The Family of Esau^(A)

36 Now this is the genealogy of Esau, ^(B)who is Edom.

¹⁷ blessing I will ^(A)bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants ^(B)as the stars of the heaven ^(C)and as the sand which is on the seashore; and ^(D)your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

³⁵ The sons of ^(A)Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

The Lord in Judgment and Salvation

⁷ “You shall not abhor an Edomite, ^(A)for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because ^(B)you were an alien in his land.

Passage Through Edom Refused

^14 (A)Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of ^(B)Edom. ^(C)“Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, ^15 (D)how our fathers went down to Egypt, ^(E)and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, ^(F)and the Egyptians ^[a]afflicted us and our fathers. ^16 (G)When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and ^(H)sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. ¹⁷ Please ^(I)let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’ ”

¹⁸ Then ^(J)Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”

¹⁹ So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, ^(K)then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”

²⁰ Then he said, ^(L)“You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. ²¹ Thus Edom ^(M)refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel ^(N)turned away from him.

²⁴ So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red. He was ^(A)like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name ^[a]Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came out, and ^(B)his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so ^(C)his name was called ^[b]Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

²⁷ So the boys grew. And Esau was ^(D)a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was ^(E)a ^[c]mild man, ^(F)dwelling in tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he ^(G)ate of his game, ^(H)but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright^(I)

²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called ^[d]Edom.

³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so ^(J)what is this birthright to me?”

³³ Then Jacob said, ^[e]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and ^(K)sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then ^(L)he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau ^(M)despised his birthright.

³ Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother ^(A)in the land of Seir, ^(B)the ^[a]country of Edom. ⁴ And he commanded them, saying, ^(C)“Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. ^5 (D)I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that ^(E)I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”

⁶ Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and ^(F)he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” ⁷ So Jacob was greatly afraid and ^(G)distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.

³⁵ But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

³⁶ And Esau said, ^(A)“Is he not rightly named ^[a]Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

³⁷ Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, ^(B)“Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with ^(C)grain and wine I have ^[b]sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

³⁸ And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice ^(D)and wept.

³⁹ Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

Jacob Escapes from Esau

⁴¹ So Esau ^(H)hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, ^(I)“The days of mourning for my father ^[d]are at hand; ^(J)then I will kill my brother Jacob.”