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Genesis 22-29
New American Standard Bible

The Offering of Isaac

22 Now it came about after these things, that (A)God tested Abraham, and said to him, “(B)Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now (C)your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of (D)Moriah, and offer him there as a (E)burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and (F)laid it on his son Isaac, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the (G)lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will [a]provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

9 Then they came to (H)the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built (I)the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and (J)laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to [b]slaughter his son. 11 But (K)the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now (L)I know that you [c]fear God, since you have not withheld (M)your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place [d]The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord (N)it will [e]be provided.”

15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “(O)By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly (P)multiply your [f]seed as the stars of the heavens and as (Q)the sand, which is on the seashore; and (R)your [g]seed shall possess the gate of [h]their enemies. 18 And (S)in your [i]seed all the nations of the earth shall [j]be blessed, because you have (T)obeyed My voice.” 19 (U)So Abraham returned to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived in Beersheba.

20 Now it came about after these things, that Abraham was told, saying, “Behold, (V)Milcah [k]also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel”— 23 and it was Bethuel who fathered (W)Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, [l]also gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Death and Burial of Sarah

23 Now [m]Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 Sarah died in (X)Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham [n]came in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abraham arose from mourning before his dead, and spoke to the (Y)sons of Heth, saying, 4 “I am (Z)a stranger and a foreign resident among you; (AA)give me [o]a (AB)burial site among you so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 “Hear us, my lord: you are a [p](AC)mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” 7 So Abraham stood up and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If [q]you are willing to let me bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me, and plead with (AD)Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in [r]your presence for [s]a burial site.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham [t]so that the sons of Heth heard, (AE)that is, all who entered the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my lord, listen to me; (AF)I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 12 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13 But he spoke to Ephron [u]so that the people of the land heard, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me so that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a plot of land worth [v]four hundred (AG)shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham (AH)weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the [w]presence of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency acceptable to a merchant.

17 So (AI)Ephron’s field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were [x]within all the confines of its border, [y]were deeded over 18 to Abraham as a possession (AJ)in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that was in it [z]were (AK)deeded over to Abraham for [aa]a burial site by the sons of Heth.

A Bride for Isaac

24 Now (AL)Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had (AM)blessed Abraham in every way. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in (AN)charge of all that he owned, “(AO)Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, (AP)the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you (AQ)shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of (AR)the Canaanites, among whom I live; 4 but you will go to (AS)my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” 6 Then Abraham said to him, “(AT)Beware that you do not take my son back there! 7 (AU)The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘(AV)To your [ab]descendants I will give this land’—He will send (AW)His angel ahead of you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will (AX)be free of this oath of mine; (AY)only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant (AZ)placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and went out with a variety of (BA)good things of his master’s in his hand; so he set out and went to [ac]Mesopotamia, to (BB)the city of Nahor. 11 He made the camels kneel down outside the city by (BC)the well of water [ad]when it was evening, (BD)the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he said, “(BE)Lord, God of my master Abraham, please [ae](BF)grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, (BG)I am standing by the [af]spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 14 now may it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and [ag]who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

Rebekah Is Chosen

15 And it came about, (BH)before he had finished speaking, that behold, (BI)Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of (BJ)Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman was (BK)very beautiful, a virgin; no man had [ah]had relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. 17 Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “(BL)Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 18 And (BM)she said, “Drink, my lord”; then she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 Now when she had finished giving him a drink, (BN)she said, “I will also draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 21 (BO)Meanwhile, the man was taking a close look at her [ai]in silence, to find out whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a (BP)gold ring weighing a [aj]half-shekel, and two bracelets for her [ak]wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 23 and he said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay overnight at your father’s house?” 24 She said to him, “(BQ)I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to stay overnight.” 26 Then the man (BR)bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 And he said, “(BS)Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned (BT)His kindness and His trustworthiness toward my master; as for me, (BU)the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

28 Then (BV)the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was (BW)Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 30 When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s [al]wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “[am]This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 And he said, “(BX)Come in, (BY)blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside, since (BZ)I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 32 So the man entered the house. Then [an](CA)Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have stated my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am (CB)Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly (CC)blessed my master, so that he has become [ao]rich; and He has given him (CD)flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and slave women, and camels and donkeys. 36 Now (CE)my master’s wife Sarah bore a son to my master [ap]in her old age, and (CF)he has given him all that he has. 37 (CG)My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 Then (CH)I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 40 And he said to me, ‘(CI)The Lord, before whom I have (CJ)walked, will send (CK)His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 41 (CL)then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

42 “So (CM)I came today to the spring, and said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I have been going (CN)successful; 43 behold, (CO)I am standing by the [aq]spring, and may it be that the [ar]young unmarried woman who comes out to draw water, and to whom I say, “(CP)Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 44 and she says to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’

45 “Before I had finished (CQ)speaking in my heart, behold, (CR)Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew water, and (CS)I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘(CT)Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. 47 (CU)Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the (CV)ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her [as]wrists. 48 And I (CW)bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, (CX)who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 So now if you are going to [at](CY)deal kindly and truthfully with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me now, so that I may turn to the right or the left.”

50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “(CZ)The matter has come from the Lord; (DA)so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he (DB)bowed himself to the ground [au]before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out (DC)articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they got up in the morning, he said, “(DD)Send me away to my master.” 55 But her brother and her mother said, “(DE)Let the young woman stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” 56 However, he said to them, “Do not delay me, since (DF)the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away so that I may go to my master.” 57 And they said, “We will call the young woman and [av]ask her.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and (DG)her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“May you, our sister,
(DH)Become thousands of ten thousands,
And may (DI)your [aw]descendants possess
The gate of those who hate them.”

61 Then Rebekah got up with her female attendants, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

Isaac Marries Rebekah

62 Now Isaac had come back from [ax]a journey to (DJ)Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in (DK)the [ay]Negev. 63 Isaac went out (DL)to [az]meditate in the field toward evening; and (DM)he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. 64 Rebekah raised her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel. 65 She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her [ba]veil and covered herself. 66 The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and (DN)he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and (DO)he loved her; so Isaac was comforted after (DP)his mother’s death.

Abraham’s Death

25 Now Abraham took another wife, [bb]whose name was Keturah. 2 (DQ)She bore to him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were the sons of Keturah. 5 (DR)Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; 6 but to the sons of [bc]his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and (DS)sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.

7 These are [bd]all the years of Abraham’s life that he lived, (DT)175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died (DU)at a good old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was (DV)gathered to his people. 9 Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in (DW)the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, 10 (DX)the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 It came about after the death of Abraham, that (DY)God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac [be]lived by (DZ)Beer-lahai-roi.

Descendants of Ishmael

12 Now these are the records of the generations of (EA)Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave woman, bore to Abraham; 13 and these are the names of (EB)the sons of Ishmael, by their names, [bf]in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; (EC)twelve princes according to their [bg]tribes. 17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael, (ED)137 years; and he breathed his last and died, and was (EE)gathered to his people. 18 They [bh]settled from (EF)Havilah to (EG)Shur which is [bi]east of Egypt [bj]going toward Assyria; (EH)he [bk]settled in defiance of all his relatives.

Isaac’s Sons

19 Now these are the records of (EI)the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac; 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took (EJ)Rebekah, the (EK)daughter of Bethuel the [bl]Aramean of Paddan-aram, the (EL)sister of Laban the [bm]Aramean, to be his wife. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children; and (EM)the Lord [bn]answered him, and his wife Rebekah (EN)conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why am I in this condition?” So she went to (EO)inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,

“(EP)Two nations are in your womb;
(EQ)And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people will be stronger than the other;
And (ER)the older will serve the younger.”

24 When her days leading to the delivery were at an end, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 Now the first came out red, (ES)all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with (ET)his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so (EU)he was named [bo]Jacob; and Isaac was (EV)sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a [bp]civilized man, (EW)living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau because [bq]he had (EX)a taste for game; (EY)but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 When Jacob had cooked a (EZ)stew one day, Esau came in from the field and he was exhausted; 30 and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a mouthful of [br]that red stuff there, for I am exhausted.” Therefore he was called [bs]Edom by name. 31 But Jacob said, “[bt]First sell me your (FA)birthright.” 32 Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” 33 And Jacob said, “[bu]First swear to me”; so he swore an oath to him, and (FB)sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac Settles in Gerar

26 Now there was (FC)a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to (FD)Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord (FE)appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; (FF)stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Live for a time in this land and (FG)I will be with you and (FH)bless you, for (FI)to you and to your [bv]descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish (FJ)the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 4 (FK)I will multiply your [bw]descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your [bx]descendants all these lands; and (FL)by your [by]descendants all the nations of the earth [bz]shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham [ca](FM)obeyed Me and fulfilled his duty to Me, and kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “(FN)She is my sister,” for he was (FO)afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “[cb]the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, since she is (FP)beautiful.” 8 Now it came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down through a window, and saw them, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she certainly is your wife! So how is it that you said, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘otherwise I might be killed on account of her.’” 10 And (FQ)Abimelech said, “What is this that you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “He who (FR)touches this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.”

12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and [cc]reaped in the same year a hundred times as much. And (FS)the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man (FT)became rich, and continued to grow [cd]richer until he became very [ce]wealthy; 14 for (FU)he had possessions of flocks [cf]and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now (FV)all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up [cg]by filling them with dirt. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are [ch](FW)too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the Valley of Gerar, and [ci]settled there.

Argument over the Wells

18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which [cj]had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he [ck]gave them the same names which his father had [cl]given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of [cm]flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (FX)quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well [cn]Esek, because they argued with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it [co]Sitnah. 22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it [cp]Rehoboth, for he said, “[cq](FY)At last the Lord has made [cr]room for us, and we will be (FZ)fruitful in the land.”

23 And he went up from there to (GA)Beersheba. 24 And the Lord (GB)appeared to him the same night and said,

“(GC)I am the God of your father Abraham;
(GD)Do not fear, for I am with you.
I (GE)will bless you and multiply your [cs]descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”

25 So he built an (GF)altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Covenant with Abimelech

26 Then (GG)Abimelech came to him from Gerar [ct]with his adviser Ahuzzath, and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “(GH)Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We have seen plainly (GI)that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘An oath must now be taken [cu]by us,’ that is, [cv]by you and us. So let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you [cw]and have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the (GJ)blessed of the Lord.” 30 Then (GK)he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they got up early and [cx](GL)exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace. 32 Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it [cy]Shibah; therefore the name of the city is (GM)Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old (GN)he [cz]married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and (GO)they [da]brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Jacob’s Deception

27 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and (GP)his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his (GQ)older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 2 Then [db](GR)Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and (GS)hunt game for me; 4 and prepare a delicious meal for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that (GT)my soul may bless you before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, 6 (GU)Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare a delicious meal for me, so that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ 8 So now, my son, (GV)listen to [dc]me [dd]as I command you. 9 Go now to the flock and [de]bring me two choice [df]young goats from there, so that I may prepare them as a delicious meal for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Behold, my brother Esau is a (GW)hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12 (GX)Perhaps my father will touch me, then I will be like a [dg]deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” 13 But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only (GY)obey my voice, and go, get the goats for me.” 14 So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made a delicious meal such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the [dh]best (GZ)garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 And she put the skins of the [di]young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 She also gave the delicious meal and the bread which she had made [dj]to her son Jacob.

18 Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. (HA)Come now, sit and eat of my game, so that [dk](HB)you may bless me.” 20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “(HC)Because the Lord your God made it [dl]come to me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, so that (HD)I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, and he touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were (HE)hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that [dm](HF)I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he (HG)blessed him and said,

“See, (HH)the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field (HI)which the Lord has blessed;
28 Now may (HJ)God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the (HK)fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 (HL)May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
(HM)Be master of your brothers,
(HN)And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
(HO)Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”

The Stolen Blessing

30 Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, that his brother Esau came in from his hunting. 31 Then he also made a delicious meal, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “(HP)Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that [dn](HQ)you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “(HR)Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, (HS)your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac [do]trembled violently, and said, “(HT)Who then was he who hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate from all of it before you came, and blessed him? (HU)Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, (HV)he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me as well, my father!” 35 And he said, “(HW)Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36 Then Esau said, “[dp]Is he not rightly named (HX)[dq]Jacob, for he has betrayed me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him (HY)your master, and I have given to him all his relatives [dr]as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me as well, my father.” So Esau raised his voice and (HZ)wept.

39 Then (IA)his father Isaac answered and said to him,

“Behold, [ds](IB)away from the [dt]fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling,
And [du]away from the dew of heaven from above.
40 And by your sword you shall live,
And (IC)you shall serve your brother;
But it shall come about (ID)when you become restless,
That you will [dv]break his yoke from your neck.”

41 So Esau (IE)held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said [dw]to himself, “(IF)The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent word and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. 43 Now then, my son, (IG)obey my voice, and arise, [dx]flee to (IH)Haran, to my brother (II)Laban! 44 Stay with him (IJ)a few days, until your brother’s fury [dy]subsides, 45 until your brother’s anger [dz]against you subsides and he forgets (IK)what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”

46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of [ea]living because of (IL)the daughters of Heth; (IM)if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Jacob Is Sent Away

28 So Isaac called Jacob and (IN)blessed him and commanded him, [eb]saying to him, “(IO)You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of (IP)Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May [ec](IQ)God Almighty (IR)bless you and (IS)make you fruitful and (IT)multiply you, so that you may become a (IU)multitude of peoples. 4 May He also give you the (IV)blessing of Abraham, to you and to your [ed]descendants with you, so that you may (IW)possess the land where you (IX)live as a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then (IY)Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, saying, “(IZ)You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So Esau saw that (JA)the daughters of Canaan displeased [ee]his father Isaac; 9 and Esau went to Ishmael, and [ef]married, (JB)besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.

Jacob’s Dream

10 Then Jacob departed from (JC)Beersheba and went toward (JD)Haran. 11 And he [eg]happened upon a [eh](JE)particular place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and made it a support for his head, and lay down in that place. 12 And (JF)he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, (JG)the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 Then behold, (JH)the Lord was standing [ei]above it and said, “I am the Lord, (JI)the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give (JJ)to you and to (JK)your [ej]descendants. 14 Your [ek]descendants will also be like (JL)the dust of the earth, and you will [el]spread out (JM)to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and (JN)in you and in your [em]descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, (JO)I am with you and (JP)will keep you wherever you go, and (JQ)will bring you back to this land; for (JR)I will not leave you until I have done what I have [en]promised you.” 16 Then Jacob (JS)awoke from his sleep and said, “(JT)The Lord is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!” 17 And he was afraid and said, “(JU)How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

18 So Jacob got up early in the morning, and took (JV)the stone that he had placed as a support for his head, and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on its top. 19 Then he named that place [eo](JW)Bethel; but [ep]previously the name of the city had been (JX)Luz. 20 Jacob also (JY)made a vow, saying, “(JZ)If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I [eq]take, and give me [er](KA)food to eat and garments to wear, 21 and (KB)I return to my father’s house in [es]safety, (KC)then the Lord will be my God. 22 And this stone, which I have set up as a memorial stone, (KD)will be God’s house, and (KE)of everything that You give me I will assuredly give a tenth to You.”

Jacob Meets Rachel

29 Then Jacob [et]set out on his journey, and went to the land of (KF)the [eu]people of the east. 2 He looked, and [ev]saw (KG)a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, because they watered the flocks from that well. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from (KH)Haran.” 5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban the (KI)son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” 6 And he said to them, “Is it well with him?” And they said, “It is well, and here is his daughter (KJ)Rachel coming with the sheep.” 7 Then he said, “Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother’s brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his mother’s brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob (KK)kissed Rachel, and raised his voice and wept. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was a (KL)relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and (KM)she ran and told her father.

13 So when (KN)Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, and (KO)embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Then he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, “You certainly are (KP)my bone and my flesh.” And he stayed with him a month.

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall (KQ)your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was (KR)beautiful in figure and appearance. 18 Now Jacob (KS)loved Rachel, so he said, “(KT)I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him like only a few days (KU)because of his love for her.

Laban’s Treachery

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my [ew]time is completed, that I may (KV)have relations with her.” 22 So Laban gathered all the people of the place and held a feast. 23 Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and Jacob had relations with her. 24 Laban also gave his female slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a slave. 25 So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “(KW)What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you (KX)deceived me?” 26 But Laban said, “It is not [ex]the practice in our place to [ey]marry off the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which (KY)you shall serve with me, for another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. 29 Laban also gave his female slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. 30 So Jacob had relations with Rachel also, and indeed (KZ)he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with [ez]Laban for (LA)another seven years.

31 Now the Lord saw that Leah was [fa]unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was unable to have children. 32 Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and named him [fb]Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has [fc](LB)seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” 33 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “(LC)Because the Lord has [fd]heard that I am [fe]unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. 34 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become [ff]attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named (LD)Levi. 35 And she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will [fg]praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him [fh](LE)Judah. Then she stopped having children.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 22:8 Lit see
  2. Genesis 22:10 I.e., following prescribed ritual
  3. Genesis 22:12 Or revere; lit are a fearer of God
  4. Genesis 22:14 Heb YHWH-jireh; lit the Lord will see
  5. Genesis 22:14 Lit be seen
  6. Genesis 22:17 Or descendants
  7. Genesis 22:17 Or descendants
  8. Genesis 22:17 Lit his
  9. Genesis 22:18 Or descendants
  10. Genesis 22:18 Or bless themselves
  11. Genesis 22:20 Lit she also
  12. Genesis 22:24 Lit she also
  13. Genesis 23:1 Lit the life of Sarah was
  14. Genesis 23:2 Or proceeded
  15. Genesis 23:4 Lit possession of a burial place
  16. Genesis 23:6 Lit prince of God
  17. Genesis 23:8 Lit it is with your soul
  18. Genesis 23:9 Lit the midst of you
  19. Genesis 23:9 Lit possession of a burial place
  20. Genesis 23:10 Lit in the ears of
  21. Genesis 23:13 Lit in the ears of
  22. Genesis 23:15 About 12.5 lb. or 5.7 kg
  23. Genesis 23:16 Lit ears
  24. Genesis 23:17 Lit in all its border around
  25. Genesis 23:17 Or were ratified
  26. Genesis 23:20 Or were ratified
  27. Genesis 23:20 Lit possession of a burial place
  28. Genesis 24:7 Lit seed
  29. Genesis 24:10 Heb Aram-naharaim, Aram of the two rivers
  30. Genesis 24:11 Lit at time of evening
  31. Genesis 24:12 Lit cause to occur for me
  32. Genesis 24:13 Lit fountain of water
  33. Genesis 24:14 Lit she will say
  34. Genesis 24:16 Lit known her
  35. Genesis 24:21 Lit keeping silent
  36. Genesis 24:22 A shekel was about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
  37. Genesis 24:22 Lit hands
  38. Genesis 24:30 Lit hands
  39. Genesis 24:30 Lit Thus the man
  40. Genesis 24:32 Lit he
  41. Genesis 24:35 Lit great
  42. Genesis 24:36 Lit after she was old
  43. Genesis 24:43 Lit fountain of water
  44. Genesis 24:43 Or virgin
  45. Genesis 24:47 Lit hands
  46. Genesis 24:49 Lit show kindness and truth to
  47. Genesis 24:52 Lit to
  48. Genesis 24:57 Lit ask her mouth
  49. Genesis 24:60 Lit seed
  50. Genesis 24:62 Lit coming to
  51. Genesis 24:62 I.e., South country
  52. Genesis 24:63 Or stroll; meaning uncertain
  53. Genesis 24:65 Or shawl
  54. Genesis 25:1 Lit and her name
  55. Genesis 25:6 Lit concubines which belonged to Abraham
  56. Genesis 25:7 Lit the days of
  57. Genesis 25:11 Lit dwelt
  58. Genesis 25:13 Lit in regard to their generations
  59. Genesis 25:16 Or peoples
  60. Genesis 25:18 Lit dwelt
  61. Genesis 25:18 Lit before
  62. Genesis 25:18 Lit as you go
  63. Genesis 25:18 Lit fell over against
  64. Genesis 25:20 I.e., Syrian
  65. Genesis 25:20 I.e., Syrian
  66. Genesis 25:21 Lit was entreated of him
  67. Genesis 25:26 I.e., one who takes by the heel or supplants
  68. Genesis 25:27 Lit complete
  69. Genesis 25:28 Lit game was in his mouth
  70. Genesis 25:30 Lit the red, this red
  71. Genesis 25:30 I.e., red
  72. Genesis 25:31 Lit Today
  73. Genesis 25:33 Lit Today
  74. Genesis 26:3 Lit seed
  75. Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
  76. Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
  77. Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
  78. Genesis 26:4 Or bless themselves
  79. Genesis 26:5 Lit listened diligently to My voice
  80. Genesis 26:7 Lit lest...place
  81. Genesis 26:12 Lit found
  82. Genesis 26:13 Lit great
  83. Genesis 26:13 Lit great
  84. Genesis 26:14 Lit and possessions of herds
  85. Genesis 26:15 Lit and filled them
  86. Genesis 26:16 Lit much mightier than we
  87. Genesis 26:17 Lit dwelt
  88. Genesis 26:18 Lit they had dug
  89. Genesis 26:18 Lit called their names as the names
  90. Genesis 26:18 Lit called
  91. Genesis 26:19 Lit living
  92. Genesis 26:20 I.e., argument
  93. Genesis 26:21 I.e., accusation
  94. Genesis 26:22 I.e., broad places
  95. Genesis 26:22 Lit Truly now
  96. Genesis 26:22 Or broad
  97. Genesis 26:24 Lit seed
  98. Genesis 26:26 Lit and his confidential friend
  99. Genesis 26:28 Lit between us
  100. Genesis 26:28 Lit between us and you
  101. Genesis 26:29 Lit and just as we
  102. Genesis 26:31 Lit swore one to another
  103. Genesis 26:33 Meaning uncertain, perhaps oath
  104. Genesis 26:34 Lit took as wife
  105. Genesis 26:35 Lit were a bitterness of spirit to
  106. Genesis 27:2 Lit he
  107. Genesis 27:8 Lit my voice
  108. Genesis 27:8 Lit according to what
  109. Genesis 27:9 Lit take
  110. Genesis 27:9 Lit kids of goats
  111. Genesis 27:12 Lit mocker
  112. Genesis 27:15 Lit desirable; or choice
  113. Genesis 27:16 Lit kids of the goats
  114. Genesis 27:17 Lit into the hand of
  115. Genesis 27:19 Lit your soul
  116. Genesis 27:20 Lit meet me
  117. Genesis 27:25 Lit my soul
  118. Genesis 27:31 Lit your soul
  119. Genesis 27:33 Lit trembled with a very great trembling
  120. Genesis 27:36 Or Was he then named Jacob that he has
  121. Genesis 27:36 Fr Heb verb meaning to seize someone by the heel, and so to betray
  122. Genesis 27:37 Lit for
  123. Genesis 27:39 Or of
  124. Genesis 27:39 Lit fatness
  125. Genesis 27:39 Or of
  126. Genesis 27:40 Lit tear off
  127. Genesis 27:41 Lit in his heart
  128. Genesis 27:43 Lit flee for yourself
  129. Genesis 27:44 Lit turns away
  130. Genesis 27:45 Lit turns away from you
  131. Genesis 27:46 Lit my life
  132. Genesis 28:1 Lit and said to
  133. Genesis 28:3 Heb El Shaddai
  134. Genesis 28:4 Lit seed
  135. Genesis 28:8 Lit in the eyes of his
  136. Genesis 28:9 Lit took for his wife
  137. Genesis 28:11 Lit lighted on
  138. Genesis 28:11 Lit the place
  139. Genesis 28:13 Or beside him
  140. Genesis 28:13 Lit seed
  141. Genesis 28:14 Lit seed
  142. Genesis 28:14 Lit break through
  143. Genesis 28:14 Lit seed
  144. Genesis 28:15 Lit spoken to
  145. Genesis 28:19 I.e., the house of God
  146. Genesis 28:19 Lit at the first
  147. Genesis 28:20 Lit go
  148. Genesis 28:20 Lit bread
  149. Genesis 28:21 Lit peace
  150. Genesis 29:1 Lit lifted up his feet
  151. Genesis 29:1 Lit sons
  152. Genesis 29:2 Lit behold
  153. Genesis 29:21 Lit days are
  154. Genesis 29:26 Lit done thus in
  155. Genesis 29:26 Lit give
  156. Genesis 29:30 Lit him
  157. Genesis 29:31 Lit hated
  158. Genesis 29:32 I.e., see, a son
  159. Genesis 29:32 Lit looked at
  160. Genesis 29:33 Heb shama, related to Simeon
  161. Genesis 29:33 Lit hated
  162. Genesis 29:34 Heb lavah, related to Levi
  163. Genesis 29:35 Heb Jadah, related to Judah
  164. Genesis 29:35 Heb Jehudah
Listen to Genesis 22-29
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Genesis 22-29
New International Version

Abraham Tested

22 Some time later God tested(A) Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,”(B) he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son(C), your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.(D) Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering(E) on a mountain I will show you.(F)”

3 Early the next morning(G) Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.(H)”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac,(I) and he himself carried the fire and the knife.(J) As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb(K) for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide(L) the lamb(M) for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about,(N) Abraham built an altar(O) there and arranged the wood(P) on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar,(Q) on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife(R) to slay his son.(S) 11 But the angel of the Lord(T) called out to him from heaven,(U) “Abraham! Abraham!”(V)

“Here I am,”(W) he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,(X) because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.(Y)”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns.(Z) He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.(AA) 14 So Abraham called(AB) that place The Lord(AC) Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.(AD)”

15 The angel of the Lord(AE) called to Abraham from heaven(AF) a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself,(AG) declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,(AH) 17 I will surely bless you(AI) and make your descendants(AJ) as numerous as the stars in the sky(AK) and as the sand on the seashore.(AL) Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,(AM) 18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c](AN) because you have obeyed me.”(AO)

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.(AP) And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Nahor’s Sons

20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:(AQ) 21 Uz(AR) the firstborn, Buz(AS) his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.(AT)” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.(AU) Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.(AV) 24 His concubine,(AW) whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

The Death of Sarah

23 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba(AX) (that is, Hebron)(AY) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.(AZ)

3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.[d](BA) He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger(BB) among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.(BC)”

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince(BD) among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar(BE) on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah,(BF) which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites(BG) who had come to the gate(BH) of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give[e](BI) you the field, and I give[f] you the cave that is in it. I give[g] it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels[h] of silver,(BJ) but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,(BK) according to the weight current among the merchants.(BL)

17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah(BM) near Mamre(BN)—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property(BO) in the presence of all the Hittites(BP) who had come to the gate(BQ) of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah(BR) near Mamre (which is at Hebron(BS)) in the land of Canaan.(BT) 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded(BU) to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.(BV)

Isaac and Rebekah

24 Abraham was now very old,(BW) and the Lord had blessed(BX) him in every way.(BY) 2 He said to the senior servant(BZ) in his household, the one in charge of all that he had,(CA) “Put your hand under my thigh.(CB) 3 I want you to swear(CC) by the Lord, the God of heaven(CD) and the God of earth,(CE) that you will not get a wife for my son(CF) from the daughters of the Canaanites,(CG) among whom I am living,(CH) 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives(CI) and get a wife for my son Isaac.(CJ)”

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land?(CK) Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?(CL)”

6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,”(CM) Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven,(CN) who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land(CO) and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring[i](CP) I will give this land’(CQ)—he will send his angel before you(CR) so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath(CS) of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”(CT) 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh(CU) of his master(CV) Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels(CW) loaded with all kinds of good things(CX) from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim[j](CY) and made his way to the town of Nahor.(CZ) 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well(DA) outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.(DB)

12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham,(DC) make me successful(DD) today, and show kindness(DE) to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.(DF) 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink,(DG) and I’ll water your camels too’(DH)—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.(DI) By this I will know(DJ) that you have shown kindness to my master.”

15 Before he had finished praying,(DK) Rebekah(DL) came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel(DM) son of Milkah,(DN) who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.(DO) 16 The woman was very beautiful,(DP) a virgin;(DQ) no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”(DR)

18 “Drink,(DS) my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels(DT) too,(DU) until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.(DV) 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.(DW)

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring(DX) weighing a beka[k] and two gold bracelets(DY) weighing ten shekels.[l] 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you?(DZ) Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?(EA)”

24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.(EB)” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder,(EC) as well as room for you to spend the night.”

26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord,(ED) 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord,(EE) the God of my master Abraham,(EF) who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness(EG) to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey(EH) to the house of my master’s relatives.”(EI)

28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.(EJ) 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban,(EK) and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms,(EL) and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,”(EM) he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder(EN) were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet.(EO) 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”

“Then tell us,” Laban said.

34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.(EP) 35 The Lord has blessed(EQ) my master abundantly,(ER) and he has become wealthy.(ES) He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.(ET) 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age,(EU) and he has given him everything he owns.(EV) 37 And my master made me swear an oath,(EW) and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,(EX) 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’(EY)

39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’(EZ)

40 “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully,(FA) will send his angel with you(FB) and make your journey a success,(FC) so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.(FD) 41 You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’(FE)

42 “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success(FF) to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring.(FG) If a young woman(FH) comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”(FI) 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’(FJ)

45 “Before I finished praying in my heart,(FK) Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder.(FL) She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’(FM)

46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’(FN) So I drank, and she watered the camels also.(FO)

47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’(FP)

“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel(FQ) son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’(FR)

“Then I put the ring in her nose(FS) and the bracelets on her arms,(FT) 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord.(FU) I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham,(FV) who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.(FW) 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness(FX) to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”

50 Laban and Bethuel(FY) answered, “This is from the Lord;(FZ) we can say nothing to you one way or the other.(GA) 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.(GB)”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.(GC) 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing(GD) and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts(GE) to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.

When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way(GF) to my master.”

55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so;(GG) then you[m] may go.”

56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success(GH) to my journey. Send me on my way(GI) so I may go to my master.”

57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.”(GJ) 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,”(GK) she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way,(GL) along with her nurse(GM) and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed(GN) Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you increase
    to thousands upon thousands;(GO)
may your offspring possess
    the cities of their enemies.”(GP)

61 Then Rebekah and her attendants(GQ) got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi,(GR) for he was living in the Negev.(GS) 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate,[n](GT) and as he looked up,(GU) he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel(GV) 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil(GW) and covered herself.

66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent(GX) of his mother Sarah,(GY) and he married Rebekah.(GZ) So she became his wife, and he loved her;(HA) and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.(HB)

The Death of Abraham(HC)

25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran,(HD) Jokshan, Medan, Midian,(HE) Ishbak and Shuah.(HF) 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba(HG) and Dedan;(HH) the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah,(HI) Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.(HJ) 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines(HK) and sent them away from his son Isaac(HL) to the land of the east.(HM)

7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years.(HN) 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age,(HO) an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.(HP) 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him(HQ) in the cave of Machpelah(HR) near Mamre,(HS) in the field of Ephron(HT) son of Zohar the Hittite,(HU) 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[o](HV) There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac,(HW) who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.(HX)

Ishmael’s Sons(HY)

12 This is the account(HZ) of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar(IA) the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.(IB)

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth(IC) the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar,(ID) Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah,(IE) Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema,(IF) Jetur,(IG) Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers(IH) according to their settlements and camps.(II) 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.(IJ) 18 His descendants(IK) settled in the area from Havilah to Shur,(IL) near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[p] all the tribes related to them.(IM)

Jacob and Esau

19 This is the account(IN) of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old(IO) when he married Rebekah(IP) daughter of Bethuel(IQ) the Aramean from Paddan Aram[q](IR) and sister of Laban(IS) the Aramean.(IT)

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.(IU) The Lord answered his prayer,(IV) and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.(IW)

23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations(IX) are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.(IY)”

24 When the time came for her to give birth,(IZ) there were twin boys in her womb.(JA) 25 The first to come out was red,(JB) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;(JC) so they named him Esau.[r](JD) 26 After this, his brother came out,(JE) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;(JF) so he was named Jacob.[s](JG) Isaac was sixty years old(JH) when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,(JI) a man of the open country,(JJ) while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,(JK) loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(JL)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,(JM) Esau came in from the open country,(JN) famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!(JO) I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[t])(JP)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.(JQ)”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear(JR) to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright(JS) to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.(JT) He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelek(JU)

26 Now there was a famine in the land(JV)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines(JW) in Gerar.(JX) 2 The Lord appeared(JY) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;(JZ) live in the land where I tell you to live.(KA) 3 Stay in this land for a while,(KB) and I will be with you(KC) and will bless you.(KD) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands(KE) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.(KF) 4 I will make your descendants(KG) as numerous as the stars in the sky(KH) and will give them all these lands,(KI) and through your offspring[u] all nations on earth will be blessed,[v](KJ) 5 because Abraham obeyed me(KK) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees(KL) and my instructions.(KM)” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.(KN)

7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,(KO)” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines(KP) looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?(KQ)”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us?(KR) One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms(KS) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”(KT)

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,(KU) because the Lord blessed him.(KV) 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.(KW) 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants(KX) that the Philistines envied him.(KY) 15 So all the wells(KZ) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,(LA) filling them with earth.

16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;(LB) you have become too powerful for us.(LC)”

17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,(LD) where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells(LE) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled(LF) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”(LG) So he named the well Esek,[w] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled(LH) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[x] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[y](LI) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room(LJ) and we will flourish(LK) in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba.(LL) 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(LM) Do not be afraid,(LN) for I am with you;(LO) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants(LP) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”(LQ)

25 Isaac built an altar(LR) there and called on the name of the Lord.(LS) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.(LT)

26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.(LU) 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?(LV)”

28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;(LW) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty(LX) with you 29 that you will do us no harm,(LY) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”(LZ)

30 Isaac then made a feast(MA) for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath(MB) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well(MC) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[z] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[aa](MD)

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

34 When Esau was forty years old,(ME) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.(MF) 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.(MG)

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,(MH) he called for Esau his older son(MI) and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death.(MJ) 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country(MK) to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like(ML) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing(MM) before I die.”(MN)

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country(MO) to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob,(MP) “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’(MQ) 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:(MR) 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,(MS) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.(MT) 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing(MU) before he dies.”

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man(MV) while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me?(MW) I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse(MX) on myself rather than a blessing.”

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.(MY) Just do what I say;(MZ) go and get them for me.”

14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it.(NA) 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes(NB) of Esau her older son,(NC) which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.(ND) 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”(NE)

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.(NF) I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game,(NG) so that you may give me your blessing.”(NH)

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,(NI)” he replied.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you,(NJ) my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac,(NK) who touched(NL) him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau;(NM) so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”(NN)

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and kissed(NO) him(NP). When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,(NQ) he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.(NR)
28 May God give you heaven’s dew(NS)
    and earth’s richness(NT)—
    an abundance of grain(NU) and new wine.(NV)
29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.(NW)
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.(NX)
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.(NY)”

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”(NZ)

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”(OA)

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.(OB)”

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me?(OC) I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!(OD)”

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry(OE) and said to his father, “Bless(OF) me—me too, my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully(OG) and took your blessing.”(OH)

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[ab]?(OI) This is the second time he has taken advantage of(OJ) me: He took my birthright,(OK) and now he’s taken my blessing!”(OL) Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.(OM) So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.(ON)

39 His father Isaac answered him,(OO)

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew(OP) of heaven above.(OQ)
40 You will live by the sword
    and you will serve(OR) your brother.(OS)
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.(OT)”

41 Esau held a grudge(OU) against Jacob(OV) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning(OW) for my father are near; then I will kill(OX) my brother Jacob.”(OY)

42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau(OZ) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.(PA) 43 Now then, my son, do what I say:(PB) Flee at once to my brother Laban(PC) in Harran.(PD) 44 Stay with him for a while(PE) until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,(PF) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.(PG) Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite(PH) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,(PI) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”(PJ)

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed(PK) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.(PL) 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram,[ac](PM) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.(PN) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.(PO) 3 May God Almighty[ad](PP) bless(PQ) you and make you fruitful(PR) and increase your numbers(PS) until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,(PT) so that you may take possession of the land(PU) where you now reside as a foreigner,(PV) the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,(PW) and he went to Paddan Aram,(PX) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,(PY) the brother of Rebekah,(PZ) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”(QA) 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women(QB) were to his father Isaac;(QC) 9 so he went to Ishmael(QD) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth(QE) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.(QF)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beersheba(QG) and set out for Harran.(QH) 11 When he reached a certain place,(QI) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head(QJ) and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream(QK) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.(QL) 13 There above it[ae] stood the Lord,(QM) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.(QN) I will give you and your descendants the land(QO) on which you are lying.(QP) 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you(QQ) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.(QR) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.[af](QS) 15 I am with you(QT) and will watch over you(QU) wherever you go,(QV) and I will bring you back to this land.(QW) I will not leave you(QX) until I have done what I have promised you.(QY)”(QZ)

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep,(RA) he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!(RB) This is none other than the house of God;(RC) this is the gate of heaven.”

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head(RD) and set it up as a pillar(RE) and poured oil on top of it.(RF) 19 He called that place Bethel,[ag](RG) though the city used to be called Luz.(RH)

20 Then Jacob made a vow,(RI) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me(RJ) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear(RK) 21 so that I return safely(RL) to my father’s household,(RM) then the Lord[ah] will be my God(RN) 22 and[ai] this stone that I have set up as a pillar(RO) will be God’s house,(RP) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.(RQ)”

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.(RR) 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well.(RS) The stone(RT) over the mouth of the well was large.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 22:13 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him
  2. Genesis 22:18 Or seed
  3. Genesis 22:18 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  4. Genesis 23:3 Or the descendants of Heth; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18 and 20
  5. Genesis 23:11 Or sell
  6. Genesis 23:11 Or sell
  7. Genesis 23:11 Or sell
  8. Genesis 23:15 That is, about 10 pounds or about 4.6 kilograms
  9. Genesis 24:7 Or seed
  10. Genesis 24:10 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  11. Genesis 24:22 That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.7 grams
  12. Genesis 24:22 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
  13. Genesis 24:55 Or she
  14. Genesis 24:63 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  15. Genesis 25:10 Or the descendants of Heth
  16. Genesis 25:18 Or lived to the east of
  17. Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  18. Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
  19. Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
  20. Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.
  21. Genesis 26:4 Or seed
  22. Genesis 26:4 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  23. Genesis 26:20 Esek means dispute.
  24. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means opposition.
  25. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means room.
  26. Genesis 26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.
  27. Genesis 26:33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
  28. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
  29. Genesis 28:2 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7
  30. Genesis 28:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  31. Genesis 28:13 Or There beside him
  32. Genesis 28:14 Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  33. Genesis 28:19 Bethel means house of God.
  34. Genesis 28:21 Or Since God … father’s household, the Lord
  35. Genesis 28:22 Or household, and the Lord will be my God, 22 then
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Genesis 21
Genesis 30
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