Genesis 25
Common English Bible
Abraham and Keturah’s children
25 Abraham married another wife, named Keturah. 2 The children she bore him were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s sons. 5 Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac. 6 To the sons of Abraham’s secondary wives, Abraham gave gifts and, while he was still living, sent them away from his son Isaac to land in the east.
Abraham’s death
7 Abraham lived to the age of 175. 8 Abraham took his last breath and died after a good long life, a content old man, and he was placed with his ancestors. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave in Machpelah, which is in the field of Zohar’s son Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre. 10 Thus Abraham and his wife Sarah were both buried in the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac lived in Beer-lahai-roi.
Ishmael’s descendants
12 These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore for Abraham. 13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names and according to their birth order: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s oldest son; Kedar; Adbeel; Mibsam; 14 Mishma; Dumah; Massa; 15 Hadad; Tema; Jetur; Naphish; and Kedemah. 16 These are Ishmael’s sons. These are their names by their villages and their settlements: twelve tribal leaders according to their tribes. 17 Ishmael lived to the age of 137. He took his last breath and died, and was placed with his ancestors. 18 He established camps[a] from Havilah to Shur, which is near Egypt on the road to Assyria. He died[b] among all of his brothers.
Jacob and Esau are born
19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean and the sister of Laban the Aramean, from Paddan-aram. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, since she was unable to have children. The Lord was moved by his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 But the boys pushed against each other inside of her, and she said, “If this is what it’s like, why did it happen to me?”[c]
So she went to ask the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb;
two different peoples will emerge from your body.
One people will be stronger than the other;
the older will serve the younger.”
24 When she reached the end of her pregnancy, she discovered that she had twins. 25 The first came out red all over, clothed with hair, and she named him Esau. 26 Immediately afterward, his brother came out gripping Esau’s heel, and she named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.
Jacob acquires the oldest son’s rights
27 When the young men grew up, Esau became an outdoorsman who knew how to hunt, and Jacob became a quiet man who stayed at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was boiling stew, Esau came in from the field hungry 30 and said to Jacob, “I’m starving! Let me devour some of this red stuff.” That’s why his name is Edom.[d]
31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright[e] today.”
32 Esau said, “Since I’m going to die anyway, what good is my birthright to me?”
33 Jacob said, “Give me your word today.” And he did. He sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 So Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate, drank, got up, and left, showing just how little he thought of his birthright.
Footnotes
- Genesis 25:18 LXX; MT they established camps
- Genesis 25:18 Or He fell
- Genesis 25:22 Heb uncertain
- Genesis 25:30 Or red
- Genesis 25:31 Or oldest son’s rights
Genesis 25
Young's Literal Translation
25 And Abraham addeth and taketh a wife, and her name [is] Keturah;
2 and she beareth to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan hath begotten Sheba and Dedan; and the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim;
4 and the sons of Midian [are] Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah: all these [are] sons of Keturah.
5 And Abraham giveth all that he hath to Isaac;
6 and to the sons of the concubines whom Abraham hath, Abraham hath given gifts, and sendeth them away from Isaac his son (in his being yet alive) eastward, unto the east country.
7 And these [are] the days of the years of the life of Abraham, which he lived, a hundred and seventy and five years;
8 and Abraham expireth, and dieth in a good old age, aged and satisfied, and is gathered unto his people.
9 And Isaac and Ishmael his sons bury him at the cave of Machpelah, at the field of Ephron, son of Zoar the Hittite, which [is] before Mamre --
10 the field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth -- there hath Abraham been buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it cometh to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blesseth Isaac his son; and Isaac dwelleth by the Well of the Living One, my Beholder.
12 And these [are] births of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, hath borne to Abraham;
13 and these [are] the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their births: first-born of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 these are sons of Ishmael, and these their names, by their villages, and by their towers; twelve princes according to their peoples.
17 And these [are] the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he expireth, and dieth, and is gathered unto his people;
18 and they tabernacle from Havilah unto Shur, which [is] before Egypt, in [thy] going towards Asshur; in the presence of all his brethren hath he fallen.
19 And these [are] births of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham hath begotten Isaac;
20 and Isaac is a son of forty years in his taking Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramaean, from Padan-Aram, sister of Laban the Aramaean, to him for a wife.
21 And Isaac maketh entreaty to Jehovah before his wife, for she [is] barren: and Jehovah is entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceiveth,
22 and the children struggle together within her, and she saith, `If [it is] right -- why [am] I thus?' and she goeth to seek Jehovah.
23 And Jehovah saith to her, `Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two peoples from thy bowels are parted; and the [one] people than the [other] people is stronger; and the elder doth serve the younger.'
24 And her days to bear are fulfilled, and lo, twins [are] in her womb;
25 and the first cometh out all red as a hairy robe, and they call his name Esau;
26 and afterwards hath his brother come out, and his hand is taking hold on Esau's heel, and one calleth his name Jacob; and Isaac [is] a son of sixty years in her bearing them.
27 And the youths grew, and Esau is a man acquainted [with] hunting, a man of the field; and Jacob [is] a plain man, inhabiting tents;
28 and Isaac loveth Esau, for [his] hunting [is] in his mouth; and Rebekah is loving Jacob.
29 And Jacob boileth pottage, and Esau cometh in from the field, and he [is] weary;
30 and Esau saith unto Jacob, `Let me eat, I pray thee, some of this red red thing, for I [am] weary;' therefore hath [one] called his name Edom [Red];
31 and Jacob saith, `Sell to-day thy birthright to me.'
32 And Esau saith, `Lo, I am going to die, and what is this to me -- birthright?'
33 and Jacob saith, `Swear to me to-day:' and he sweareth to him, and selleth his birthright to Jacob;
34 and Jacob hath given to Esau bread and pottage of lentiles, and he eateth, and drinketh, and riseth, and goeth; and Esau despiseth the birthright.
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