³⁴ So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.^{(A) 35} The Lord has blessed^(B) my master abundantly,^(C) and he has become wealthy.^(D) He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.^{(E) 36} My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age,^(F) and he has given him everything he owns.^{(G) 37} And my master made me swear an oath,^(H) and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,^{(I) 38} but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’^(J)

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

⁴⁰ “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully,^(L) will send his angel with you^(M) and make your journey a success,^(N) so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family.^{(O) 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.’^(P)

⁴² “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success^(Q) to the journey on which I have come. ⁴³ See, I am standing beside this spring.^(R) If a young woman^(S) comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”^{(T) 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.’^(U)

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.^{(AN) 53} Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing^(AO) and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts^(AP) 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^(AQ) to my master.”

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

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

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

“I will go,”^(AV) she said.

²¹ Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.^(A) The Lord answered his prayer,^(B) 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.^(C)

²³ The Lord said to her,

²⁴ When the time came for her to give birth,^(F) there were twin boys in her womb.^{(G) 25} The first to come out was red,^(H) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;^(I) so they named him Esau.^{[a](J) 26} After this, his brother came out,^(K) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;^(L) so he was named Jacob.^[b](M) Isaac was sixty years old^(N) when Rebekah gave birth to them.

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

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,^(A) he called for Esau his older son^(B) 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.^{(C) 3} Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country^(D) to hunt some wild game for me. ⁴ Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like^(E) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing^(F) before I die.”^(G)

⁵ Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country^(H) to hunt game and bring it back, ⁶ Rebekah said to her son Jacob,^(I) “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.’^{(J) 8} Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:^{(K) 9} Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,^(L) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.^{(M) 10} Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing^(N) before he dies.”

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

¹³ His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.^(R) Just do what I say;^(S) 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.^{(T) 15} Then Rebekah took the best clothes^(U) of Esau her older son,^(V) 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.^{(W) 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?”^(X)

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

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

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

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

²² Jacob went close to his father Isaac,^(AD) who touched^(AE) 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;^(AF) 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.”^(AG)

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^(AH) him^(AI). When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,^(AJ) he blessed him and said,

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.”^(AS)

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

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

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

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

³⁵ But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully^(AZ) and took your blessing.”^(BA)

³⁶ Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob^[a]?^(BB) This is the second time he has taken advantage of^(BC) me: He took my birthright,^(BD) and now he’s taken my blessing!”^(BE) 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.^(BF) 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.^(BG)

³⁹ His father Isaac answered him,^(BH)

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge^(BN) against Jacob^(BO) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning^(BP) for my father are near; then I will kill^(BQ) my brother Jacob.”^(BR)

⁴² When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau^(BS) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.^{(BT) 43} Now then, my son, do what I say:^(BU) Flee at once to my brother Laban^(BV) in Harran.^{(BW) 44} Stay with him for a while^(BX) until your brother’s fury subsides. ⁴⁵ When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,^(BY) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.^(BZ) 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^(CA) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,^(CB) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”^(CC)

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^(CD) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.^{(CE) 2} Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[b](CF) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.^(CG) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.^{(CH) 3} May God Almighty^[c](CI) bless^(CJ) you and make you fruitful^(CK) and increase your numbers^(CL) until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,^(CM) so that you may take possession of the land^(CN) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(CO) the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,^(CP) and he went to Paddan Aram,^(CQ) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,^(CR) the brother of Rebekah,^(CS) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.