Genesis 27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Stolen Blessing
27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see,(A) he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”
And he answered, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death. 3 Take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me.(B) 4 Then make me a delicious meal that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I can bless you before I die.”(C)
5 Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen! I heard your father talking with your brother Esau. He said, 7 ‘Bring me the game and make a delicious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’ 8 Now obey every order I give you, my son. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, and I will make them into a delicious meal for your father—the kind he loves. 10 Then take it to your father to eat so that he may bless you before he dies.”
11 Jacob answered Rebekah his mother, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am a man with smooth skin.(D) 12 Suppose my father touches me. Then I will be revealed to him as a deceiver and bring a curse rather than a blessing on myself.”
13 His mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey me and go get them for me.”
14 So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother, and his mother made the delicious food his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the delicious food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
18 When he came to his father, he said, “My father.”
And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may bless me.”
20 But Isaac said to his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?”
He replied, “Because the Lord your God worked it out for me.”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau or not?”
22 So Jacob came closer to his father Isaac. When he touched him, he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24 Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
And he replied, “I am.”
25 Then he said, “Serve me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled[a] his clothes, he blessed him and said:
Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give to you—
from the dew of the sky(E)
and from the richness of the land(F)—
an abundance of grain and new wine.(G)
29 May peoples serve you(H)
and nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brothers;
may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Those who curse you will be cursed,
and those who bless you will be blessed.(I)
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from the hunt. 31 He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. Then he said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.”
32 But his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”
He answered, “I am Esau your firstborn son.”
33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably. “Who was it then,” he said, “who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all before you came in, and I blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!”(J)
35 But he replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
36 So he said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?[b](K) For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
37 But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him a master over you, have given him all of his relatives as his servants, and have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you only have one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” And Esau wept loudly.[c]
39 Then his father Isaac answered him:
Look, your dwelling place will be
away from the richness of the land,
away from the dew of the sky above.
40 You will live by your sword,
and you will serve your brother.
But when you rebel,[d]
you will break his yoke from your neck.
Esau’s Anger
41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart: “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides— 45 until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”
46 So Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick of my life because of these Hittite women.(L) If Jacob marries a Hittite woman like one of them,[e] what good is my life?”(M)
Footnotes
- Genesis 27:27 Lit smelled the smell of
- Genesis 27:36 = He Grasps the Heel
- Genesis 27:38 Lit Esau lifted up his voice and wept
- Genesis 27:40 Hb obscure
- Genesis 27:46 Lit of these daughters of the land
Genesis 27
International Standard Version
The Theft of Esau’s Blessing
27 Eventually, Isaac grew so old that he could not see.[a] One day, he called his eldest son Esau. “My son,” he called out to him. 2 “Look how old I am! I could die any day now,[b] 3 so go find your weapons, take your bow and arrows, go outside, and hunt some game for me. 4 Then prepare some food, just the way I like it, and bring it to me so that I can eat and bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah overheard Isaac while he was speaking to his son Esau. When Esau had gone out to the field to hunt and bring in some game, 6 Rebekah gave these instructions to her son Jacob: “Quick! Pay attention!” she said. “I heard your father talking to your brother Esau. He told him, 7 ‘Bring me some game and then prepare some food for me so I can eat and bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I’m about to tell you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two healthy young goats. I’ll prepare some delicious food for your father, just the way he loves it. 10 Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies.”
11 “But look!” Jacob pointed out to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, but I’m smooth skinned. 12 My father might touch me and he’ll realize that I’m deceiving him. Then, I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.”
13 “My son,” she replied, “let any curse against you fall on me. Just listen to me, then go and get them for me.” 14 So out he went, got them, and brought them to his mother, who then prepared some delicious food, just the way his father liked it.
Rebekah and Jacob Deceive Isaac
15 Then Rebekah took some garments that belonged to her elder son Esau—the best ones available—and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She put some goat skins over his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the delicious food and bread that she had prepared to her son Jacob, 18 who went to his father and said, “My father…”
“It’s me!” he replied. “Which one are you, my son?”
19 “I’m Esau, your firstborn!” Jacob told his father. “I’ve done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught, so you can bless me.”
20 “How did you get it so quickly, my son?” Isaac asked.
Jacob[c] responded, “…because the Lord your God made me successful.”
21 So Isaac told Jacob, “Come here, my son, so I can feel you and know for sure whether or not you’re my son Esau.”
22 So Jacob approached his father, who felt him and said, “It’s Jacob’s voice, but Esau’s hands.” 23 He didn’t recognize Jacob,[d] because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau, so Isaac[e] blessed him.
24 He asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
“I am,” Jacob[f] replied.
25 “Come closer to me,” Isaac replied, “so I can eat some of the game, my son, and then bless you.” So Jacob came closer, and Isaac ate. Jacob also brought wine so his father[g] could drink. 26 After this, Jacob’s father Isaac told him, “Come closer and kiss me, my son.” 27 So Jacob[h] drew closer to kiss him. When Isaac[i] smelled the scent of his son’s[j] clothes, he blessed him and said,
“How my son’s scent is the fragrance of the field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May the Lord grant you dew from the skies,[k]
and from the fertile land;
may he grant you[l]
abundant grain and fresh wine.
29 May people serve and bow before you;
may you be master over your brothers;
may your mother’s sons bow before you;
may anyone who curses you be cursed;
and may anyone who blesses you be blessed.”
Esau Learns of Isaac’s Deception
30 Just after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left his father Isaac, Jacob’s[m] brother Esau returned from hunting, 31 prepared some delicious food, brought it to his father, and told him, “Can you get up now, father, so you may eat some of your son’s game and then bless me?”
32 But his father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”
“I’m Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.
33 At this, Isaac began to tremble violently. “Who then,” he asked, “hunted some game and brought it to me to eat before you arrived, so that I’ve blessed him? Indeed, he is blessed.”
34 When Esau realized[n] what his father Isaac was saying, he began to wail out loud bitterly. “Bless me,” he cried, “even me, too, my father!”
35 Isaac[o] replied, “Your brother came here deceitfully and stole your blessing.”
36 Then he said, “Isn’t his name rightly called Jacob?”[p] Esau asked. “He has circumvented me this second time. First,[q] he took away my birthright, and now, look how he also stole my blessing.” Then he added, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”
37 In response, Isaac told Esau, “Look! I’ve predicted that he’s going[r] to become your master, and I’ve assigned all his brothers to be his servants. What then can I do for you, my son?”
38 Then Esau implored his father, “Don’t you have even one blessing for me, my father? Bless me, even me too, my father!” Then Esau lifted his voice and wept bitterly.
39 At this, his father Isaac replied to him,
“Look! Away from the fertile land will be your dwellings;
away from the dew of the skies above.
40 By your sword you’ll live;
but you’ll serve your brother.
But when you’ve become restless,
you’ll break off his yoke from your neck.”
41 So Esau harbored animosity toward Jacob because of the way his father had blessed him. Esau kept saying to himself,[s] “The time[t] to mourn for my father is very near. That’s when I’m going to kill my brother Jacob.”
42 Eventually, what Rebekah’s older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, “Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.[u] 43 Son, you’d better do what I say! Get up, run off to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay there with him a few days until your brother’s fury subsides.[v] 45 After that happens[w] and he has forgotten what you’ve done to him, I’ll send for you so you can return from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”
46 Rebekah also told herself,[x] “Heth’s daughters are making me tired of living. If Jacob marries one of Heth’s daughters, and she turns out to be just like these other local women,[y] what kind of life would there be left for me?”
Footnotes
- Genesis 27:1 Lit. that his eyes were dim
- Genesis 27:2 Lit. I don’t know the day of my death
- Genesis 27:20 Lit. He
- Genesis 27:23 Lit. him
- Genesis 27:23 Lit. he
- Genesis 27:24 Lit. he
- Genesis 27:25 Lit. so he
- Genesis 27:27 Lit. he
- Genesis 27:27 Lit. he
- Genesis 27:27 The Heb. lacks son’s
- Genesis 27:28 Or from heaven
- Genesis 27:28 The Heb. lacks may he grant you
- Genesis 27:30 Lit. his
- Genesis 27:34 Lit. heard
- Genesis 27:35 Lit. Then he
- Genesis 27:36 The Heb. name Jacob means heel grabber
- Genesis 27:36 The Heb. lacks First
- Genesis 27:37 Lit. I’ve set him
- Genesis 27:41 Lit. saying in his heart
- Genesis 27:41 Lit. days
- Genesis 27:42 Lit. is comforting himself concerning you to kill you
- Genesis 27:44 Lit. turns back
- Genesis 27:45 :45 Lit. After your brother’s anger subsides
- Genesis 27:46 The Heb. lacks herself
- Genesis 27:46 Lit. these daughters
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