Jacob

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son, and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me, 4and prepare for me savoury food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat; that I may bless you before I die.”

527.5: Gen 12.3; Num 24.9.Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7‘Bring me game, and prepare for me savoury food, that I may eat it, and bless you before the LORD before I die.’ 8Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you. 9Go to the flock, and fetch me two good kids, that I may prepare from them savoury food for your father, such as he loves; 10and you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him, and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13His mother said to him, “Upon me be your curse, my son; only obey my word, and go, fetch them to me.” 14So he went and took them and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared savoury food, such as his father loved. 15Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son; 16and the skins of the kids she put upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck; 17and she gave the savoury food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18So he went in 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 first-born. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that you may bless me.” 20But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.” 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23And he did not recognise him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. 24He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you.” So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said,

“See, the smell of my son

is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed!

28May God give you of the dew of heaven,

and of the fatness of the earth,

and plenty of grain and wine.

29Let peoples serve you,

and nations bow down to you.

Be lord over your brothers,

and may your mother's sons bow down to you.

Cursed be every one who curses you,

and blessed be every one who blesses you!”

30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31He also prepared savoury food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise, and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.” 32His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your first-born, Esau.” 33Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all27.33 Cn: Heb of all before you came, and I have 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, even me also, O my father!” 35But he said, “Your brother came with guile, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright; and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39Then Isaac his father answered him:

“Behold, away from27.39 Or of the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,

and away from27.39 Or of the dew of heaven on high.

40By your sword you shall live,

and you shall serve your brother;

but when you break loose

you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

41Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah; so she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself by planning to kill you. 43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran, 44and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away; 45until your brother's anger turns away, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send, and fetch you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women such as these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”