Genesis 25

Abraham’s Old Age and Descendants

1Now Abraham took another wife—her name was Keturah.

2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.

3Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were Asshurim, Letushim and Leummim.

4Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s sons.

5Now Abraham gave everything that he had to Isaac,

6but to the sons of Abraham’s concubines, Abraham had given gifts and sent them away from his son Isaac while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.

7Now these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life that he lived: 175 years.

8So Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, old and satisfied. Then he was gathered to his peoples.

9Then Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, next to Mamre,

10the field that Abraham bought from the sons of Heth. There Abraham is buried along with Sarah his wife.

11After Abraham’s death, God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac lived near Beer-lahai-roi.

12Now these are the genealogies of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave-girl, bore to Abraham.

13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names according to their descendants: Ishmael’s firstborn, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedem.

16These are Ishmael’s sons and these are their names, by their unwalled and walled settlements, twelve princes according to their clans.

17These are the years of Ishmael’s life: 137 years. He breathed his last, died and was gathered to his peoples.

18Then they dwelled from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria. Over against all his brothers he fell.

Esau and Jacob

19Now these are the genealogies of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham fathered Isaac.

20Isaac was 40 years old when he took for himself Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

21Isaac prayed to Adonai on behalf of his wife because she was barren. Adonai answered his plea and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

22But the children struggled with one another inside her, and she said, “If it’s like this, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of Adonai.

23Adonai said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from your body will be separated. One people will be stronger than the other people, but the older will serve the younger.”

24When her time came to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

25Now the first came out reddish, all of him was like a fur coat, and they named him Esau.

26Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding onto Esau’s heel—so he was named Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when he fathered them.

27When the boys grew up, Esau became a man knowledgeable in hunting, an outdoorsman, while Jacob was a mild man, remaining in tents.

28Now Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29Now Jacob cooked a stew. When Esau came in from the field, he was exhausted,

30so Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me some of this really red stuff, because I’m exhausted”—that is why he is called Edom.

31So Jacob said, “Sell your birthright to me today.”

32Esau said, “Look, I’m about to die. Of whatever use is this to me—a birthright?”

33Jacob said, “Make a pledge to me now.” So he made a pledge to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Learn More About Tree of Life Version

Genesis 25

The death of Abraham

1Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

5Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

7Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.#25:10 Or the descendants of Heth There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael’s sons

12This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth:

Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael,

Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15Hadad, Tema, Jetur,

Naphish and Kedemah.

16These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.

17Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go towards Ashur. And they lived in hostility towards#25:18 Or lived to the east of all the tribes related to them.

Jacob and Esau

19This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram#25:20 That is, North-west Mesopotamia and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ So she went to enquire of the Lord.

23The Lord said to her,

‘Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will be separated;

one people will be stronger than the other,

and the elder will serve the younger.’

24When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.#25:25 Esau may mean hairy. 26After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.#25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ (That is why he was also called Edom.#25:30 Edom means red.)

31Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’

32‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’

33But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

Learn More About New International Version (Anglicised)