Genesis 25:19-34

Names of God Bible

Esau and Jacob

¹⁹ This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac and his descendants. Abraham was the father of Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹ Isaac prayed to Yahweh for his wife because she was childless. Yahweh answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. ²² When the children inside her were struggling with each other, she said, “If it’s like this now, what will become of me?”^[a] So she went to ask Yahweh.

²³ Yahweh said to her,

²⁴ When the time came for her to give birth, she had twins. ²⁵ The first one born was red. His whole body was covered with hair, so they named him Esau [Hairy]. ²⁶ Afterwards, his brother was born with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, and so he was named Jacob [Heel]. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

²⁷ They grew up. Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman. Jacob remained a quiet man, staying around the tents. ²⁸ Because Isaac liked to eat the meat of wild animals, he loved Esau. However, Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Once, Jacob was preparing a meal when Esau, exhausted, came in from outdoors. ³⁰ So Esau said to Jacob, “Let me have the whole pot of red stuff to eat—that red stuff—I’m exhausted.” This is why he was called Edom.^[b]

³¹ Jacob responded, “First, sell me your rights as firstborn.”

³² “I’m about to die.” Esau said. “What good is my inheritance to me?”

³³ “First, swear an oath,” Jacob said. So Esau swore an oath to him and sold him his rights as firstborn. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau a meal of bread and lentils. He ate and drank, and then he got up and left.

This is how Esau showed his contempt for his rights as firstborn.