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, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
2 “I'm old now,” said Isaac, “I may die soon, who knows?
And he said, Behold now, I am old, I 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 therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some 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 savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee 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 Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.
6 Rebekah told her son Jacob, “Listen! I heard your father tell your brother,
And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy 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 make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before YHWH before my death.
8 Now then, my son, listen to me and do exactly what I tell you.
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9 Go to the flock and bring me two nice young goats. I'll cook them and make the tasty food your father loves.
Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
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 thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
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 Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am 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.”
My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, 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 unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 So Jacob went and got them and took them to his mother, and she made some tasty food, the way his father loved.
And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.
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 Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
16 She put the goatskins on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
17 Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she'd made.
And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 He went in to see his father, and called out, “My father, I'm here.” “Which son are you?” Isaac asked.
And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my 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 unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy 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 unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because YHWH thy Elohim brought it to 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 unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very 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 went near unto Isaac his father; 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 discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 “It's really you, my son Esau?” he asked again. “Yes, it's me,” Jacob replied.
And he said, Art thou my very 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 it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Afterwards he said to Isaac, “Come here and kiss me, my son.”
And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my 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 came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which YHWH hath blessed:
28 “May God use the dew of heaven and fertile land to give you rich harvests of grain and new wine!
Therefore Elohim give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty 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.”
Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be master over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
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, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce 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 savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy 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 unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn 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 trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, 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 when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 But Isaac replied, “You brother came and deceived me—he stole your blessing!”
And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy 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, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
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 unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy master, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my 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 unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, 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 unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be 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 by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy 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 hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay 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 these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.
43 So, my son, listen carefully to what I tell you. Leave immediately and go to my brother Laban in Haram.
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
44 Stay with him for a while until your brother's anger cools down.
And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
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?”
Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also 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 Rebekah 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 which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
