Genesis 27
1 When Isaac was old, he became almost blind. One day he summoned Esau, his firstborn/older son,
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 and said to him, “My son?” Esau replied, “Here I am!”
And he said, Behold, I am grown old, and know not the day of my death.
3 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.
Now then take the weapons, both your quiver and your bow, and go into the plain, and get me venison,
4 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.”
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 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,
And Rebecca heard Isaac speaking to Esau his son; and Esau went to the plain to procure venison for his father.
6 Rebekah said to her son, Jacob, “Listen to me. I heard your father talking to your brother, Esau, saying,
And Rebecca said to Jacob her younger son, Behold, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,
7 ‘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.’
Bring me venison, and prepare me meats, that I may eat and bless you before the Lord before I die.
8 So now, my son, do what I am telling you.
Now then, my son, listen to me, as I command you.
9 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.
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 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].”
And you shall bring them in to your father, and he shall eat, that your father may bless you before he dies.
11 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!
And Jacob said to his mother Rebecca, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I a smooth man.
12 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!”
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 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!”
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 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.
So he went and took and brought them to his mother; and his mother made meats, as his father liked [them].
15 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.
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 also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and 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 him some bread and the tasty food that she had prepared.
And she gave the meats, and the loaves which she had prepared, into the hands of Jacob her son.
18 Jacob took it to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac replied, “I’m here; which of my sons are you?”
And he brought [them] to his father, and said, Father; and he said, Behold I [am here]; who are you, son?
19 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.”
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 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.”
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 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.”
And Isaac said to Jacob, Draw night to me, and I will feel you, son, if you are my son Esau or not.
22 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.”
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 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.
And he knew him not, for his hands were as the hands of his brother Esau, hairy; and he blessed him,
24 But first Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob replied, “Yes, I am.”
and he said, Are you my son Esau? and he said, I [am].
25 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.
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 Then Isaac said to him, “My son, come here and kiss me.”
And Isaac his father said to him, Draw near to me, and kiss me, son.
27 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.
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 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.
And may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of corn and wine.
29 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.”
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, Jacob was just leaving the room where his father was, when his older brother, Esau, returned from hunting.
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 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!”
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 His father, Isaac, said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am Esau, your firstborn son!”
And Isaac his father said to him, Who are you? And he said, I am your firstborn son Esau.
33 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).”
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 those words of his father, he cried loudly. He was very disappointed. He said to his father, “My father, bless me, too!”
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 his father said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing!”
And he said to him, Your brother has come with subtlety, and taken your blessing.
36 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?”
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 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]
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 Esau said to his father, “My father, do you have only one blessing? My father, bless me, too!” Then Esau cried 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 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].
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 [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.”
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 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!”
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 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.
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 now, my son, listen carefully to what I am telling you. Escape quickly and go and stay with my brother Laban, in Haran [town].
Now then, my son, hear my voice, and rise and depart quickly into Mesopotamia to Laban my brother into Charran.
44 Stay with him a while, until your older brother is no longer angry.
And dwell with him certain days, until your brother's anger
45 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]
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 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!”
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?
