Genesis 25

CHAPTER 25

1Forsooth Abraham wedded another wife, Keturah by name,

2which childed to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

3Also Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. Forsooth the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

4And soothly of Midian was born Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah; all these were the sons of Keturah.

5And Abraham gave all things which he had in possession to Isaac;

6soothly he gave gifts to the sons of [the] concubines, that is, secondary wives; and Abraham, while he lived yet, separated them from Isaac, his son, to the east coast.

7Forsooth the days of the life of Abraham were an hundred and threescore and fifteen years;

8and he failed, and died in [a] good eld age, and of great age, and full of days, and he was gathered to his people.

9And Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the double den, which is set in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, even against Mamre,

10which den he bought of the sons of Heth; and he was buried there, and Sarah his wife.

11And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, which dwelled beside the pit by name of him that liveth and seeth.

12These be the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Hagar Egyptian, handmaid of Sarah, childed to Abraham;

13and these be the names of the sons of Ishmael, in their names and generations. The first begotten of Ishmael was Nebajoth, afterward Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15and Hadar, and Tema, and Jetur, and Naphish, and Kedemah.

16These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were the names by castles, and towns of them, [the] twelve princes of their lineages.

17And the years of [the] life of Ishmael were made an hundred and seven and thirty years, and he failed, and died, and was put to his people.

18Forsooth he inhabited from Havilah till to Shur, that beholdeth Egypt, as men entereth into [the] Assyrians; he died before all his brethren.

19Also these be the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac,

20and when Isaac was of forty years, he wedded a wife, Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, of Syria, of Mesopotamia, the sister of Laban.

21And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, for she was barren; and the Lord heard him, and gave conceiving to Rebecca.

22But the little children were hurtled together in her womb; and she said, If it was so to coming [or to come] to me, what need was it to conceive? And she went to ask counsel of the Lord,

23which answered, and said, Two folks be in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy womb, and one people shall overturn a people, and the more shall serve the less.

24Then the time of child-bearing came, and lo! two children were found in her womb.

25He that went out first was red, and all rough in the manner of a skin; and his name was called Esau.

26Anon the other went out, and held with his hand the heel of his brother; and therefore he called him Jacob#25:26 The name sounds like the Hebrew for ‘He who takes by the heel, or supplants’.. Isaac was sixty years eld, when the little children were born.

27And when they were waxen, Esau was a man knowing of hunting, and a man an earth-tiller; forsooth Jacob was a simple man, and dwelled in tabernacles.

28Isaac loved Esau, for he ate of the hunting of Esau; and Rebecca loved Jacob.

29Soothly Jacob seethed pottage; and when Esau came weary from the field,

30he said to Jacob, Give thou to me of this red seething, for I am full weary; for which cause his name was called Edom or Red.

31And Jacob said to him, Sell to me the rights of the first begotten child.

32Esau answered, Lo! I die, what shall the first begotten things profit to me?

33Jacob said, Therefore swear thou to me. Therefore Esau swore, and sold the first engendered things.

34And so when he had taken bread and pottage, Esau ate and drank, and went forth, and charged or cared little that he had sold the rights of the first begotten child.

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Genesis 25

Abraham’s Family

1Abraham married again. His new wife was named Keturah. 2She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The people of Asshur,#25:3 Asshur Or “Assyria.” Leum, and Letush were descendants of Dedan. 4The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these sons came from the marriage of Abraham and Keturah. 5-6Before Abraham died, he gave some gifts to his sons who were from his slave women. He sent them to the East,#25:5 East This usually means the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as far east as the Persian Gulf. away from Isaac. Then Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac.

7Abraham lived to be 175 years old. 8Then he grew weak and died. He had lived a long and satisfying life. He died and went to be with his people. 9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah. This cave is in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar. It was east of Mamre. 10This is the same cave that Abraham bought from the Hittites. He was buried there with his wife Sarah. 11After Abraham died, God blessed Isaac. Isaac was living at Beer Lahai Roi.

12This is the list of Ishmael’s family. Ishmael was Abraham and Hagar’s son. (Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian maid.) 13These are the names of Ishmael’s sons: The first son was Nebaioth; then Kedar was born, then Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16These were the names of Ishmael’s sons. Each son had his own camp that became a small town. The twelve sons were leaders over their own people. 17Ishmael lived to be 137 years old. Then he died and went to be with his people. 18His descendants settled throughout the desert area from Havilah to Shur. This area begins near Egypt and goes toward Assyria. Ishmael’s people were often at war with#25:18 were often at war with Or “lived away from.” the other descendants of Abraham.

Isaac’s Family

19This is the story of Isaac. Abraham had a son named Isaac. 20When Isaac was 40 years old, he married Rebekah. Rebekah was from Paddan Aram. She was Bethuel’s daughter and the sister of Laban the Aramean. 21Isaac’s wife could not have children. So Isaac prayed to the Lord for her. The Lord heard Isaac’s prayer, and he allowed Rebekah to become pregnant.

22While Rebekah was pregnant, the babies inside her struggled with one another. She prayed to the Lord and said, “What is happening to me?” 23The Lord said to her,

“The leaders of two nations are in your body.

Two nations will come from you,

and they will be divided.

One of them will be stronger,

and the older will serve the younger.”

24When the right time came, Rebekah gave birth to twins. 25The first baby was red. His skin was like a hairy robe. So he was named Esau.#25:25 Esau This name is like the word meaning “hairy.” 26When the second baby was born, he was holding tightly to Esau’s heel. So that baby was named Jacob.#25:26 Jacob This name is like the Hebrew word meaning “heel.” It also means “the one who follows” or “tricky.” Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born.

27The boys grew up. Esau became a skilled hunter, who loved to be out in the fields. But Jacob was a quiet man, who stayed at home. 28Isaac loved Esau. He liked to eat the animals Esau killed. But Rebekah loved Jacob.

29One day Esau came back from hunting. He was tired and weak from hunger. Jacob was boiling a pot of beans. 30So Esau said to Jacob, “I am weak with hunger. Let me have some of that red soup.” (That is why people call him “Red.”#25:30 Red Literally, “Edom,” a name that means “red.”)

31But Jacob said, “You must sell me your rights as the firstborn son.”

32Esau said, “I am almost dead with hunger, so what good are these rights to me now?”

33But Jacob said, “First, promise me that you will give them to me.” So Esau made an oath to him and sold his rights as the firstborn son to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil#25:34 lentil A type of bean. soup. Esau ate the food, had something to drink, and then left. So Esau showed that he did not care about his rights as the firstborn son.

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