Genesis 27

CHAPTER 27

1Forsooth Isaac waxed eld [or old], and his eyes dimmed, and he might not see. And he called Esau, his more or older son, and said to him, My son! Which answered, I am present.

2To whom the father said, Thou seest that I have waxed eld, and I know not the day of my death#27:2 Isaac would still be alive more than 20 years after this event(!)..

3Take thine arms, an arrow case, and a bow, and go out; and when thou hast taken anything by hunting,

4make me a stew thereof, as thou knowest that I will or desire, and bring it to me that I eat, that my soul bless thee before that I die.

5And when Rebecca had heard this thing, and he had gone forth into the field that he fulfill the behest of his father,

6she said to her son Jacob, I heard thy father speaking with Esau, thy brother, and saying to him,

7Bring thou to me of thine hunting, and make thou meats, that I eat, and that I bless thee before the Lord before that I die.

8Now therefore, my son, assent to my counsels,

9and go to the flock, and bring to me twain [or two] of the best kids, that I make meats of those to thy father, which he shall eat gladly;

10and that when thou hast brought in those meats, and he hath eaten, he bless thee before that he die.

11To whom Jacob answered, Thou knowest that Esau my brother is an hairy man, and I am smooth;

12if my father shall touch or draw me to him, and feel me, I dread lest he guess that I would scorn him, and he bring in cursing on me for blessing.

13To whom his mother said, My son, this cursing be in me; only hear thou my voice, and go, and bring that that I said.

14He went, and brought it, and gave it to his mother. She made ready meats, as she knew that his father would have,

15and she clothed Jacob in [the] full good clothes of Esau, which she had at home with herself.

16And she wrapped his hands about with little skins of goat kids, and covered the nakedness of his neck;

17and she gave to him the stew, and betook him [the] loaves, which she had baked.

18And when these were brought in, he said, My father! And he answered, I am here; who art thou, my son?

19And Jacob said, I am Esau, thy first begotten son. I have done to thee as thou commandedest to me; rise thou up, and sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul bless me.

20Again Isaac said to his son, My son, how mightest thou find this venison so soon? Which answered, It was God’s will, that this thing that I would, should come soon to me.

21And Isaac said, My son, come thou hither, that I touch thee, and that I prove whether thou be my son Esau, or nay.

22Jacob nighed to his father; and when Isaac had feeled him, he said, Soothly the voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands be the hands of Esau.

23And Isaac knew not Jacob, for the hairy hands showed the likeness of the elder son. Therefore Isaac blessed Jacob,

24and said again, Art thou my son Esau? Jacob answered, I am.

25And Isaac said, My son, bring thou to me meats of thine hunting, that my soul bless thee. And when Isaac had eaten these meats brought, Jacob brought also wine to Isaac, and when this was drunken,

26Isaac said to him, My son, come thou hither, and give to me a kiss.

27Jacob nighed, and kissed him; and anon as Isaac feeled the odour of his clothes, he blessed him, and said, Lo! the odour of my son as the odour of a plenteous field which the Lord hath blessed.

28God give to thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of [the] earth, abundance [or plenty] of wheat, and of wine, and of oil;

29and peoples serve thee, and lineages worship thee; be thou lord of thy brethren, and the sons of thy mother be bowed before thee; be he cursed that curseth thee, and he that blesseth thee, be he [full-]filled with blessings.

30Scarcely Isaac had filled the word, and when Jacob was gone out, Esau came,

31and brought in meats sodden of the hunting to the father, and said, My father, rise thou, and eat of the hunting of thy son, that thy soul bless me.

32And Isaac said, Who art thou? Which answered, I am Esau, thy first begotten son.

33Isaac dreaded with a great aston-ishing; and he wondered more than it may be believed, and said, Who therefore is he which a while ago brought to me venison taken, and I ate of all things before that thou camest; and I blessed him? and he shall be blessed.

34When the words of the father were heard, Esau roared with a great cry, and was astonied, and said, My father, bless thou also me.

35Which said, Thy brother came prudently [or beguilingly], and took thy blessing.

36And Esau added, Justly his name is called Jacob, for lo! he [hath] supplanted me another time; before he took away my first begotten things, and now the second time, he [hath] ravished privily my blessing. And again he said to the father, Whether thou hast not reserved a blessing also to me?

37Isaac answered, I have made him thy lord, and I have made subject all his brethren to his servage; I have stablished him in wheat, and wine, and oil; and so, my son, what shall I do to thee after these things?

38To whom Esau said, Father, whether thou hast only one blessing? I beseech thee, that also thou bless me. And when Esau wept with great yelling,

39Isaac was stirred, and said to him, Thy blessing shall not be in the fatness of [the] earth, and in the dew of heaven from above;

40thou shalt live by sword, and thou shalt serve thy brother, and time shall come when thou shalt shake away, and unbind his yoke from [off] thy nolls.

41Therefore Esau hated evermore Jacob for the blessing by which the father had blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning of my father shall come, and I shall slay Jacob, my brother.

42These things were told to Rebecca, and she sent, and called her son Jacob, and said to him, Lo! Esau, thy brother, menaceth [or threateneth] to slay thee;

43now therefore, my son, hear thou my voice, and rise thou up, and flee to Laban, my brother, into Haran;

44and thou shalt dwell with him a few days, till the strong vengeance of thy brother rest, and his indignation cease,

45and till he forget those things which thou hast done against him. Afterward I shall send, and I shall bring thee from thence hither. Why shall I be made sonless of ever either son in one day?

46And Rebecca said to Isaac, It annoyeth or vexeth me of my life for the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the kindred of this land, I will not live.

Genesis 27

Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing

1And it happened that when Isaac was old and his eyesight was weak,#Literally “his eyes were weak from seeing” he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he#That is, Esau said to him, “Here I am.” 2And he said, “Look, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3So now, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt food for me. 4Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring it to me. And I will eat it so that I#Or “my soul” can bless you before I die.

5Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and when Esau went to the field to hunt wild game to bring back, 6Rebekah said to Jacob her son, “Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother saying, 7‘Bring wild game to me and prepare tasty food so I can eat it and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’ 8So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. 9Go to the flock and take two good young goats from it for me, and I will prepare them as tasty food for your father, just as he likes. 10Then you must take it to your father and he will eat it so that he may bless you before his death.” 11Then Jacob said to his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man. 12Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes as a mocker, and he will bring upon me a curse and not a blessing.” 13Then his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice—go and get them for me.” 14So he went and took them, and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty food as his father liked. 15Then Rebekah took some of her older son Esau’s best garments that were with her in the house, and she put them on Jacob her younger son. 16And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth part of his neck.17And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son. 18And he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit up and eat from my wild game so that you#Or “your soul” may bless me.” 20Then Isaac said to his son, “How#Literally “what is this?” did you find it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because Yahweh your God caused me to find it.”#Literally “made it to happen before me” 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. Are you really#Literally “are you this one?” my son Esau or not?” 22And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father. And he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother. And he blessed him. 24And he said, “Are you really#Literally “are you this one?” my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25Then he said, “Bring it near to me that I may eat from the game of my son, so that I#Or “my soul” may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate. And he brought wine to him, and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27And he drew near and kissed him. And he#That is, Isaac smelled the smell of his garments, and he blessed him and said,

“Look, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed!

28May God give you of the dew of heaven

and of the fatness of the earth,

and abundance of grain and new wine.

29Let peoples serve you,

and nations bow down to you;

Be lord of your brothers,

and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.

Cursed be those cursing you,

and blessed be those blessing you.”

30And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, immediately after#Literally “it was only” Jacob had gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came back from his hunting. 31He too prepared tasty food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat from the wild game of his son, that you#Or “your soul” may bless me.” 32And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33Then Isaac trembled violently.#Literally “trembled a great trembling unto exceeding” Then he said, “Who then was he that hunted wild game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I blessed him? Moreover, he will be blessed!” 34When Esau heard the words of his father he cried out with a great and exceedingly bitter cry of distress. And he said to his father, “Bless me as well, my father!” 35And he said, “Your brother came in deceit and took your blessing.” 36Then he said, “Isn’t that why he is named Jacob?#Literally “that his name is called Jacob?” He has deceived me these two times. He took my birthright and, look, now he has taken my blessing!” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. Now what can I do for you, my son?” 38And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,

“Your home shall be from#Or “away from” the fatness of the land,

and from the dew of heaven above.

40But by your sword you shall live,

and you shall serve your brother.

But it shall be that when free yourself

you shall tear off his yoke from your neck.

41Then Esau held a grudge against Jacob on account of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart,#That is, “to himself” “The days of mourning for my father are coming, then I will kill Jacob my brother.” 42But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called for her younger son Jacob. And she said to him, “Look, Esau your brother is consoling himself concerning you, intending to kill you. 43Now then, my son, listen to my voice; arise and flee to Haran to Laban my brother. 44Stay with him a few days until the wrath of your brother has turned—45until the anger of your brother turns from you and he has forgotten what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I lose the two of you in one day?” 46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women.#Or “daughters of the Hittites” If Jacob takes a wife from Hittite women#Or “daughters of the Hittites” like these, from the native women,#Literally “daughters of the land” what am I living for?”#Literally “What is life to me?”

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Genesis 27

Genesis 27