Isaac and Abimelek(A)

26 Now there was a famine in the land(B)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines(C) in Gerar.(D) The Lord appeared(E) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;(F) live in the land where I tell you to live.(G) Stay in this land for a while,(H) and I will be with you(I) and will bless you.(J) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands(K) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.(L) I will make your descendants(M) as numerous as the stars in the sky(N) and will give them all these lands,(O) and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b](P) because Abraham obeyed me(Q) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees(R) and my instructions.(S) So Isaac stayed in Gerar.(T)

When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,(U)” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines(V) looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?(W)

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us?(X) One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms(Y) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”(Z)

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,(AA) because the Lord blessed him.(AB) 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.(AC) 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants(AD) that the Philistines envied him.(AE) 15 So all the wells(AF) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,(AG) filling them with earth.

16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;(AH) you have become too powerful for us.(AI)

17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,(AJ) where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells(AK) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled(AL) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”(AM) So he named the well Esek,[c] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled(AN) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[d] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[e](AO) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room(AP) and we will flourish(AQ) in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba.(AR) 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(AS) Do not be afraid,(AT) for I am with you;(AU) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants(AV) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”(AW)

25 Isaac built an altar(AX) there and called on the name of the Lord.(AY) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.(AZ)

26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.(BA) 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?(BB)

28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;(BC) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty(BD) with you 29 that you will do us no harm,(BE) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”(BF)

30 Isaac then made a feast(BG) for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath(BH) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well(BI) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[f] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[g](BJ)

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

34 When Esau was forty years old,(BK) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.(BL) 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.(BM)

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,(BN) he called for Esau his older son(BO) and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death.(BP) Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country(BQ) to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like(BR) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing(BS) before I die.”(BT)

Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country(BU) to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob,(BV) “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘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.’(BW) Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:(BX) Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,(BY) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.(BZ) 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing(CA) before he dies.”

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

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.(CE) Just do what I say;(CF) 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.(CG) 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes(CH) of Esau her older son,(CI) 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.(CJ) 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?”(CK)

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

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

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

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

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac,(CQ) who touched(CR) 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;(CS) 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.”(CT)

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(CU) him(CV). When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,(CW) he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.(CX)
28 May God give you heaven’s dew(CY)
    and earth’s richness(CZ)
    an abundance of grain(DA) and new wine.(DB)
29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.(DC)
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.(DD)
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.(DE)

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.”(DF)

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

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

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

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

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully(DM) and took your blessing.”(DN)

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[h]?(DO) This is the second time he has taken advantage of(DP) me: He took my birthright,(DQ) and now he’s taken my blessing!”(DR) 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.(DS) 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.(DT)

39 His father Isaac answered him,(DU)

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew(DV) of heaven above.(DW)
40 You will live by the sword
    and you will serve(DX) your brother.(DY)
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.(DZ)

41 Esau held a grudge(EA) against Jacob(EB) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning(EC) for my father are near; then I will kill(ED) my brother Jacob.”(EE)

42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau(EF) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.(EG) 43 Now then, my son, do what I say:(EH) Flee at once to my brother Laban(EI) in Harran.(EJ) 44 Stay with him for a while(EK) until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,(EL) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.(EM) 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(EN) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,(EO) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”(EP)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 26:4 Or seed
  2. Genesis 26:4 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  3. Genesis 26:20 Esek means dispute.
  4. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means opposition.
  5. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means room.
  6. Genesis 26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.
  7. Genesis 26:33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
  8. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.

26 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.

26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

28 And they said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord.

30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

27 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;

45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

Isaac and Abimelech

26 There was a famine in the land, besides (A)the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to (B)Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

Then the Lord appeared to him and said: (C)“Do not go down to Egypt; live in (D)the land of which I shall tell you. (E)Dwell in this land, and (F)I will be with you and (G)bless you; for to you and your descendants (H)I give all these lands, and I will perform (I)the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And (J)I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; (K)and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; (L)because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And (M)he said, “She is my sister”; for (N)he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is (O)beautiful to behold.” Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, [a]showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and (P)you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who (Q)touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year (R)a hundredfold; and the Lord (S)blessed him. 13 The man (T)began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines (U)envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells (V)which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for (W)you are much mightier than we.”

17 Then Isaac departed from there and [b]pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. (X)He called them by the names which his father had called them.

19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar (Y)quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well [c]Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name [d]Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name [e]Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall (Z)be fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord (AA)appeared to him the same night and said, (AB)“I am the God of your father Abraham; (AC)do not fear, for (AD)I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he (AE)built an altar there and (AF)called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, (AG)and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, (AH)since you hate me and have (AI)sent me away from you?”

28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord (AJ)is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a [f]covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. (AK)You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ”

30 (AL)So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and (AM)swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it [g]Shebah. (AN)Therefore the name of the city is [h]Beersheba to this day.

34 (AO)When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And (AP)they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was (AQ)old and (AR)his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered him, “Here I am.”

Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I (AS)do not know the day of my death. (AT)Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me [i]savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul (AU)may bless you before I die.”

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ‘Bring me game and make [j]savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ Now therefore, my son, (AV)obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make (AW)savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he (AX)may bless you before his death.”

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, (AY)Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. 12 Perhaps my father will (AZ)feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring (BA)a curse on myself and not a blessing.”

13 But his mother said to him, (BB)Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” 14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother (BC)made [k]savory food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took (BD)the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 So he went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, (BE)that your soul may bless me.”

20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I (BF)may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because (BG)his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

24 Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.

25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so (BH)that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he came near and (BI)kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, (BJ)the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.
28 Therefore may (BK)God give you
Of (BL)the dew of heaven,
Of (BM)the fatness of the earth,
And (BN)plenty of grain and wine.
29 (BO)Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And (BP)let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
(BQ)Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope(BR)

30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also had made [l]savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and (BS)eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—(BT)and indeed he shall be blessed.”

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, (BU)he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”

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

36 And Esau said, (BV)“Is he not rightly named [m]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, (BW)“Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with (BX)grain and wine I have [n]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 (BY)and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, (BZ)your dwelling shall be of the [o]fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live,
And (CA)you shall serve your brother;
And (CB)it shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Jacob Escapes from Esau

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

42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau (CF)comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban (CG)in Haran. 44 And stay with him a (CH)few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, 45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”

46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, (CI)“I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; (CJ)if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 26:8 caressing
  2. Genesis 26:17 camped
  3. Genesis 26:20 Lit. Quarrel
  4. Genesis 26:21 Lit. Enmity
  5. Genesis 26:22 Lit. Spaciousness
  6. Genesis 26:28 treaty
  7. Genesis 26:33 Lit. Oath or Seven
  8. Genesis 26:33 Lit. Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven
  9. Genesis 27:4 tasty
  10. Genesis 27:7 tasty
  11. Genesis 27:14 tasty
  12. Genesis 27:31 tasty
  13. Genesis 27:36 Supplanter or Deceitful, lit. One Who Takes the Heel
  14. Genesis 27:37 provided support for
  15. Genesis 27:39 fertility
  16. Genesis 27:41 are soon here

God's Promise to Isaac

26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides (A)the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to (B)Abimelech king of the (C)Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell (D)in the land of which I shall tell you. (E)Sojourn in this land, and (F)I will be with you and will bless you, for (G)to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish (H)the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. (I)I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And (J)in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because (K)Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Isaac and Abimelech

So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, (L)he said, “She is my sister,” for (M)he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because (N)she was attractive in appearance. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with[a] Rebekah his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and (O)you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord (P)blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines (Q)envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells (R)that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And (S)he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (T)quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek,[b] because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.[c] 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth,[d] saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, (U)“I am the God of Abraham your father. (V)Fear not, for (W)I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 So he (X)built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and (Y)Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and (Z)have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. (AA)You are now the blessed of the Lord.” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and (AB)exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah;[e] therefore the name of the city is (AC)Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took (AD)Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and (AE)they made life bitter[f] for Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 When Isaac was old and (AF)his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. (AG)Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul (AH)may bless you before I die.”

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ Now therefore, my son, (AI)obey my voice as I command you. Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, (AJ)so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, (AK)my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father (AL)will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring (AM)a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, (AN)“Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the (AO)best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I (AP)may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because (AQ)his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. (AR)So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, (AS)that I may eat of my son's game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments (AT)and blessed him and said,

“See, (AU)the smell of my son
    is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
28 May God give you of (AV)the dew of heaven
    and of the fatness of the earth
    and (AW)plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
    and nations (AX)bow down to you.
(AY)Be lord over your brothers,
    and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
(AZ)Cursed be everyone who curses you,
    and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, (BA)he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, (BB)“Is he not rightly named Jacob?[g] For he has cheated me these two times. (BC)He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, (BD)I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and (BE)with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And (BF)Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, (BG)away from[h] the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,
    and away from[i] the dew of heaven on high.
40 By your sword you shall live,
    and you (BH)shall serve your brother;
but when you grow restless
    (BI)you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

41 Now Esau (BJ)hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, (BK)“The days of mourning for my father are approaching; (BL)then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran 44 and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away— 45 until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, (BM)“I loathe my life because of the Hittite women.[j] (BN)If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 26:8 Hebrew may suggest an intimate relationship
  2. Genesis 26:20 Esek means contention
  3. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means enmity
  4. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means broad places, or room
  5. Genesis 26:33 Shibah sounds like the Hebrew for oath
  6. Genesis 26:35 Hebrew they were bitterness of spirit
  7. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
  8. Genesis 27:39 Or Behold, of
  9. Genesis 27:39 Or and of
  10. Genesis 27:46 Hebrew daughters of Heth

Isaac Settles in Gerar

26 Now there was (A)a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to (B)Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord (C)appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; (D)stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Live for a time in this land and (E)I will be with you and (F)bless you, for (G)to you and to your [a]descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish (H)the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. (I)I will multiply your [b]descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your [c]descendants all these lands; and (J)by your [d]descendants all the nations of the earth [e]shall be blessed, because Abraham [f](K)obeyed Me and fulfilled his duty to Me, and kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

So Isaac lived in Gerar. When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “(L)She is my sister,” for he was (M)afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “[g]the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, since she is (N)beautiful.” Now it came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down through a window, and saw them, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she certainly is your wife! So how is it that you said, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘otherwise I might be killed on account of her.’” 10 And (O)Abimelech said, “What is this that you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “He who (P)touches this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.”

12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and [h]reaped in the same year a hundred times as much. And (Q)the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man (R)became rich, and continued to grow [i]richer until he became very [j]wealthy; 14 for (S)he had possessions of flocks [k]and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now (T)all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up [l]by filling them with dirt. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are [m](U)too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the Valley of Gerar, and [n]settled there.

Argument over the Wells

18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which [o]had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he [p]gave them the same names which his father had [q]given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of [r]flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (V)quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well [s]Esek, because they argued with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it [t]Sitnah. 22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it [u]Rehoboth, for he said, “[v](W)At last the Lord has made [w]room for us, and we will be (X)fruitful in the land.”

23 And he went up from there to (Y)Beersheba. 24 And the Lord (Z)appeared to him the same night and said,

(AA)I am the God of your father Abraham;
(AB)Do not fear, for I am with you.
I (AC)will bless you and multiply your [x]descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”

25 So he built an (AD)altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Covenant with Abimelech

26 Then (AE)Abimelech came to him from Gerar [y]with his adviser Ahuzzath, and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “(AF)Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We have seen plainly (AG)that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘An oath must now be taken [z]by us,’ that is, [aa]by you and us. So let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you [ab]and have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the (AH)blessed of the Lord.” 30 Then (AI)he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they got up early and [ac](AJ)exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace. 32 Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it [ad]Shibah; therefore the name of the city is (AK)Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old (AL)he [ae]married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and (AM)they [af]brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Jacob’s Deception

27 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and (AN)his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his (AO)older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” Then [ag](AP)Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and (AQ)hunt game for me; and prepare a delicious meal for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that (AR)my soul may bless you before I die.”

Now Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, (AS)Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, ‘Bring me some game and prepare a delicious meal for me, so that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ So now, my son, (AT)listen to [ah]me [ai]as I command you. Go now to the flock and [aj]bring me two choice [ak]young goats from there, so that I may prepare them as a delicious meal for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Behold, my brother Esau is a (AU)hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12 (AV)Perhaps my father will touch me, then I will be like a [al]deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” 13 But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only (AW)obey my voice, and go, get the goats for me.” 14 So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made a delicious meal such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the [am]best (AX)garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 And she put the skins of the [an]young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 She also gave the delicious meal and the bread which she had made [ao]to her son Jacob.

18 Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. (AY)Come now, sit and eat of my game, so that [ap](AZ)you may bless me.” 20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “(BA)Because the Lord your God made it [aq]come to me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, so that (BB)I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, and he touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were (BC)hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. 24 And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that [ar](BD)I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he (BE)blessed him and said,

“See, (BF)the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field (BG)which the Lord has blessed;
28 Now may (BH)God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the (BI)fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 (BJ)May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
(BK)Be master of your brothers,
(BL)And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
(BM)Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”

The Stolen Blessing

30 Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, that his brother Esau came in from his hunting. 31 Then he also made a delicious meal, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “(BN)Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that [as](BO)you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “(BP)Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, (BQ)your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac [at]trembled violently, and said, “(BR)Who then was he who hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate from all of it before you came, and blessed him? (BS)Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father, (BT)he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me as well, my father!” 35 And he said, “(BU)Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” 36 Then Esau said, “[au]Is he not rightly named (BV)[av]Jacob, for he has betrayed me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him (BW)your master, and I have given to him all his relatives [aw]as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me as well, my father.” So Esau raised his voice and (BX)wept.

39 Then (BY)his father Isaac answered and said to him,

“Behold, [ax](BZ)away from the [ay]fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling,
And [az]away from the dew of heaven from above.
40 And by your sword you shall live,
And (CA)you shall serve your brother;
But it shall come about (CB)when you become restless,
That you will [ba]break his yoke from your neck.”

41 So Esau (CC)held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said [bb]to himself, “(CD)The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent word and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. 43 Now then, my son, (CE)obey my voice, and arise, [bc]flee to (CF)Haran, to my brother (CG)Laban! 44 Stay with him (CH)a few days, until your brother’s fury [bd]subsides, 45 until your brother’s anger [be]against you subsides and he forgets (CI)what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”

46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of [bf]living because of (CJ)the daughters of Heth; (CK)if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 26:3 Lit seed
  2. Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
  3. Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
  4. Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
  5. Genesis 26:4 Or bless themselves
  6. Genesis 26:5 Lit listened diligently to My voice
  7. Genesis 26:7 Lit lest...place
  8. Genesis 26:12 Lit found
  9. Genesis 26:13 Lit great
  10. Genesis 26:13 Lit great
  11. Genesis 26:14 Lit and possessions of herds
  12. Genesis 26:15 Lit and filled them
  13. Genesis 26:16 Lit much mightier than we
  14. Genesis 26:17 Lit dwelt
  15. Genesis 26:18 Lit they had dug
  16. Genesis 26:18 Lit called their names as the names
  17. Genesis 26:18 Lit called
  18. Genesis 26:19 Lit living
  19. Genesis 26:20 I.e., argument
  20. Genesis 26:21 I.e., accusation
  21. Genesis 26:22 I.e., broad places
  22. Genesis 26:22 Lit Truly now
  23. Genesis 26:22 Or broad
  24. Genesis 26:24 Lit seed
  25. Genesis 26:26 Lit and his confidential friend
  26. Genesis 26:28 Lit between us
  27. Genesis 26:28 Lit between us and you
  28. Genesis 26:29 Lit and just as we
  29. Genesis 26:31 Lit swore one to another
  30. Genesis 26:33 Meaning uncertain, perhaps oath
  31. Genesis 26:34 Lit took as wife
  32. Genesis 26:35 Lit were a bitterness of spirit to
  33. Genesis 27:2 Lit he
  34. Genesis 27:8 Lit my voice
  35. Genesis 27:8 Lit according to what
  36. Genesis 27:9 Lit take
  37. Genesis 27:9 Lit kids of goats
  38. Genesis 27:12 Lit mocker
  39. Genesis 27:15 Lit desirable; or choice
  40. Genesis 27:16 Lit kids of the goats
  41. Genesis 27:17 Lit into the hand of
  42. Genesis 27:19 Lit your soul
  43. Genesis 27:20 Lit meet me
  44. Genesis 27:25 Lit my soul
  45. Genesis 27:31 Lit your soul
  46. Genesis 27:33 Lit trembled with a very great trembling
  47. Genesis 27:36 Or Was he then named Jacob that he has
  48. Genesis 27:36 Fr Heb verb meaning to seize someone by the heel, and so to betray
  49. Genesis 27:37 Lit for
  50. Genesis 27:39 Or of
  51. Genesis 27:39 Lit fatness
  52. Genesis 27:39 Or of
  53. Genesis 27:40 Lit tear off
  54. Genesis 27:41 Lit in his heart
  55. Genesis 27:43 Lit flee for yourself
  56. Genesis 27:44 Lit turns away
  57. Genesis 27:45 Lit turns away from you
  58. Genesis 27:46 Lit my life