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’s Deception

1Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 2Then #27.2: Lit heIsaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; 4and prepare a delicious meal for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5Now Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, 6Rebekah 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.’ 8So now, my son, listen to #27.8: Lit my voiceme #27.8: Lit according to whatas I command you. 9Go now to the flock and #27.9: Lit takebring me two choice #27.9: Lit kids of goatsyoung goats from there, so that I may prepare them as a delicious meal for your father, such as he loves. 10Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12Perhaps my father will touch me, then I will be like a #27.12: Lit mockerdeceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” 13But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get the goats for me.” 14So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made a delicious meal such as his father loved. 15Then Rebekah took the #27.15: Lit desirable; or choicebest garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16And she put the skins of the #27.16: Lit kids of the goatsyoung goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17She also gave the delicious meal and the bread which she had made #27.17: Lit into the hand ofto her son Jacob.

18Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Come now, sit and eat of my game, so that #27.19: Lit your soulyou may bless me.” 20Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God made it #27.20: Lit meet mecome to me.” 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22So 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.” 23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that #27.25: Lit my soulI may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” 27So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said,

“See, the smell of my son

Is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;

28Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,

And of the fatness of the earth,

And an abundance of grain and new wine;

29May peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you;

Be master of your brothers,

And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Cursed be those who curse you,

And blessed be those who bless you.”

The Stolen Blessing

30Now 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. 31Then he also made a delicious meal, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that #27.31: Lit your soulyou may bless me.” 32His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33Then Isaac #27.33: Lit trembled with a very great tremblingtrembled violently, and said, “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? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me as well, my father!” 35And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36Then Esau said, “#27.36: Or Was he then named Jacob that he hasIs he not rightly named #27.36: Fr Heb verb meaning to seize someone by the heel, and so to betrayJacob, 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?” 37But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and I have given to him all his relatives #27.37: Lit foras servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38Esau 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 wept.

39Then his father Isaac answered and said to him,

“Behold, #27.39: Or ofaway from the #27.39: Lit fatnessfertility of the earth shall be your dwelling,

And #27.39: Or ofaway from the dew of heaven from above.

40“And by your sword you shall live,

And you shall serve your brother;

But it shall come about when you become restless,

That you will #27.40: Lit tear offbreak his yoke from your neck.”

41So Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said #27.41: Lit in his heartto himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42Now 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. 43Now then, my son, obey my voice, and arise, #27.43: Lit flee for yourselfflee to Haran, to my brother Laban! 44Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury #27.44: Lit turns awaysubsides, 45until your brother’s anger #27.45: Lit turns away from youagainst you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”

46And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of #27.46: Lit my lifeliving because of the daughters of Heth; 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?”

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Good News Translation (US Version)

Genesis 27

Genesis 27