2Isaac said, “You see that I am old and may die soon. 3Take your bow and arrows, go out into the country, and kill an animal for me. 4Cook me some of that tasty food that I like, and bring it to me. After I have eaten it, I will give you my final blessing before I die.”

5While Isaac was talking to Esau, Rebecca was listening. So when Esau went out to hunt, 6she said to Jacob, “I have just heard your father say to Esau, 7‘Bring me an animal and cook it for me. After I have eaten it, I will give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8Now, son,” Rebecca continued, “listen to me and do what I say. 9Go to the flock and pick out two fat young goats, so that I can cook them and make some of that food your father likes so much. 10You can take it to him to eat, and he will give you his blessing before he dies.”

11But Jacob said to his mother, “You know that Esau is a hairy man, but I have smooth skin. 12Perhaps my father will touch me and find out that I am deceiving him; in this way, I will bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.”

13His mother answered, “Let any curse against you fall on me, my son; just do as I say, and go and get the goats for me.” 14So he went to get them and brought them to her, and she cooked the kind of food that his father liked. 15Then she took Esau's best clothes, which she kept in the house, and put them on Jacob. 16She put the skins of the goats on his arms and on the hairless part of his neck. 17She handed him the tasty food, along with the bread she had baked.

18Then Jacob went to his father and said, “Father!”

“Yes,” he answered. “Which of my sons are you?”

19Jacob answered, “I am your older son Esau; I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of the meat that I have brought you, so that you can give me your blessing.”

20Isaac said, “How did you find it so quickly, son?”

Jacob answered, “The Lord your God helped me find it.”

21Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so that I can touch you. Are you really Esau?” 22Jacob moved closer to his father, who felt him and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob's voice, but your arms feel like Esau's arms.” 23He did not recognize Jacob, because his arms were hairy like Esau's. He was about to give him his blessing, 24but asked again, “Are you really Esau?”

“I am,” he answered.

25Isaac said, “Bring me some of the meat. After I eat it, I will give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him, and he also brought him some wine to drink. 26Then his father said to him, “Come closer and kiss me, son.” 27#He 11.20 As he came up to kiss him, Isaac smelled his clothes—so he gave him his blessing. He said, “The pleasant smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. 28May God give you dew from heaven and make your fields fertile! May he give you plenty of grain and wine! 29#Gn 12.3 May nations be your servants, and may peoples bow down before you. May you rule over all your relatives, and may your mother's descendants bow down before you. May those who curse you be cursed, and may those who bless you be blessed.”

Esau Begs for Isaac's Blessing

30Isaac finished giving his blessing, and as soon as Jacob left, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31He also cooked some tasty food and took it to his father. He said, “Please, father, sit up and eat some of the meat that I have brought you, so that you can give me your blessing.”

32“Who are you?” Isaac asked.

“Your older son Esau,” he answered.

33Isaac began to tremble and shake all over, and he asked, “Who was it, then, who killed an animal and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came. I gave him my final blessing, and so it is his forever.”

34When Esau heard this, he cried out loudly and bitterly and said, “Give me your blessing also, father!”

35Isaac answered, “Your brother came and deceived me. He has taken away your blessing.”

36 # Gn 25.29-34 Esau said, “This is the second time that he has cheated me. No wonder his name is Jacob.#27.36: Jacob: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “cheat.” He took my rights as the first-born son, and now he has taken away my blessing. Haven't you saved a blessing for me?”

37Isaac answered, “I have already made him master over you, and I have made all his relatives his slaves. I have given him grain and wine. Now there is nothing that I can do for you, son!”

38 # He 12.17 Esau continued to plead with his father: “Do you have only one blessing, father? Bless me too, father!” He began to cry.

39 # He 11.20 Then Isaac said to him,

“No dew from heaven for you,

No fertile fields for you.

40 # Gn 36.8; 2 K 8.20 You will live by your sword,

But be your brother's slave.

Yet when you rebel,#27.40: rebel; or grow restless.

You will break away from his control.”

41Esau hated Jacob, because his father had given Jacob the blessing. He thought, “The time to mourn my father's death is near; then I will kill Jacob.”

42 # Ws 10.10 But when Rebecca heard about Esau's plan, she sent for Jacob and said, “Listen, your brother Esau is planning to get even with you and kill you. 43Now, son, do what I say. Go at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44and stay with him for a while, until your brother's anger cools down 45and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send someone to bring you back. Why should I lose both of my sons on the same day?”

Isaac Sends Jacob to Laban

46Rebecca said to Isaac, “I am sick and tired of Esau's foreign wives. If Jacob also marries one of these Hittites, I might as well die.”

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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