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

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”

5Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”

11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”

13His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

14So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

18He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

20Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24“Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

25Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son

is like the smell of a field

that the Lord has blessed.

28May God give you heaven’s dew

and earth’s richness—

an abundance of grain and new wine.

29May nations serve you

and peoples bow down to you.

Be lord over your brothers,

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

May those who curse you be cursed

and those who bless you be blessed.”

30After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

32His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

33Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”

34When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”

35But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

36Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob#27:36 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

37Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

38Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.

39His father Isaac answered him,

“Your dwelling will be

away from the earth’s richness,

away from the dew of heaven above.

40You will live by the sword

and you will serve your brother.

But when you grow restless,

you will throw his yoke

from off your neck.”

41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

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