Abraham’s Other Wife and Sons

25 Now Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah,(A) and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah. Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac.(B) And Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, but while he was still alive he sent them eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the East.(C)

Abraham’s Death

This is the length of Abraham’s life:[a] 175 years. He took his last breath and died at a ripe old age,(D) old and contented,[b] and he was gathered to his people.(E) His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah(F) near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hittites.(G) Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.(H)

Ishmael’s Family Records

12 These are the family records(I) of Abraham’s son Ishmael,(J) whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons; their names according to the family records are: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are Ishmael’s sons, and these are their names by their villages and encampments: 12 leaders[c](K) of their clans.[d] 17 This is the length[e] of Ishmael’s life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 And they[f] settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt as you go toward Asshur. He[g] lived in opposition to[h] all his brothers.(L)

The Birth of Jacob and Esau

19 These are the family records of Isaac son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac.(M) 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he took as his wife Rebekah(N) daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram(O) and sister of Laban the Aramean.(P) 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless.(Q) The Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.(R) 22 But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?”[i] So she went to inquire of the Lord.(S) 23 And the Lord said to her:

Two nations are in your womb;
two people will come from you and be separated.
One people will be stronger than the other,(T)
and the older will serve the younger.(U)

24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red-looking,[j] covered with hair[k] like a fur coat, and they named him Esau.(V) 26 After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel with his hand.(W) So he was named Jacob.[l](X) Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

Esau Sells His Birthright

27 When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman,[m] but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.[n] 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(Y)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. 30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” That is why he was also named Edom.[o]

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

32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”

33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to him. 34 Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.(Z)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:7 Lit And these are the days of the years of the lives of Abraham that he lived
  2. Genesis 25:8 Sam, LXX, Syr read full of days
  3. Genesis 25:16 Or chieftains
  4. Genesis 25:16 Or peoples
  5. Genesis 25:17 Lit And these are the years
  6. Genesis 25:18 LXX, Vg read he
  7. Genesis 25:18 = Ishmael and his descendants
  8. Genesis 25:18 Or He settled down alongside of
  9. Genesis 25:22 Lit If thus, why this I
  10. Genesis 25:25 In Hb, the word red-looking sounds like “Edom”; Gn 32:3.
  11. Genesis 25:25 In Hb, the word hair sounds like “Seir”; Gn 32:3.
  12. Genesis 25:26 = He Grasps the Heel
  13. Genesis 25:27 Lit a man of the field
  14. Genesis 25:27 Lit man living in tents
  15. Genesis 25:30 = Red

25 Forsooth Abraham wedded another wife, Keturah by name,

which childed to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

Also Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. Forsooth the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

And soothly of Midian was born Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah; all these were the sons of Keturah.

And Abraham gave all (the) things which he had in possession to Isaac;

soothly he gave gifts to the sons of [the] concubines, that is, (his) secondary wives; and Abraham, while he lived yet, separated them from Isaac, his son, to the east coast (but Abraham, while yet he lived, separated them from his son Isaac, and sent them away to the east parts).

Forsooth the days of the life of Abraham were an hundred and threescore and fifteen years;

and (then) he failed, and died in [a] good eld (age), and of (a) great age, and full of days, and he was gathered to his people (and he joined his ancestors).

And Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the double den, which is set in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar (the) Hittite, even against Mamre, (And his sons Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the cave at Machpelah, which is set in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre,)

10 which den he bought of the sons of Heth; and he was buried there, and Sarah his wife. (which cave he bought from the Hittites; and he was buried there, with his wife Sarah.)

11 And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, which dwelled beside the well by name of him that liveth and seeth. (And after Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived beside The Well of Lahairoi, or Beerlahairoi.)

12 These be the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Hagar (the) Egyptian, handmaid of Sarah, childed to Abraham; (These be the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave-girl, bare for Abraham;)

13 and these be the names of the sons of Ishmael, in their names and generations. The first begotten of Ishmael was Nebajoth, afterward Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, (and these be the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names, and in their birth order. Ishmael’s first-born was Nebajoth, and then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,)

14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15 and Hadar, and Tema, and Jetur, and Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were the names by castles, and towns of them, (named after) [the] twelve princes of their lineages. (These were Ishmael’s sons, and they were also the names of their fortresses, and towns, named after the twelve princes of their tribes.)

17 And the years of [the] life of Ishmael were made an hundred and seven and thirty (years), and (then) he failed, and died, and was put to his people (and joined his ancestors).

18 Forsooth he inhabited from Havilah till to Shur, that beholdeth Egypt, as men entereth into [the] Assyrians; (and) he died before all his brethren. (And Ishmael’s people dwelled from Havilah unto Shur, which is east of Egypt, on the way to Assyria; and he died in the presence of all his kinsmen.)

19 Also these be the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac, (And these be the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begat Isaac,)

20 and when Isaac was of forty years, he wedded a wife, Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, of Syria, of Mesopotamia, the sister of Laban. (and when Isaac was forty years old, he wedded a wife, Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, the Syrian from Paddan-aram, and the sister of Laban.)

21 And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, for she was barren; and the Lord heard him, and gave conceiving to Rebecca.

22 But the little children were hurtled together in her womb; and she said, If it was so to coming to me, what need was it to conceive? (and she said, If such was to come to me, what meaneth it?) And she went to ask (the) counsel of the Lord,

23 which answered, and said, Two folks be in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy womb, and one people shall overturn a people, and the more shall serve the less. (who answered, and said, Two nations be in thy womb, and two peoples shall be taken from thy womb, and one nation shall be stronger than the other nation, and the older shall serve the younger.)

24 Then the time of child-bearing came, and lo! two children were found in her womb.

25 He that went out first was red, and all rough in the manner of a skin; and his name was called Esau.

26 Anon the other went out (And at once the other went out), and held with his hand the heel of his brother; and therefore he called him Jacob[a]. (And) Isaac was sixty years eld, when the little children were born.

27 And when they were waxen, Esau was a man knowing of hunting, and a man (who was) an earth-tiller; forsooth Jacob was a simple man, and dwelled in tabernacles. (And when they were fully grown, Esau was a man knowledgeable about hunting, and who worked the soil, or was a farmer; and Jacob was a simple man, who stayed at home in the tents.)

28 Isaac loved Esau, for he ate of the hunting of Esau; and Rebecca loved Jacob.

29 Soothly Jacob seethed pottage (And one day Jacob boiled some stew); and when Esau came (in) weary from the field,

30 he said to Jacob, Give thou to me of this red seething, for I am full weary; for which cause his name was called Edom (and for this reason he was called Edom, or Red).

31 And Jacob said to him, Sell to me the right(s) of the first begotten child. (And Jacob said to him, First sell me thy birthright/First sell me the rights of the first-born child.)

32 Esau answered, Lo! I die, what shall the first begotten things profit to me? (And Esau answered, Lo! I am starving right now, and what good is my birthright to me!)

33 Jacob said, Therefore swear thou to me. Therefore Esau swore, and sold the first engendered things. (And Jacob said, And so swear thou to me. And so Esau swore to Jacob, and sold him his birthright.)

34 And so when he had taken bread and pottage, Esau ate and drank, and went forth, and charged little that he had sold the right(s) of the first begotten child (and cared little that he had sold his birthright as the first-born son).

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:26 The name sounds like the Hebrew for ‘He who takes by the heel, or supplants’.