Genesis 27
27
1 WHEN ISAAC was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, My son! And he answered him, Here I am.
2 He said, See here now; I am old, I do not know when I may die.
3 So now, I pray you, take your weapons, your [arrows in a] quiver and your bow, and go out into the open country and hunt game for me,
4 And prepare me appetizing meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat of it, [preparatory] to giving you my blessing [as my firstborn] before I die.
5 But Rebekah heard what Isaac said to Esau his son; and when Esau had gone to the open country to hunt for game that he might bring it,
6 Rebekah said to Jacob her younger son, See here, I heard your father say to Esau your brother,
7 Bring me game and make me appetizing meat, so that I may eat and declare my blessing upon you before the Lord before my death.
8 So now, my son, do exactly as I command you.
9 Go now to the flock, and from it bring me two good and suitable kids; and I will make them into appetizing meat for your father, such as he loves.
10 And you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat and declare his blessing upon you before his death.
11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Listen, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.
12 Suppose my father feels me; I will seem to him to be a cheat and an imposter, and I will bring [his] curse on me and not [his] blessing.
13 But his mother said to him, On me be your curse, my son; only obey my word and go, fetch them to me.
14 So [Jacob] went, got [the kids], and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared appetizing meat with a delightful odor, such as his father loved.
15 Then Rebekah took her elder son Esau's best clothes which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.
16 And she put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 And she gave the savory meat and the bread which she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went to his father and said, My father. And he said, Here am I; who are you, my son?
19 And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau your firstborn; I have done what you told me to do. Now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may proceed to bless me.
20 And Isaac 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.
21 But Isaac said to Jacob, Come close to me, I beg of you, that I may feel you, my son, and know whether you really are my son Esau or not.
22 So Jacob went near to Isaac, and his father felt him and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 He could not identify him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.
24 But he said, Are you really my son Esau? He answered, I am.
25 Then [Isaac] said, Bring it to me and I will eat of my son's game, that I may bless you. He brought it to him and he ate; and he brought him wine and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said, Come near and kiss me, my son.
27 So he came near and kissed him; and [Isaac] smelled his clothing and blessed him and said, The scent of my son is as the odor of a field which the Lord has blessed.
28 And may God give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth and abundance of grain and [new] wine;
29 Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you; be master over your brothers, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Let everyone be cursed who curses you and favored with blessings who blesses you.
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob was scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 Esau had also prepared savory food and brought it to his father and said to him, Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said to him, Who are you? And he replied, I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.
33 Then Isaac trembled and shook violently, and he said, Who? Where is he who has hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate of it all before you came and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with a great and bitter cry and said to his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father! [Heb. 12:16, 17.]
35 [Isaac] said, Your brother came with crafty cunning and treacherous deceit and has taken your blessing.
36 [Esau] replied, Is he not rightly named 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 still a blessing reserved for me?
37 And Isaac answered Esau, Behold, I have made [Jacob] your lord and master; I have given all his brethren to him for servants, and with corn and [new] wine have I sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?
38 Esau said to his father, Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father! And Esau lifted up [could not control] his voice and wept aloud.
39 Then Isaac his father answered, Your [blessing and] dwelling shall all come from the fruitfulness of the earth and from the dew of the heavens above;
40 By your sword you shall live and serve your brother. But [the time shall come] when you will grow restive and break loose, and you shall tear his yoke from off your neck.
41 And 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. When [he is gone] I will kill my brother Jacob.
42 These words of Esau her elder son were repeated to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob her younger son and said to him, See here, your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you [by intending] to kill you.
43 So now, my son, do what I tell you; arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran;
44 Linger and dwell with him for a while until your brother's fury is spent.
45 When your brother's anger is diverted from you, he will forget [the wrong] that you have done him. Then I will send and bring you back from there. Why should I be deprived of both of you in one day?
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth [these wives of Esau]! If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth such as these Hittite girls around here, what good will my life be to me?
1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Genesis 27
27
1And it came to pass when Isaac had become old, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, that he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, My son! And he said to him, Here am I. 2And he said, Behold now, I am become old; I know not the day of my death. 3And now, I pray thee, take thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field and hunt me venison, 4and prepare me a savoury dish such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, in order that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5And Rebecca heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt venison, to bring it.
6And Rebecca spoke to Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying, 7Bring me venison, and prepare me a savoury dish, that I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah, before my death. 8And now, my son, hearken to my voice in that which I command thee. 9Go, I pray thee, to the flock, and fetch me thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make of them a savoury dish for thy father, such as he loves. 10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, in order that he may bless thee before his death. 11And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12My father perhaps will feel me, and I shall be in his sight as one who mocks him, and I shall bring a curse on me, and not a blessing. 13And his mother said to him, On me be thy curse, my son! Only hearken to my voice, and go, fetch them. 14And he went, and fetched and brought them to his mother. And his mother prepared a savoury dish such as his father loved. 15And Rebecca took the clothes of her elder son Esau, the costly ones 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 of his neck; 17and she gave the savoury dishes and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.
18And he came to his father, and said, My father! And he said, Here am I: who art thou, my son? 19And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn. I have done according as thou didst say to me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, in order that thy soul may bless me. 20And Isaac said to his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God#GodHebrew: Elohim put it in my way. 21And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be really my son Esau or not. 22And Jacob drew 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 discern him, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; and he blessed him. 24And he said, Art thou really my son Esau? And he said, It is I. 25And he said, Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son's venison, in order that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26And his father Isaac said to him, Come near, now, and kiss me, my son. 27And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelt the smell of his clothes, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed. 28And God#GodHebrew: Elohim give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and new wine. 29Let peoples serve thee, And races bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be they that curse thee, And blessed be they that bless thee.
30And it came to pass when Isaac had ended blessing Jacob, and when Jacob was only just gone out from Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came from his hunting. 31And he also had prepared savoury dishes, and he brought them in to his father, and said to his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, in order that thy soul may bless me. 32And Isaac his father said to him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau. 33Then Isaac trembled with exceeding great trembling, and said, Who was he, then, that hunted venison and brought it to me? And I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him; also blessed he shall be. 34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said to his father, Bless me — me also, my father! 35And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and has taken away thy blessing. 36And he said, Is it not therefore he was named Jacob, for he has supplanted me now twice? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have made him lord over thee, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants, and with corn and new wine have I supplied him — and what can I do now for thee, my son? 38And Esau said to his father, Hast thou then but one blessing, my father? bless me — me also, my father! And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above; 40And by thy sword shalt thou live; And thou shalt serve thy brother; And it shall come to pass when thou rovest about, That thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
41And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand, and I will slay my brother Jacob. 42And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebecca. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, comforts himself that he will kill thee. 43And now, my son, hearken to my voice, and arise, flee to Laban my brother, to Haran; 44and abide with him some days, until thy brother's fury turn away — 45until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him; then I will send and fetch thee thence. Why should I be bereaved even of you both in one day? 46And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good should my life do me?
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.