Genesis 27
1 Isaac was old and going blind. He called for Esau, his oldest son, and said, “My son.” “I'm here,” Esau replied.
And it came to pass after Isaac was old, that his eyes were dimmed so that he could not see; and he called Esau, his elder son, and said to him, My son; and he said, Behold, I [am here].
2 “I'm old now,” said Isaac, “I may die soon, who knows?
And he said, Behold, I am grown old, and know not the day of my death.
3 So please take your bow and arrows and go hunting in the countryside for some meat for me.
Now then take the weapons, both your quiver and your bow, and go into the plain, and get me venison,
4 Make me that tasty food that I love and bring it to me to eat, so I can bless you before I die.”
and make me meats, as I like them, and bring them to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you, before I die.
5 Rebekah heard what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau left to go hunting in the countryside for wild game,
And Rebecca heard Isaac speaking to Esau his son; and Esau went to the plain to procure venison for his father.
6 Rebekah told her son Jacob, “Listen! I heard your father tell your brother,
And Rebecca said to Jacob her younger son, Behold, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,
7 ‘Get me some wild game and make me some tasty food so I can eat it and then bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’
Bring me venison, and prepare me meats, that I may eat and bless you before the Lord before I die.
8 Now then, my son, listen to me and do exactly what I tell you.
Now then, my son, listen to me, as I command you.
9 Go to the flock and bring me two nice young goats. I'll cook them and make the tasty food your father loves.
And go to the cattle and take for me thence two kids, tender and good, and I will make them meats for your father, as he likes.
10 Then you take it to your father to eat, so he can bless you in the presence of the Lord before he dies.”
And you shall bring them in to your father, and he shall eat, that your father may bless you before he dies.
11 “But listen,” Jacob replied to his mother Rebekah, “my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a smooth man.
And Jacob said to his mother Rebecca, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I a smooth man.
12 Maybe my father will notice when he touches me. Then it will look like I'm deceiving him and I'll bring a curse down on myself instead of a blessing.”
Peradventure my father may feel me, and I shall be before him as one ill-intentioned, and I shall bring upon me a curse, and not a blessing.
13 “Let the curse fall on me, my son,” his mother replied. “Just do what I tell you. Go and get the young goats for me.”
And his mother said to him, On me be your curse, son; only listen to my voice, and go and bring [them] me.
14 So Jacob went and got them and took them to his mother, and she made some tasty food, the way his father loved.
So he went and took and brought them to his mother; and his mother made meats, as his father liked [them].
15 Then Rebekah went and got her older son Esau's best clothes that she had at home and put them on Jacob her younger son.
And Rebecca having taken the fine raiment of her elder son Esau which was with her in the house, put it on Jacob her younger son.
16 She put the goatskins on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
And she put on his arms the skins of the kids, and on the bare parts of his neck.
17 Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she'd made.
And she gave the meats, and the loaves which she had prepared, into the hands of Jacob her son.
18 He went in to see his father, and called out, “My father, I'm here.” “Which son are you?” Isaac asked.
And he brought [them] to his father, and said, Father; and he said, Behold I [am here]; who are you, son?
19 “It's me Esau, your firstborn son,” Jacob told his father. “I did what you told me. So please sit up and eat some of my wild game meat so you can bless me.”
And Jacob said to his father, I, Esau your firstborn, have done as you told me; rise, sit, and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.
20 “How did you find an animal so fast, my son?” Isaac asked. “Because the Lord your God sent it my way,” Jacob replied.
And Isaac said to his son, What is this which you have quickly found? And he said, That which the Lord your God presented before me.
21 “Come over here so I can touch you, my son,” Isaac told Jacob, “so I can tell if you're really my son Esau or not.”
And Isaac said to Jacob, Draw night to me, and I will feel you, son, if you are my son Esau or not.
22 Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “It's Jacob's voice but Esau's hands.”
And Jacob drew near to his father Isaac, and he felt him, and said, The voice [is] Jacob's voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau.
23 Isaac didn't realize it was really Jacob because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's, so Isaac got ready to bless him.
And he knew him not, for his hands were as the hands of his brother Esau, hairy; and he blessed him,
24 “It's really you, my son Esau?” he asked again. “Yes, it's me,” Jacob replied.
and he said, Are you my son Esau? and he said, I [am].
25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your wild game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought some for him to eat, as well as some wine for him to drink.
And he said, Bring hither, and I will eat of your venison, son, that my soul may bless you; and he brought [it] near to him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Afterwards he said to Isaac, “Come here and kiss me, my son.”
And Isaac his father said to him, Draw near to me, and kiss me, son.
27 So Jacob went over and kissed him, and Isaac could smell the clothes Jacob was wearing. So he went ahead with the blessing, saying to himself, “See—the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.”
And he drew near and kissed him, and smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of an abundant field, which the Lord has blessed.
28 “May God use the dew of heaven and fertile land to give you rich harvests of grain and new wine!
And may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of corn and wine.
29 May the people of different nations serve you and bow down to you. May you rule over your relatives, and may they bow down to you. May everyone who curses you be cursed, and may everyone who bless you be blessed.”
And let nations serve you, and princes bow down to you, and be you lord of your brother, and the sons of your father shall do you reverence; accursed is he that curses you, and blessed is he that blesses you.
30 After Isaac finished blessing Jacob—in fact Jacob had just left his father—Esau returned from his hunting trip.
And it came to pass after Isaac had ceased blessing his son Jacob, it even came to pass, just when Jacob had gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He had also made some tasty food, and took it to his father. Esau said to Isaac, “Sit up, my father, and eat some of my wild game so you can bless me.”
And he also had made meats and brought them to his father; and he said to his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, that your soul may bless me.
32 “Who are you?” Isaac asked him. “I'm your son, your firstborn son, Esau,” he replied.
And Isaac his father said to him, Who are you? And he said, I am your firstborn son Esau.
33 Isaac started to shake all over and asked, “So who was it who went hunting game and then brought it to me? I ate it all before you came back and I blessed him. His blessing will remain.”
And Isaac was amazed with very great amazement, and said, Who then is it that has procured venison for me and brought it to me? and I have eaten of all before you came, and I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed.
34 When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out in great anger and bitterness, and pleaded with his father, “Please bless me too, my father!”
And it came to pass when Esau heard the words of his father Isaac, he cried out with a great and very bitter cry, and said, Bless, I pray you, me also, father.
35 But Isaac replied, “You brother came and deceived me—he stole your blessing!”
And he said to him, Your brother has come with subtlety, and taken your blessing.
36 “Isn't he well named—Jacob the deceiver!” said Esau. “He's deceived me twice. First he took my birthright, and now he's stolen my blessing! Haven't you kept a blessing for me?”
And he said, Rightly was his name called Jacob, for behold! this second time has he supplanted me; he has both taken my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing; and Esau said to his father, Hast you not left a blessing for me, father?
37 Isaac replied to Esau. “I have made him ruler over you, and have said that all his relatives will be his servants. I have declared that he will be well supplied with grain and new wine. So what is left that I can do for you, my son?”
And Isaac answered and said to Esau, If I have made him your lord, and have made all his brethren his servants, and have strengthened him with corn and wine, what then shall I do for you, son?
38 “Do you only have one blessing, my father?” Esau asked. “Please bless me too!” Then Esau began to cry very loudly.
And Esau said to his father, Hast you [only] one blessing, father? Bless, I pray you, me also, father. And Isaac being troubled, Esau cried aloud and wept.
39 Then his father Isaac declared, “Listen! You will live far away from fertile land, far from the dew of heaven that falls from above.
And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above.
40 You will make a living by using your sword, and you will be your brother's servant. But when you rebel, you will throw off his yoke from your neck.”
And you shall live by your sword, and shall serve your brother; and there shall be [a time] when you shall break and loosen his yoke from off your neck.
41 From then on Esau hated Jacob because of his father's blessing. Esau said to himself, “Soon the time will come when I'll mourn my father's death. Then I'll kill my brother Jacob!”
And Esau was angry with Jacob because of the blessing, with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his mind, Let the days of my father's mourning draw near, that I may kill my brother Jacob.
42 However, Rebekah found out what Esau was saying, so she sent for Jacob. “Look,” she told him, “your brother Esau is making himself feel better by making plans to kill you.
And the words of Esau her elder son were reported to Rebecca, and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, Esau your brother threatens you to kill you.
43 So, my son, listen carefully to what I tell you. Leave immediately and go to my brother Laban in Haram.
Now then, my son, hear my voice, and rise and depart quickly into Mesopotamia to Laban my brother into Charran.
44 Stay with him for a while until your brother's anger cools down.
And dwell with him certain days, until your brother's anger
45 Once he's cooled down and forgets what you did to him, I'll send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in a single day?”
and rage depart from you, and he forget what you have done to him; and I will send and fetch you thence, lest at any time I should be bereaved of you both in one day.
46 Then Rebekah went and told Isaac, “I'm so sick of these Hittite women—they're ruining my life! If Jacob also marries a Hittite woman like them, one of the local people, I'd rather die!”
And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life, because of the daughters of the sons of Chet; if Jacob shall take a wife of the daughters of this land, therefore should I live?
