Genesis 25
25
Abraham and Keturah’s children
1Abraham married another wife, named Keturah. 2The children she bore him were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s sons. 5Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac. 6To the sons of Abraham’s secondary wives, Abraham gave gifts and, while he was still living, sent them away from his son Isaac to land in the east.
Abraham’s death
7Abraham lived to the age of 175. 8Abraham took his last breath and died after a good long life, a content old man, and he was placed with his ancestors. 9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave in Machpelah, which is in the field of Zohar’s son Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre. 10Thus Abraham and his wife Sarah were both buried in the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites. 11After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac lived in Beer-lahai-roi.
Ishmael’s descendants
12These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore for Abraham. 13These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names and according to their birth order: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s oldest son; Kedar; Adbeel; Mibsam; 14Mishma; Dumah; Massa; 15Hadad; Tema; Jetur; Naphish; and Kedemah. 16These are Ishmael’s sons. These are their names by their villages and their settlements: twelve tribal leaders according to their tribes. 17Ishmael lived to the age of 137. He took his last breath and died, and was placed with his ancestors. 18He established camps#25.18 LXX; MT they established camps from Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt on the road to Assyria. He died#25.18 Or He fell among all of his brothers.
Jacob and Esau are born
19These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean and the sister of Laban the Aramean, from Paddan-aram. 21Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, since she was unable to have children. The LORD was moved by his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22But the boys pushed against each other inside of her, and she said, “If this is what it’s like, why did it happen to me?”#25.22 Heb uncertain
So she went to ask the LORD. 23And the LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb;
two different peoples will emerge from your body.
One people will be stronger than the other;
the older will serve the younger.”
24When she reached the end of her pregnancy, she discovered that she had twins. 25The first came out red all over, clothed with hair, and she named him Esau. 26Immediately afterward, his brother came out gripping Esau’s heel, and she named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.
Jacob acquires the oldest son’s rights
27When the young men grew up, Esau became an outdoorsman who knew how to hunt, and Jacob became a quiet man who stayed at home. 28Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29Once when Jacob was boiling stew, Esau came in from the field hungry 30and said to Jacob, “I’m starving! Let me devour some of this red stuff.” That’s why his name is Edom.#25.30 Or red
31Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright#25.31 Or oldest son’s rights today.”
32Esau said, “Since I’m going to die anyway, what good is my birthright to me?”
33Jacob said, “Give me your word today.” And he did. He sold his birthright to Jacob. 34So Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate, drank, got up, and left, showing just how little he thought of his birthright.
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Genesis 25
25
Other Descendants of Abraham
(1 Chr 1.32–33)
1Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan, and the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim. 4The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's descendants.
5Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac; 6but while he was still alive, he gave presents to the sons his other wives had borne him. Then he sent these sons to the land of the East, away from his son Isaac.
The Death and Burial of Abraham
7-8Abraham died at the ripe old age of 175. 9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in Machpelah Cave, in the field east of Mamre that had belonged to Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10#Gen 23.3–16It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; both Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there. 11After the death of Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near “The Well of the Living One who Sees Me”.
The Descendants of Ishmael
(1 Chr 1.28–31)
12Ishmael, whom Hagar, the Egyptian slave of Sarah, bore to Abraham, 13had the following sons, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16They were the ancestors of twelve tribes, and their names were given to their villages and camping places. 17Ishmael was 137 years old when he died. 18The descendants of Ishmael lived in the territory between Havilah and Shur, to the east of Egypt on the way to Assyria. They lived apart from the other descendants of Abraham.
The Birth of Esau and Jacob
19This is the story of Abraham's son Isaac. 20Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel (an Aramean from Mesopotamia) and sister of Laban. 21Because Rebecca had no children, Isaac prayed to the LORD for her. The LORD answered his prayer, and Rebecca became pregnant. 22She was going to have twins, and before they were born, they struggled against each other in her womb. She said, “Why should something like this happen to me?” So she went to ask the LORD for an answer.
23 # Rom 9.12 The LORD said to her,
“Two nations are within you;
You will give birth to two rival peoples.
One will be stronger than the other;
The older will serve the younger.”
24The time came for her to give birth, and she had twin sons. 25The first one was reddish, and his skin was like a hairy robe, so he was named Esau.#25.25 Esau: This name is taken to refer to Seir, the territory later inhabited by Esau's descendants; Seir sounds like the Hebrew for “hairy”. 26The second one was born holding on tightly to the heel of Esau, so he was named Jacob.#25.26 Jacob: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “heel”. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Esau Sells his Rights as the Firstborn Son
27The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man who loved the outdoor life, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. 28Isaac preferred Esau, because he enjoyed eating the animals Esau killed, but Rebecca preferred Jacob.
29One day while Jacob was cooking some bean soup, Esau came in from hunting. He was hungry 30and said to Jacob, “I'm starving; give me some of that red stuff.” (That is why he was called Edom.#25.30 Edom: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “red”.)
31Jacob answered, “I will give it to you if you give me your rights as the firstborn son.”
32Esau said, “All right! I am about to die; what good will my rights do me then?”
33 # Heb 12.16 Jacob answered, “First make a vow that you will give me your rights.”
Esau made the vow and gave his rights to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave him some bread and some of the soup. He ate and drank and then got up and left. That was all Esau cared about his rights as the firstborn son.
Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.