Genesis 27

Isaac Blesses Jacob

1Now it came to pass, when Isaac was #Gen. 35:28old and #Gen. 48:10; 1 Sam. 3:2his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered him, “Here I am.”

2Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I #(Prov. 27:1; James 4:14)do not know the day of my death. 3#Gen. 25:27, 28Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul #Gen. 27:19, 25, 27, 31; 48:9, 15, 16; 49:28; Deut. 33:1; Heb. 11:20may bless you before I die.”

5Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. 6So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ 8Now therefore, my son, #Gen. 27:13, 43obey my voice according to what I command you. 9Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make #Gen. 27:4savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he #Gen. 27:4; 48:16may bless you before his death.”

11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, #Gen. 25:25Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. 12Perhaps my father will #Gen. 27:21, 22feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring #Gen. 9:25; Deut. 27:18a curse on myself and not a blessing.”

13But his mother said to him, #Gen. 43:9; 1 Sam. 25:24; 2 Sam. 14:9; Matt. 27:25“Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” 14And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother #Prov. 23:3; Luke 21:34made savory food, such as his father loved. 15Then Rebekah took the #Gen. 27:27choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18So he went 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 just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, #Gen. 27:4that your soul may bless me.”

20But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

21Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I #Gen. 27:12may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23And he did not recognize him, because #Gen. 27:16his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

24Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.”

25He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so #Gen. 27:4, 10, 19, 31that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27And he came near and #Gen. 29:13kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, #Song 4:11; Hos. 14:6the smell of my son

Is like the smell of a field

Which the Lord has blessed.

28Therefore may #Heb. 11:20God give you

Of #Gen. 27:39; Deut. 33:13, 28; 2 Sam. 1:21; Ps. 133:3; Prov. 3:20; Mic. 5:7; Zech. 8:12the dew of heaven,

Of #Gen. 45:18; Num. 18:12the fatness of the earth,

And #Deut. 7:13; 33:28plenty of grain and wine.

29#Gen. 9:25; 25:23; Is. 45:14; 49:7; 60:12, 14Let peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brethren,

And #Gen. 37:7, 10; 49:8let your mother’s sons bow down to you.

#Gen. 12:2, 3; Zeph. 2:8, 9Cursed be everyone who curses you,

And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope

30Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and #Gen. 27:4eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

32And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—#Gen. 25:23; 28:3, 4; Num. 23:20; Rom. 11:29and indeed he shall be blessed.”

34When Esau heard the words of his father, #(Heb. 12:17)he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”

35But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

36And Esau said, #Gen. 25:26, 32–34“Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, #2 Sam. 8:14“Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with #Gen. 27:28, 29grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

38And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice #Heb. 12:17and wept.

39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, #Gen. 27:28; Heb. 11:20your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,

And of the dew of heaven from above.

40By your sword you shall live,

And #Gen. 25:23; 27:29; 2 Sam. 8:14; (Obad. 18–20)you shall serve your brother;

And #2 Kin. 8:20–22it shall come to pass, when you become restless,

That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Jacob Escapes from Esau

41So Esau #Gen. 26:27; 32:3–11; 37:4, 5, 8hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, #Gen. 50:2–4, 10“The days of mourning for my father are at hand; #Obad. 10then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau #Ps. 64:5comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. 43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban #Gen. 11:31; 25:20; 28:2, 5in Haran. 44And stay with him a #Gen. 31:41few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, 45until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”

46And Rebekah said to Isaac, #Gen. 26:34, 35; 28:8“I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; #Gen. 24:3if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

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Genesis 27

Isaac Blesses Jacob

1Isaac was old and almost blind, when he called in his first-born son Esau, who asked him, “Father, what can I do for you?”

2Isaac replied, “I am old and might die at any time. 3So go hunting with your bow and arrows and kill a wild animal. 4Cook some of that tasty food that I love so much and bring it to me. I want to eat it once more and give you my blessing before I die.”

5Rebekah had been listening, and as soon as Esau left to go hunting, 6she said to Jacob, “I heard your father tell Esau 7to kill a wild animal and cook some tasty food for him before he dies. Your father said this because he wants to bless your brother with the Lord as his witness. 8Now, my son, listen carefully to what I want you to do. 9Go and kill two of your best young goats and bring them to me. I'll cook the tasty food that your father loves so much. 10Then you can take it to him, so he can eat it and give you his blessing before he dies.”

11“My brother Esau is a hairy man,” Jacob reminded her. “And I am not. 12If my father touches me and realizes I am trying to trick him, he will put a curse on me instead of giving me a blessing.”

13Rebekah insisted, “Let his curse fall on me! Just do what I say and bring me the meat.” 14So Jacob brought the meat to his mother, and she cooked the tasty food that his father liked. 15Then she took Esau's best clothes and put them on Jacob. 16She also covered the smooth part of his hands and neck with goatskins 17and gave him some bread and the tasty food she had cooked.

18Jacob went to his father and said, “Father, here I am.”

“Which one of my sons are you?” his father asked.

19Jacob replied, “I am Esau, your first-born, and I have done what you told me. Please sit up and eat the meat I have brought. Then you can give me your blessing.”

20Isaac asked, “My son, how did you find an animal so quickly?”

“The Lord your God was kind to me,” Jacob answered.

21“My son,” Isaac said, “come closer, where I can touch you and find out if you really are Esau.” 22Jacob went closer. His father touched him and said, “You sound like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy like Esau's.” 23And so Isaac blessed Jacob, thinking he was Esau.

24Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”

“Yes, I am,” Jacob answered.

25So Isaac told him, “Serve me the wild meat, and I can give you my blessing.”

Jacob gave him some meat, and he ate it. He also gave him some wine, and he drank it. 26Then Isaac said, “Son, come over here and kiss me.” 27#He 11.20. While Jacob was kissing him, Isaac caught the smell of his clothes and said:

“The smell of my son

is like a field

the Lord has blessed.

28God will bless you, my son,

with dew from heaven

and with fertile fields,

rich with grain and grapes.

29 # Gn 12.3. Nations will be your servants

and bow down to you.

You will rule over your brothers,

and they will kneel

at your feet.

Anyone who curses you

will be cursed;

anyone who blesses you

will be blessed.”

30Right after Isaac had given Jacob his blessing and Jacob had gone, Esau came back from hunting. 31He cooked the tasty food, brought it to his father, and said, “Father, please sit up and eat the meat I have brought you, so you can give me your blessing.”

32“Who are you?” Isaac asked.

“I am Esau, your first-born son.”

33Isaac started trembling and said, “Then who brought me some wild meat right before you came in? I ate it and gave him a blessing that cannot be taken back.”

34Esau cried out in great distress, “Father, give me a blessing too!”

35Isaac answered, “Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing.”

36 # Gn 25.29-34. Esau replied, “My brother deserves the name Jacob,#27.36 Jacob: In Hebrew “Jacob” sounds like “cheat.” because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing.” Then Esau asked his father, “Don't you have any blessing left for me?”

37“My son,” Isaac answered, “I have made Jacob the ruler over you and your brothers, and all of you will be his servants. I have also promised him all the grain and grapes that he needs. There's nothing left that I can do for you.”

38 # He 12.17. “Father,” Esau asked, “don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!” Then Esau started crying again.

39 # He 11.20. So his father said:

“Your home will be far

from that fertile land,

where dew comes down

from the heavens.

40 # Gn 36.8; 2 K 8.20. You will live by the power

of your sword

and be your brother's slave.

But when you decide to be free,

you will break loose.”

41Esau hated his brother Jacob because he had stolen the blessing that was supposed to be his. So he said to himself, “Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob.”

42 # Ws 10.10. When Rebekah found out what Esau planned to do, she sent for Jacob and told him, “Son, your brother Esau is just waiting for a chance to kill you. 43Now listen carefully and do what I say. Go to the home of my brother Laban in Haran 44and stay with him for a while. When Esau stops being angry 45and forgets what you have done to him, I'll send for you to come home. Why should I lose both of my sons on the same day?”#27.45 lose … day: Esau would be hunted down as a murderer if he killed Jacob, and so Rebekah would lose both of her sons.

46Rebekah later told Isaac, “Those Hittite wives of Esau are making my life miserable! If Jacob marries a Hittite woman, I'd be better off dead.”

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