put into his hands some bread and the tasty food that she had prepared.

Jacob took it and went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac replied, “I am here; which of my sons are you?”

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn son. I did what you told me to do. Sit up and eat some of the meat so that you can bless me.”

But Isaac asked his son, “My son, how is it that you were able to find and kill an animal so quickly?” Jacob replied, “Because Yahweh, whom you worship, enabled me to be successful.”

Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near to me, my son, so that I can touch you and find out whether you are really my son Esau.”

So Jacob went close to his father, Isaac. Isaac touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands feel hairy, like the hands of his older brother, Esau.”

Isaac did not recognize him, because he was blind and because Jacob’s hands were hairy, like those of his older brother, Esau. So Isaac got ready to bless him.

But first Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob replied, “Yes, I am.”

Isaac said, “My son, bring me some of the meat that you have cooked, so that I may eat it and then give you my blessing.” So Jacob brought him some, and he ate it. Jacob also brought him some wine, and he drank it.

Then his father, Isaac, said to him, “My son, come here and kiss me.”

So Jacob went to him, and his father kissed him on the cheek. Isaac smelled the smell of the clothes Jacob was wearing. They smelled like Esau’s clothes. So he said, “Truly, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed.

I ask that God will send down to you dew from heaven to water your fields, and cause you to have abundant crops from the soil, and good harvests of grain, and grapes for wine.

I ask that people of many people groups serve you and bow down to you. I ask that you rule over your brothers, and that your mother’s descendants also bow down to you. I ask that God curse those who curse you, and bless those who bless you.”

Esau’s Lost Hope

After Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just left the room where his father was, his older brother, Esau, returned from hunting.

Esau cooked some tasty meat and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “My father, please sit up and eat some of the meat that I have cooked, so that you can then give me your blessing!”

His father, Isaac, said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am Esau, your firstborn son!”

Then Isaac began to tremble very violently. He said, “Then who is it that brought me some meat from an animal that he had hunted and killed, and I ate it all? He was here just before you came. I blessed him, and I cannot take back that blessing.”

When Esau heard those words of his father, he cried loudly. He was very disappointed. He said to his father, “My father, bless me, too!”

But his father said, “Your brother came, tricked me, and took your blessing!”

Esau said, “It is right that his name is Jacob, because he tricked me two times. The first time he took my rights as firstborn, and this time he took my blessing!” Then he asked, “Do you not have any blessing left for me?”

Isaac answered and said to Esau, “I have declared that your younger brother will rule over you, and I have declared that all his relatives will serve him. And I have said that God will give him plenty of grain and grapes for wine. So, my son, what can I do for you?”

Esau said to his father, “My father, do you have only one blessing? My father, bless me, too!” Then Esau cried very loudly.

His father Isaac answered and said to him, “The place where you will live will be far from the fertile soil and from the dew that God sends from heaven to water the fields.

You will rob and kill people in order to get what you need to live, and you will be as though you are your brother’s slave. But when you decide to rebel against him, you will free yourself from his control.”

Because of the blessing that his father had given to Jacob, Esau hated his brother. Esau said to himself, “After my father dies and we finish mourning for him, I will kill Jacob!”

But Rebekah found out what her older son, Esau, was thinking. So she summoned her younger son, Jacob, and said to him, “Listen to me. Your older brother, Esau, is comforting himself by planning to kill you, to get revenge for you tricking your father.

So now, my son, listen carefully to what I am telling you. Escape quickly and go and stay with my brother Laban, in Haran.

Stay with him a while, until your older brother is no longer angry.

When he forgets what you did to him, I will send a message to you to tell you to return from there. If Esau killed you, then others would kill him, and then both my sons would die at the same time!”

Rebekah then said to Isaac, “These foreign women whom Esau has married, who are descendants of Heth, are making my life miserable. If Jacob also marries a woman from the descendants of Heth in this area, my life will be worthless!”

(Hebrews 11:20)

When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, “My son?” He said to him, “Here I am.”

He said, “See now, I am old. I don’t know the day of my death.

Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and get me venison.

Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,

‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before the LORD before my death.’

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you.

Go now to the flock and get me two good young goats from there. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves.

You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing.”

His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me.”

He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved.

Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son.

She put the skins of the young goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck.

She gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

He came to his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.”

Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because the LORD your God gave me success.”

Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.

He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.”

He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless you.” He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.

His father Isaac said to him, “Come near now, and kiss me, my son.”

He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.

God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine.

Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”

Esau’s Lost Hope

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that your soul may bless me.”

Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” He said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed.”

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.”

He said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.”

He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing.” He said, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”

Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants. I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then will I do for you, my son?”

Esau said to his father, “Do you have just one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

Isaac his father answered him, “Behold, your dwelling will be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of the sky from above.

You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. It will happen, when you will break loose, that you will shake his yoke from off your neck.”

Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.

Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away—

until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?”