Genesis 27
1 And it came to pass that Isaac, was old, and his eyes became too dim to see, so he called Esau his elder son and said unto him My son! And he said unto him, Behold me!
When Isaac was old, he became almost blind. One day he summoned Esau, his firstborn/older son,
2 And he said, Behold, I pray thee, I am old, —I know not the day of my death.
and said to him, “My son?” Esau replied, “Here I am!”
3 Now, therefore, take I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and catch for me game;
Isaac said, “Listen to me. I am very old, and I do not know when I will die. So now take your bow and quiver full of arrows and go out into the countryside, and hunt for a wild animal for me.
4 and make for me dainty meats, such as I love and bring in to me, that I may eat, —To the end my soul may bless thee, ere yet I die!
Kill one and prepare the kind of tasty meat that I like. Then bring it to me so that after I eat it, I can give you a blessing before I die.”
5 Now, Rebekah, was hearkening, when Isaac spake unto Esau his son, and Esau went his way to the field, to catch game, to bring in.
Rebekah was listening as Isaac said that to his son, Esau. So when Esau left the tent to go to the countryside to hunt for a wild animal in order to kill it and bring it back,
6 Rebekah, therefore spake unto Jacob her son saying, —Lo! I heard thy father, speaking unto Esau thy brother, saying,
Rebekah said to her son, Jacob, “Listen to me. I heard your father talking to your brother, Esau, saying,
7 Bring in for me game and make for me dainty meats, that I may eat; and let me bless thee in the presence of Yahweh before my death.
‘Go and kill some wild animal and bring it here, and prepare the meat in a tasty way, so that I may eat it, and then before I die I can give you my blessing while Yahweh is listening.’
8 Now, therefore my son, hearken unto my voice, —in that which I am commanding thee:
So now, my son, do what I am telling you.
9 Go, I pray thee, unto the flock, and fetch me from thence two kids of the goats, fine ones, —that I may make of them dainty meats for thy father such as he loveth:
Go out to the flock and [kill] two nice young goats and bring [the meat] to me. Then I will prepare some tasty food for your father, the way he likes it.
10 Then shalt thou take them in unto thy father and he shall eat, —To the end he may bless thee before his death.
Then you can take it to your father, in order that he can eat it, and then, before he dies, he will give his blessing to you, [and not to your older brother].”
11 And Jacob said unto Rebekah his mother, Lo! Esau my brother, is a hairy man, whereas, I, am a smooth man:
But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “But my brother Esau’s skin has hair all over it, and my skin is not like that! My skin is smooth!
12 peradventure my father might feel me, then should I be in his eyes as one that mocketh, —and should bring upon myself a reproach, and not a blessing!
What will happen if my father touches me? He will realize that I am tricking him, and as a result (I will be cursed/he will say that God will do bad things to) me, not a blessing!”
13 And his mother said to him, Upon me, be thy reproach my son, —only hearken unto my voice and go fetch [them] for me.
His mother replied, “If that happens, let the curse be on me. You do what I am telling you. Go and get the goats for me!”
14 So he went, and fetched [them], and brought them in to his mother, and his mother made dainty meats, such as his father loved.
So Jacob went and killed two goats and brought them to his mother. Then [with the meat] his mother prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked.
15 Then took Rebekah the garments of Esau her elder son, the costly ones, which were with her in the house, —and put them on Jacob her younger son:
Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s clothes that were with her in the tent, and she put them on her younger son Jacob.
16 and the, skins of the kids of the goats, put she upon his hands, —and on the smooth part of his neck;
She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck.
17 then placed she the dainty meats and the bread, which she had made ready, in the hand of Jacob her son.
Then she handed him some bread and the tasty food that she had prepared.
18 So he went in unto his father, and said My father! And he said Behold me! who art, thou, my son?
Jacob took it to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac replied, “I’m here; which of my sons are you?”
19 And Jacob said unto his father I, am Esau thy firstborn, I have made ready, as thou didst bid me. Rise, I pray thee, sit up, and eat thou of my game, To the end thy soul may bless me.
Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn son. I did what you told me to do. Sit up and eat some of the meat so that you can then bless me.”
20 Then said Isaac unto his son. How is it thou hast been so quick in finding, my son? And he said, Because Yahweh thy God caused it so to fall out before me.
But Isaac asked his son, “My son, how is it that you were able to find and kill an animal so quickly?” Jacob replied, “Because Yahweh, whom you worship, enabled me to be successful.”
21 Then said Isaac unto Jacob. Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee my son—whether, thou thyself, art my son Esau, or not.
Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near to me, my son, so that I can touch you and determine whether you are really my son Esau.”
22 So Jacob came near unto Isaac his father, and he felt him; then said he the voice is the voice of Jacob; But, the hands, are the hands of Esau.
So Jacob went close to him. Isaac. Isaac touched him and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy, like the hands of your older brother, Esau.”
23 So he did not find him out, because, his hands were like the hands of Esau his brother hairy, —so he blessed him.
Isaac did not recognize Jacob, [because he was blind] and because Jacob’s hands were now hairy, like those of his older brother, Esau. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.
24 And he said, Thou thyself, art my son Esau? And he said, I am!
But first Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob replied, “Yes, I am.”
25 So he said, Bring it near to me., that I may eat of the game of my son, To the end my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat, and he brought in to him wine, and he drank.
Isaac said, “My son, bring me some of the meat that you have cooked, so that I may eat it and then give you my blessing.” So Jacob brought him some, and he ate it. Jacob also brought him some wine, and he drank it.
26 Then Isaac his father said unto him, —Come thou near I pray thee and kiss me my son.
Then Isaac said to him, “My son, come here and kiss me.”
27 So he came near, and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him, —and said. See! the smell of my son, As the smell of a field, which Yahweh hath blessed;
So Jacob came close to him, and his father kissed him on the cheek. Isaac smelled the clothes Jacob was wearing. They smelled like Esau’s clothes. So he said, “Truly, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed.
28 Then, may God give thee of the dew of the heavens, And of the fatness of the earth, —And abundance of corn and new wine:
I ask that God will send down to you dew from heaven [to water your fields], and cause you to have abundant crops, good harvests of grain, and grapes for wine.
29 Let peoples serve thee And races bow down to thee, Become thou lord to thy brethren, And let the sons of thy mother bow down to thee, —He that curseth thee, be accursed! And he that blesseth thee, be blessed!
I ask that people of many nations will serve you and bow down to you. I ask that you will rule over your brothers, and that your mother’s descendants will also bow down to you. I ask that God will curse/punish those who (curse you/ask God to do bad things to you), and bless those who bless you.”
30 And it came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, —yea it came to pass when Jacob, had only just gone forth, from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother, came in from his hunting.
After Isaac finished blessing Jacob, Jacob was just leaving the room where his father was, when his older brother, Esau, returned from hunting.
31 Then, he too, made dainty meats, and brought in to his father, —and said to his father, Let my father rise that he may eat of the game of his son, To the end thy soul may bless me!
Esau cooked some tasty meat and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “My father, please sit up and eat some of the meat that I have cooked, so that you can then give me your blessing!”
32 And Isaac his father said to him Who art, thou? And he said, I, am thy son thy firstborn, Esau.
His father, Isaac, said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am Esau, your firstborn son!”
33 Then did Isaac tremble with an exceeding great trembling, and said Who then was it that caught game and brought in to me and I did eat of all ere yet thou didst come in and I blessed him? Yea blessed, shall he remain!
Then Isaac, realizing that it was not Esau who had come earlier, trembled very violently. He said, “Then who is it that brought me some meat from an animal that he had hunted and killed, and I ate it all? He was here just before you came. I blessed him, and I cannot (take back that blessing/declare that those things will not happen to him).”
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, then cried he out with an outcry loud and bitter exceedingly, —and said to his father, Bless even me also, O my father!
When Esau heard those words of his father, he cried loudly. He was very disappointed. He said to his father, “My father, bless me, too!”
35 Then he said, Thy brother came in with deceit, —and took away thy blessing.
But his father said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing!”
36 And he said, Is it because his name, is called, Jacob, that he hath tricked me, now twice? My birthright, he took away, And lo! now, he hath taken away my blessing! And he said, Hast thou not reserved for me a blessing?
Esau said, “It is right [RHQ] that his name is Jacob, which means ‘cheat,’ because he deceived me two times. The first time he took my rights from being his firstborn son, and this time he took my blessing!” Then he asked, “Do you not have any blessing left for me?”
37 Then answered Isaac and said to Esau, —Lo a lord, have I appointed him unto thee, And, all his brethren, have I given to him as servants, And with corn and new wine, have I sustained him, —And for thee—now, what can I do, my son?
Isaac answered and said to Esau, “I have declared that your younger brother will rule over you, and declared that all his relatives will serve him. And I have said that God will give him plenty of grain and grapes for wine. So, my son, (what can I do for you?/There is nothing more that I can do for you!)” [RHQ]
38 And Esau said unto his father, But one blessing, hast thou, O my father? Bless, me also, O my father! And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
Esau said to his father, “My father, do you have only one blessing? My father, bless me, too!” Then Esau cried very loudly.
39 Then answered Isaac his father and said unto him, —Lo! of the fat parts of the earth, shall be thy dwelling, And of the dew of the heavens, above;
His father Isaac answered and said to him, “The place where you will live will be far from the fertile soil and from the dew that God sends from heaven [to water the fields].
40 And on thy sword, shalt thou live, And thy brother, shalt thou serve: But it shall come to pass when thou shalt rove at large, Then shalt thou break his yoke from off thy neck.
You will [rob and] kill people [MTY] in order to [get what you need to] live, and you will be as though you are your brother’s slave. But when you decide to rebel against him, you will (free yourself from/no longer be under) his control.”
41 And Esau lay in wait for Jacob, on account of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him, —and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father draw near, when I can slay Jacob my brother.
So, because his father had given a blessing to Jacob, and not to him, Esau hated his younger brother. Esau thought to himself, “After my father dies and we finish mourning for him, I will kill Jacob!”
42 Then were told to Rebekah, the words of Esau her elder son, so she sent and called for Jacob, her younger son, and said unto him—Lo! Esau, thy brother, is consoling himself as touching thee, to slay thee.
But Rebekah found out what her older son, Esau, was thinking. So she summoned her younger son, Jacob, and said to him, “Listen to me. Your older brother, Esau, is [comforting himself by] planning to kill you, to get revenge because of your deceiving your father.
43 Now, therefore, my son, hearken to my voice, —and rise flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
So now, my son, listen carefully to what I am telling you. Escape quickly and go and stay with my brother Laban, in Haran [town].
44 And thou shalt dwell with him a few days, —until that the wrath of thy brother turn away:
Stay with him a while, until your older brother is no longer angry.
45 until the turning away of the anger of thy brother from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him, and I send and fetch thee from thence. Wherefore should I lose, you both, in one day?
When he forgets what you did to him, I will send a message to you, to tell you to return from there. If Esau kills you, [others will kill him, and] then both my sons would die at the same time!” [RHQ]
46 So then Rebekah said unto Isaac, I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Heth, —Should Jacob be taking a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these, of the daughters of the land, wherefore could I wish for life?
Rebekah also said to Isaac, “These [foreign] women whom Esau has married, who are descendants of Heth, are making my life miserable. I would prefer to die than to see Jacob marry a woman from the descendants of Heth in this area!”
