6soothly he gave gifts to the sons of [the] concubines, that is, secondary wives; and Abraham, while he lived yet, separated them from Isaac, his son, to the east coast.

7Forsooth the days of the life of Abraham were an hundred and threescore and fifteen years;

8and he failed, and died in [a] good eld age, and of great age, and full of days, and he was gathered to his people.

9And Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the double den, which is set in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, even against Mamre,

10which den he bought of the sons of Heth; and he was buried there, and Sarah his wife.

11And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, which dwelled beside the pit by name of him that liveth and seeth.

12These be the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Hagar Egyptian, handmaid of Sarah, childed to Abraham;

13and these be the names of the sons of Ishmael, in their names and generations. The first begotten of Ishmael was Nebajoth, afterward Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15and Hadar, and Tema, and Jetur, and Naphish, and Kedemah.

16These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were the names by castles, and towns of them, [the] twelve princes of their lineages.

17And the years of [the] life of Ishmael were made an hundred and seven and thirty years, and he failed, and died, and was put to his people.

18Forsooth he inhabited from Havilah till to Shur, that beholdeth Egypt, as men entereth into [the] Assyrians; he died before all his brethren.

19Also these be the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac,

20and when Isaac was of forty years, he wedded a wife, Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, of Syria, of Mesopotamia, the sister of Laban.

21And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, for she was barren; and the Lord heard him, and gave conceiving to Rebecca.

22But the little children were hurtled together in her womb; and she said, If it was so to coming [or to come] to me, what need was it to conceive? And she went to ask counsel of the Lord,

23which answered, and said, Two folks be in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy womb, and one people shall overturn a people, and the more shall serve the less.

24Then the time of child-bearing came, and lo! two children were found in her womb.

25He that went out first was red, and all rough in the manner of a skin; and his name was called Esau.

26Anon the other went out, and held with his hand the heel of his brother; and therefore he called him Jacob#25:26 The name sounds like the Hebrew for ‘He who takes by the heel, or supplants’.. Isaac was sixty years eld, when the little children were born.

27And when they were waxen, Esau was a man knowing of hunting, and a man an earth-tiller; forsooth Jacob was a simple man, and dwelled in tabernacles.

28Isaac loved Esau, for he ate of the hunting of Esau; and Rebecca loved Jacob.

29Soothly Jacob seethed pottage; and when Esau came weary from the field,

30he said to Jacob, Give thou to me of this red seething, for I am full weary; for which cause his name was called Edom or Red.

31And Jacob said to him, Sell to me the rights of the first begotten child.

32Esau answered, Lo! I die, what shall the first begotten things profit to me?

33Jacob said, Therefore swear thou to me. Therefore Esau swore, and sold the first engendered things.

34And so when he had taken bread and pottage, Esau ate and drank, and went forth, and charged or cared little that he had sold the rights of the first begotten child.

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B'resheet (Gen) 25

1(vi) Avraham took another wife, whose name was K’turah. 2She bore him Zimran, Yokshan, Medan, Midyan, Yishbak; and Shuach. 3Yokshan fathered Sh’va and D’dan. The sons of D’dan were Ashurim, L’tushim and L’umim. 4The sons of Midyan were ‘Eifah, ‘Efer, Hanokh, Avida and Elda‘ah. All these were descendants of K’turah.

5Avraham gave everything he owned to Yitz’chak. 6But to the sons of the concubines he made grants while he was still living and sent them off to the east, to the land of Kedem, away from Yitz’chak his son.

7This is how long Avraham lived: 175 years. 8Then Avraham breathed his last, dying at a ripe old age, an old man full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9Yitz’chak and Yishma‘el his sons buried him in the cave of Makhpelah, in the field of ‘Efron the son of Tzochar the Hitti, by Mamre, 10the field which Avraham purchased from the sons of Het. Avraham was buried there with Sarah his wife.

11After Avraham died, God blessed Yitz’chak his son, and Yitz’chak lived near Be’er-Lachai-Ro’i.

(vii) 12Here is the genealogy of Yishma‘el, Avraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian woman bore to Avraham. 13These are the names of the sons of Yishma‘el, listed in the order of their birth. The firstborn of Yishma‘el was N’vayot; followed by Kedar, Adbe’el, Mivsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Teima, Y’tur, Nafish and Kedmah. (Maftir) 16These are the sons of Yishma‘el, and these are their names, according to their settlements and camps, twelve tribal rulers.

17This is how long Yishma‘el lived: 137 years. Then he breathed his last, died and was gathered to his people.

18Yishma‘el’s sons lived between Havilah and Shur, near Egypt as you go toward Ashur; he settled near all his kinsmen.

Haftarah Hayyei-Sarah: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 1:1–31

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Hayyei-Sarah: Mattityahu (Matthew) 8:19–22; 27:3–10; Luke 9:57–62

Parashah 6: Tol’dot (History) 25:19–28:9

19Here is the history of Yitz’chak, Avraham’s son. Avraham fathered Yitz’chak. 20Yitz’chak was forty years old when he took Rivkah, the daughter of B’tu’el the Arami from Paddan-Aram and sister of Lavan the Arami, to be his wife. 21Yitz’chak prayed to Adonai on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. Adonai heeded his prayer, and Rivkah became pregnant. 22The children fought with each other inside her so much that she said, “If it’s going to be like this, why go on living?” So she went to inquire of Adonai, 23who answered her, “There are two nations in your womb. From birth they will be two rival peoples. One of these peoples will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

24When the time for her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. 25The first to come out was reddish and covered all over with hair, like a coat; so they named him ‘Esav [completely formed, that is, having hair already]. 26Then his brother emerged, with his hand holding ‘Esav’s heel, so he was called Ya‘akov [he catches by the heel, he supplants]. Yitz’chak was sixty years old when she bore them.

27The boys grew; and ‘Esav became a skillful hunter, an outdoorsman; while Ya‘akov was a quiet man who stayed in the tents. 28Yitz’chak favored ‘Esav, because he had a taste for game; Rivkah favored Ya‘akov.

29One day when Ya‘akov had cooked some stew, ‘Esav came in from the open country, exhausted, 30and said to Ya‘akov, “Please! Let me gulp down some of that red stuff — that red stuff! I’m exhausted!” (This is why he was called Edom [red].) 31Ya‘akov answered, “First sell me your rights as the firstborn.” 32“Look, I’m about to die!” said ‘Esav. “What use to me are my rights as the firstborn?” 33Ya‘akov said, “First, swear to me!” So he swore to him, thus selling his birthright to Ya‘akov. 34Then Ya‘akov gave him bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, got up and went on his way. Thus ‘Esav showed how little he valued his birthright.

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Genesis 25

B'resheet (Gen) 25