בראשית 25

1 ויסף אברהם ויקח אשה ושמה קטורה׃

[Some time after Sarah died], Abraham married another woman, whose name was Keturah.

2 ותלד לו את זמרן ואת יקשן ואת מדן ואת מדין ואת ישבק ואת שוח׃

She later gave birth to six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

3 ויקשן ילד את שבא ואת דדן ובני דדן היו אשורם ולטושים ולאמים׃

Jokshan became the father of two sons, Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Asshur people-group, the Letush people-group, and the Leum people-group.

4 ובני מדין עיפה ועפר וחנך ואבידע ואלדעה כל אלה בני קטורה׃

The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. They were all descendants of Keturah.

5 ויתן אברהם את כל אשר לו ליצחק׃

Abraham declared that after he died, Isaac would inherit everything he owned.

6 ולבני הפילגשים אשר לאברהם נתן אברהם מתנת וישלחם מעל יצחק בנו בעודנו חי קדמה אל ארץ קדם׃

But while Abraham was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his (concubines/slaves that he had taken to be his secondary wives), and then he sent them away to live in a land to the east, to keep them far from his son Isaac.

7 ואלה ימי שני חיי אברהם אשר חי מאת שנה ושבעים שנה וחמש שנים׃

Abraham lived until he was 175 years old.

8 ויגוע וימת אברהם בשיבה טובה זקן ושבע ויאסף אל עמיו׃

He died at a very old age, joining his ancestors who had died previously [DOU].

9 ויקברו אתו יצחק וישמעאל בניו אל מערת המכפלה אל שדה עפרן בן צחר החתי אשר על פני ממרא׃

His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried his body in the cave at Machpelah area, near Mamre, in the field that Abraham had previously bought from Ephron, one of the descendants of Heth.

10 השדה אשר קנה אברהם מאת בני חת שמה קבר אברהם ושרה אשתו׃

Isaac and Ishmael buried his body there, where Abraham previously buried his wife Sarah.

11 ויהי אחרי מות אברהם ויברך אלהים את יצחק בנו וישב יצחק עם באר לחי ראי׃

After Abraham died, God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac moved to live near Beer-Lahai-Roi.

12 ואלה תלדת ישמעאל בן אברהם אשר ילדה הגר המצרית שפחת שרה לאברהם׃

(These are/I will now give a list of) the descendants of Abraham’s son, Ishmael, to whom Sarah’s female slave, Hagar from Egypt, had given birth.

13 ואלה שמות בני ישמעאל בשמתם לתולדתם בכר ישמעאל נבית וקדר ואדבאל ומבשם׃

These are their names, in the order in which they were born: Ishmael’s oldest son was named Nebaioth. After him were born Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

14 ומשמע ודומה ומשא׃

Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

15 חדד ותימא יטור נפיש וקדמה׃

Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 אלה הם בני ישמעאל ואלה שמתם בחצריהם ובטירתם שנים עשר נשיאם לאמתם׃

The twelve sons of Ishmael became the leaders/chiefs of people-groups that had those names. They each had their own settlement and campsite.

17 ואלה שני חיי ישמעאל מאת שנה ושלשים שנה ושבע שנים ויגוע וימת ויאסף אל עמיו׃

Ishmael lived until he was 137 years old. Then he died, [EUP] joining his ancestors who had previously died.

18 וישכנו מחוילה עד שור אשר על פני מצרים באכה אשורה על פני כל אחיו נפל׃

His descendants (settled/went to live) in the area between Shur and Havilah, near the border of Egypt as a person travels toward Asshur. All of their camps were close to each other (OR, they all frequently attacked each other).

19 ואלה תולדת יצחק בן אברהם אברהם הוליד את יצחק׃

(This is an account of/I will now tell you about) Abraham’s son, Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,

20 ויהי יצחק בן ארבעים שנה בקחתו את רבקה בת בתואל הארמי מפדן ארם אחות לבן הארמי לו לאשה׃

and when Isaac was 40 years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. Bethuel was one of the descendants of Aram from Paddan-Aram. Rebekah was the sister of Laban, who belonged to the Aram people-group.

21 ויעתר יצחק ליהוה לנכח אשתו כי עקרה הוא ויעתר לו יהוה ותהר רבקה אשתו׃

Almost 20 years after they were married, Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac prayed to Yahweh concerning his wife, and Yahweh answered his prayer. His wife Rebekah became pregnant.

22 ויתרצצו הבנים בקרבה ותאמר אם כן למה זה אנכי ותלך לדרש את יהוה׃

She was carrying twins in her womb, and they kept jostling each other. So she said, “Why is it [that this is happening to me]?” So she asked Yahweh about it.

23 ויאמר יהוה לה שני גיים בבטנך ושני לאמים ממעיך יפרדו ולאם מלאם יאמץ ורב יעבד צעיר׃

Yahweh said to her, “The older one of your twins will serve the younger one. The twins will be ancestors of two nations. And those two people-groups will separate from each other.” [CHI]

24 וימלאו ימיה ללדת והנה תומם בבטנה׃

When Rebekah gave birth, it was true! Twin boys were born!

25 ויצא הראשון אדמוני כלו כאדרת שער ויקראו שמו עשו׃

The first one born was red, and his body had hair all over it, like a garment made of hair. So they named him Esau, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘hairy'].

26 ואחרי כן יצא אחיו וידו אחזת בעקב עשו ויקרא שמו יעקב ויצחק בן ששים שנה בלדת אתם׃

Then his brother was born, grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘heel’]. Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born.

27 ויגדלו הנערים ויהי עשו איש ידע ציד איש שדה ויעקב איש תם ישב אהלים׃

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter. He spent a lot of time out in the fields. Jacob was a quiet man who stayed close to the campsite.

28 ויאהב יצחק את עשו כי ציד בפיו ורבקה אהבת את יעקב׃

Isaac liked Esau more, because he enjoyed the taste of the meat of the animals that Esau killed. But Rebekah liked Jacob more.

29 ויזד יעקב נזיד ויבא עשו מן השדה והוא עיף׃

One day while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came home from the field, very hungry.

30 ויאמר עשו אל יעקב הלעיטני נא מן האדם האדם הזה כי עיף אנכי על כן קרא שמו אדום׃

He said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stew to eat right now, because I am very hungry!” [That is why Esau’s other name was Edom, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘red]’.]

31 ויאמר יעקב מכרה כיום את בכרתך לי׃

Jacob said, “I will give you some if you sell me (your birthright/the privileges you have because you are the firstborn son).”

32 ויאמר עשו הנה אנכי הולך למות ולמה זה לי בכרה׃

Esau replied, “Well, I am about to die [from being so hungry]. [If I die now], (my birthright will not benefit me./What good will my birthright be to me?)” [RHQ]

33 ויאמר יעקב השבעה לי כיום וישבע לו וימכר את בכרתו ליעקב׃

Jacob said, “(Swear to/Solemnly promise) me that you are giving me the privileges that you will have from being the firstborn son!” So that is what Esau did. He sold his birthright to Jacob.

34 ויעקב נתן לעשו לחם ונזיד עדשים ויאכל וישת ויקם וילך ויבז עשו את הבכרה׃

Then Jacob gave to Esau some bread and some stew made of lentils/beans. Esau ate and drank, and then he got up and left. By doing that, Esau showed that he (was not interested in/did not value) the privileges that would be his because of being the firstborn son.