בראשית 27
| ויהי כי זקן יצחק ותכהין עיניו מראת ויקרא את עשו בנו הגדל ויאמר אליו בני ויאמר אליו הנני׃ | 1 |
When Isaac was old, he became almost blind. One day he summoned Esau, his firstborn/older son,
| ויאמר הנה נא זקנתי לא ידעתי יום מותי׃ | 2 |
and said to him, “My son?” Esau replied, “Here I am!”
| ועתה שא נא כליך תליך וקשתך וצא השדה וצודה לי צידה׃ | 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.
| ועשה לי מטעמים כאשר אהבתי והביאה לי ואכלה בעבור תברכך נפשי בטרם אמות׃ | 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.”
| ורבקה שמעת בדבר יצחק אל עשו בנו וילך עשו השדה לצוד ציד להביא׃ | 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,
| ורבקה אמרה אל יעקב בנה לאמר הנה שמעתי את אביך מדבר אל עשו אחיך לאמר׃ | 6 |
Rebekah said to her son, Jacob, “Listen to me. I heard your father talking to your brother, Esau, saying,
| הביאה לי ציד ועשה לי מטעמים ואכלה ואברככה לפני יהוה לפני מותי׃ | 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.’
| ועתה בני שמע בקלי לאשר אני מצוה אתך׃ | 8 |
So now, my son, do what I am telling you.
| לך נא אל הצאן וקח לי משם שני גדיי עזים טבים ואעשה אתם מטעמים לאביך כאשר אהב׃ | 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.
| והבאת לאביך ואכל בעבר אשר יברכך לפני מותו׃ | 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].”
| ויאמר יעקב אל רבקה אמו הן עשו אחי איש שער ואנכי איש חלק׃ | 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!
| אולי ימשני אבי והייתי בעיניו כמתעתע והבאתי עלי קללה ולא ברכה׃ | 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!”
| ותאמר לו אמו עלי קללתך בני אך שמע בקלי ולך קח לי׃ | 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!”
| וילך ויקח ויבא לאמו ותעש אמו מטעמים כאשר אהב אביו׃ | 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.
| ותקח רבקה את בגדי עשו בנה הגדל החמדת אשר אתה בבית ותלבש את יעקב בנה הקטן׃ | 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.
| ואת ערת גדיי העזים הלבישה על ידיו ועל חלקת צואריו׃ | 16 |
She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck.
| ותתן את המטעמים ואת הלחם אשר עשתה ביד יעקב בנה׃ | 17 |
Then she handed him some bread and the tasty food that she had prepared.
| ויבא אל אביו ויאמר אבי ויאמר הנני מי אתה בני׃ | 18 |
Jacob took it to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac replied, “I’m here; which of my sons are you?”
| ויאמר יעקב אל אביו אנכי עשו בכרך עשיתי כאשר דברת אלי קום נא שבה ואכלה מצידי בעבור תברכני נפשך׃ | 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.”
| ויאמר יצחק אל בנו מה זה מהרת למצא בני ויאמר כי הקרה יהוה אלהיך לפני׃ | 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.”
| ויאמר יצחק אל יעקב גשה נא ואמשך בני האתה זה בני עשו אם לא׃ | 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.”
| ויגש יעקב אל יצחק אביו וימשהו ויאמר הקל קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו׃ | 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.”
| ולא הכירו כי היו ידיו כידי עשו אחיו שערת ויברכהו׃ | 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.
| ויאמר אתה זה בני עשו ויאמר אני׃ | 24 |
But first Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob replied, “Yes, I am.”
| ויאמר הגשה לי ואכלה מציד בני למען תברכך נפשי ויגש לו ויאכל ויבא לו יין וישת׃ | 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.
| ויאמר אליו יצחק אביו גשה נא ושקה לי בני׃ | 26 |
Then Isaac said to him, “My son, come here and kiss me.”
| ויגש וישק לו וירח את ריח בגדיו ויברכהו ויאמר ראה ריח בני כריח שדה אשר ברכו יהוה׃ | 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.
| ויתן לך האלהים מטל השמים ומשמני הארץ ורב דגן ותירש׃ | 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.
| יעבדוך עמים וישתחו לך לאמים הוה גביר לאחיך וישתחוו לך בני אמך ארריך ארור ומברכיך ברוך׃ | 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.”
| ויהי כאשר כלה יצחק לברך את יעקב ויהי אך יצא יצא יעקב מאת פני יצחק אביו ועשו אחיו בא מצידו׃ | 30 |
After Isaac finished blessing Jacob, Jacob was just leaving the room where his father was, when his older brother, Esau, returned from hunting.
| ויעש גם הוא מטעמים ויבא לאביו ויאמר לאביו יקם אבי ויאכל מציד בנו בעבור תברכני נפשך׃ | 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!”
| ויאמר לו יצחק אביו מי אתה ויאמר אני בנך בכרך עשו׃ | 32 |
His father, Isaac, said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am Esau, your firstborn son!”
| ויחרד יצחק חרדה גדלה עד מאד ויאמר מי אפוא הוא הצד ציד ויבא לי ואכל מכל בטרם תבוא ואברכהו גם ברוך יהיה׃ | 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).”
| כשמע עשו את דברי אביו ויצעק צעקה גדלה ומרה עד מאד ויאמר לאביו ברכני גם אני אבי׃ | 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!”
| ויאמר בא אחיך במרמה ויקח ברכתך׃ | 35 |
But his father said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing!”
| ויאמר הכי קרא שמו יעקב ויעקבני זה פעמים את בכרתי לקח והנה עתה לקח ברכתי ויאמר הלא אצלת לי ברכה׃ | 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?”
| ויען יצחק ויאמר לעשו הן גביר שמתיו לך ואת כל אחיו נתתי לו לעבדים ודגן ותירש סמכתיו ולכה אפוא מה אעשה בני׃ | 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]
| ויאמר עשו אל אביו הברכה אחת הוא לך אבי ברכני גם אני אבי וישא עשו קלו ויבך׃ | 38 |
Esau said to his father, “My father, do you have only one blessing? My father, bless me, too!” Then Esau cried very loudly.
| ויען יצחק אביו ויאמר אליו הנה משמני הארץ יהיה מושבך ומטל השמים מעל׃ | 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].
| ועל חרבך תחיה ואת אחיך תעבד והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עלו מעל צוארך׃ | 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.”
| וישטם עשו את יעקב על הברכה אשר ברכו אביו ויאמר עשו בלבו יקרבו ימי אבל אבי ואהרגה את יעקב אחי׃ | 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!”
| ויגד לרבקה את דברי עשו בנה הגדל ותשלח ותקרא ליעקב בנה הקטן ותאמר אליו הנה עשו אחיך מתנחם לך להרגך׃ | 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.
| ועתה בני שמע בקלי וקום ברח לך אל לבן אחי חרנה׃ | 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].
| וישבת עמו ימים אחדים עד אשר תשוב חמת אחיך׃ | 44 |
Stay with him a while, until your older brother is no longer angry.
| עד שוב אף אחיך ממך ושכח את אשר עשית לו ושלחתי ולקחתיך משם למה אשכל גם שניכם יום אחד׃ | 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]
| ותאמר רבקה אל יצחק קצתי בחיי מפני בנות חת אם לקח יעקב אשה מבנות חת כאלה מבנות הארץ למה לי חיים׃ | 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!”
