Genesis 27

The Stolen Blessing

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, # Gn 48:10; 1Sm 3:2 he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered, “Here I am.”

2He said, “Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death. 3Take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me. # Gn 25:27-28 4Then make me a delicious meal that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I can bless you before I die.” # Gn 27:19,25,31; 48:9,15-16; Dt 33:1; Heb 11:20

5Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in, 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen! I heard your father talking with your brother Esau. He said, 7‘Bring me the game and make a delicious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’ 8Now obey every order I give you, my son. 9Go to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, and I will make them into a delicious meal for your father — the kind he loves. 10Then take it to your father to eat so that he may bless you before he dies.”

11Jacob answered Rebekah his mother, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am a man with smooth skin. # Gn 25:25 12Suppose my father touches me. Then I will be revealed to him as a deceiver and bring a curse rather than a blessing on myself.”

13His mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey me and go get them for me.”

14So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother, and his mother made the delicious food his father loved. 15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them. 16She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17Then she handed the delicious food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

18When he came to his father, he said, “My father.”

And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son? ”

19Jacob replied 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 bless me.”

20But Isaac said to his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son? ”

He replied, “Because the Lord your God worked it out for me.”

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau or not? ”

22So Jacob came closer to his father Isaac. When he touched him, he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau? ”

And he replied, “I am.”

25Then he said, “Serve me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; he brought him wine, and he drank.

26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.” 27So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled # Lit smelled 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 to you —

from the dew of the sky # Gn 27:39; Dt 32:2; 33:13,28; 2Sm 1:21; Pr 3:20; Is 18:4; Hs 14:5; Hg 1:10; Zch 8:12

and from the richness of the land # Nm 18:12 —

an abundance of grain and new wine. # Dt 7:13; Jl 2:19

29May peoples serve you # Gn 25:23; Is 45:14; 49:7,23; 60:12-14

and nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brothers;

may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Those who curse you will be cursed,

and those who bless you will be blessed. # Gn 12:3; Nm 24:9

30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from the hunt. 31He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. Then he said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.”

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

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

33Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. “Who was it then,” he said, “who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed! ”

34When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, my father! ” # Heb 12:17

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

36So he said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? # = He Grasps the Heel # Gn 25:26,32-34 For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me? ”

37But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him a master over you, have given him all of his relatives as his servants, and have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son? ”

38Esau said to his father, “Do you only have one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father! ” And Esau wept loudly. # Lit Esau lifted up his voice and wept

39Then his father Isaac answered him:

Look, your dwelling place will be

away from the richness of the land,

away from the dew of the sky above.

40You will live by your sword,

and you will serve your brother.

But when you rebel, # Hb obscure

you will break his yoke from your neck.

Esau’s Anger

41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart: “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides — 45until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day? ”

46So Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick of my life because of these Hittite women. # Gn 26:34-35; 28:8 If Jacob marries a Hittite woman like one of them, # Lit of these daughters of the land what good is my life? ” # Gn 24:3

Learn More About Holman Christian Standard Bible

Genesis 27

Jacob’s Deception

1Now when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, he called his elder [and favorite] son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And Esau answered him, “Here I am.” 2Isaac said, “See here, I am old; #Isaac lived another forty-three years after this blessing was given to Jacob (35:27-29).I do not know #Lit the day of my death.when I may die. 3So now, please take your [hunting] gear, your quiver [of arrows] and your bow, and go out into the open country and hunt game for me; 4and make me a savory and delicious dish [of meat], the kind I love, and bring it to me to eat, so that my soul may bless you [as my firstborn son] before I die.”

5But Rebekah overheard what Isaac said to Esau his son; and when Esau had gone to the open country to hunt for game that he might bring back, 6Rebekah said to Jacob her [younger and favorite] son, “Listen carefully: I heard your father saying to Esau your brother, 7‘Bring me some game and make me a savory and delicious dish [of meat], so that I may eat it, and declare my blessing on you #The patriarch’s formal blessing, offered before the Lord, was equivalent to an inalterable command and prophecy, whose outcome was assured. For that reason it had great importance and tangible value, especially for the firstborn son. When Esau sold his birthright (25:33), he did not imagine that, as a consequence, he would actually lose the blessing to which he had originally been entitled as the firstborn.in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ 8So now, my son, listen [carefully] to me [and do exactly] as I command you. 9Go now to the flock and bring me two good and suitable young goats, and I will make them into a savory dish [of meat] for your father, the kind he loves [to eat]. 10Then you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Listen, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth [skinned] man. 12Suppose my father touches me and feels my skin; then I will be seen by him as a cheat (imposter), and I will bring his curse on me and not a blessing.” 13But his mother said to him, “May your curse be on me, my son; only listen and obey me, and go, bring the young goats to me.” 14So Jacob went and got the two young goats, and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared a delicious dish of food [with a delightful aroma], the kind his father loved [to eat]. 15Then Rebekah took her elder son Esau’s best clothes, which were with her in her house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17Then she gave her son Jacob the delicious meat and the bread which she had prepared.

18So he went to his father and said, “My father.” And Isaac said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done what you told me to do. Now please, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.” 20Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found the game so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to come to me.” 21But Isaac [wondered and] said to Jacob, “Please come close [to me] so that I may touch you, my son, and determine if you are really my son Esau or not.” 22So Jacob approached Isaac, and his father touched him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23He could not recognize him [as Jacob], because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24But he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob answered, “I am.” 25Then Isaac said, “Bring the food to me, and I will eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” He brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come, my son, and kiss me.” 27So he came and kissed him; and Isaac smelled his clothing and blessed him and said,

“The scent of my son [Esau]

Is like the aroma of a field which the Lord has blessed;

28Now may God give you of the dew of heaven [to water your land],

And of the fatness (fertility) of the earth,

And an abundance of grain and #The Hebrew word refers to wine that is in the first stage of fermentation, still in the vat. Some of the rabbis said that the first stage takes three days, and that wine does not have a strong appeal to the senses until it is 40 days old (according to the Talmud).new wine;

29May peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you;

Be lord and master over your brothers,

And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

May those who curse you be cursed,

And may those who bless you be blessed.”

The Stolen Blessing

30Now as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31Esau also made a delicious dish [of meat] and brought it to his father and said to him, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.” 32Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he replied, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33Then Isaac trembled violently, and he said, “Then who was the one [who was just here] who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I blessed him. Yes, and he [in fact] shall be (shall remain) blessed.” 34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with a great and extremely bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35Isaac said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has [fraudulently] taken away your blessing [for himself].” 36Esau replied, “Is he not rightly named #See note 25:26.Jacob (the supplanter)? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing. Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37But Isaac replied to Esau, “Listen carefully: I have made Jacob your lord and master; I have given him all his brothers and relatives as servants; and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then, can I do for you, my son?” 38Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” Then Esau [no longer able to restrain himself] raised his voice and wept [loudly].

39Then Isaac his father answered and [prophesied and] said to him,

“Your dwelling shall be away from the fertility of the earth

And away from the dew of heaven above;

40But you shall live by your sword,

And serve your brother;

However it shall come to pass when you break loose [from your anger and hatred],

That you will tear his yoke off your neck [and you will be free of him].”

41So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are very near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42When these words of her elder son Esau were repeated to Rebekah, she sent for Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Listen carefully, your brother Esau is comforting himself concerning you by planning to kill you. 43So now, my son, listen and do what I say; go, escape to my brother Laban in Haran! 44Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s anger subsides. 45When your brother’s anger toward you subsides and he forgets what you did to him, then #Rebekah never saw her son Jacob again. He was well over forty and probably fifty-seven years old when he fled from Esau to Haran, and he stayed there at least twenty years.I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I be deprived of you both in a single day?”

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth [these insolent wives of Esau]. If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Amplified® Bible

The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631

Learn More About Amplified Bible