Genesis 27
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
The Stolen Blessing
27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see,(A) he called his elder 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 So now 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 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, my son, listen to me and do what I tell you. 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 and 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 elder 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 made it happen 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 recognise 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, ‘Bring it closer to me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.’ Jacob brought it closer 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 in homage to you.
Be master over your relatives;
may your mother’s sons bow in homage 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 his hunting. 31 He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. 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 have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father! ’ And Esau wept loudly.[c]
39 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 elder 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 Hethite girls.(L) If Jacob marries someone from around here,[e] like these Hethite girls, what good is my life? ’(M)
Genesis 27
International Children’s Bible
Jacob Tricks Isaac
27 When Isaac was old, his eyes were not good. He could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him. Isaac said, “Son.”
Esau answered, “Here I am.”
2 Isaac said, “I am old. I don’t know when I might die. 3 So take your bow and arrows, and go hunting in the field. Kill an animal for me to eat. 4 Prepare the tasty food that I love. Bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die.” 5 So Esau went out in the field to hunt.
Rebekah was listening as Isaac said this to his son Esau. 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I heard your father talking to your brother Esau. 7 Your father said, ‘Kill an animal. Prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I will bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 So obey me, my son. Do what I tell you. 9 Go out to our goats and bring me two young ones. I will prepare them just the way your father likes them. 10 Then you will take the food to your father. And he will bless you before he dies.”
11 But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man. I am smooth! 12 If my father touches me, he will know I am not Esau. Then he will not bless me. He will place a curse on me because I tried to trick him.”
13 So Rebekah said to him, “If your father puts a curse on you, I will accept the blame. Just do what I said. Go and get the goats for me.”
14 So Jacob went out and got two goats and brought them to his mother. Then she cooked them in the special way Isaac enjoyed. 15 She took the best clothes of her older son Esau that were in the house. She put them on the younger son Jacob. 16 She took the skins of the goats. And she put them on Jacob’s hands and neck. 17 Then she gave Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.
18 Jacob went in to his father and said, “Father.”
And his father said, “Yes, my son. Who are you?”
19 Jacob said to him, “I am Esau, your first son. I have done what you told me. Now sit up and eat some meat of the animal I hunted for you. Then bless me.”
20 But Isaac asked his son, “How did you find and kill the animal so quickly?”
Jacob answered, “Because the Lord your God led me to find it.”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son. If I can touch you, I will know if you are really my son Esau.”
22 So Jacob came near to Isaac his father. Isaac touched him and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob’s voice. But your hands are hairy like the hands of Esau.” 23 Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his hands were hairy like Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. 24 Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
Jacob answered, “Yes, I am.”
25 Then Isaac said, “Bring me the food. I will eat it and bless you.” So Jacob gave him the food, and Isaac ate. Jacob gave him wine, and he drank. 26 Then Isaac said to him, “My son, come near and kiss me.” 27 So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes and blessed him. Isaac said,
“The smell of my son
is like the smell of the field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you plenty of rain
and good soil.
Then you will have plenty of grain and wine.
29 May nations serve you.
May peoples bow down to you.
May you be master over your brothers.
May your mother’s sons bow down to you.
May everyone who curses you be cursed.
And may everyone who blesses you be blessed.”
30 Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting. 31 Esau also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. He said, “Father, rise and eat the food that your son killed for you. Then bless me.”
32 Isaac asked, “Who are you?”
He answered, “I am your son—your firstborn son—Esau.”
33 Then Isaac trembled greatly. He said, “Then who was it that hunted the animals and brought me food before you came? I ate it, and I blessed him. And it is too late now to take back my blessing.”
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he let out a loud and bitter cry. He said to his father, “Bless me—me, too, my father!”
35 But Isaac said, “Your brother came and tricked me. He has taken your blessing.”
36 Esau said, “Jacob[a] is the right name for him. He has tricked me these two times. He took away my share of everything you own. And now he has taken away my blessing.” Then Esau asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
37 Isaac answered, “I gave Jacob the power to be master over you. And all his brothers will be his servants. And I kept him strong with grain and wine. There is nothing left to give you, my son.”
38 But Esau continued, “Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me, too, Father!” Then Esau began to cry out loud.
39 Isaac said to him,
“You will live far away from the best land,
far from the rain.
40 You will live by using your sword
and be a slave to your brother.
But when you struggle,
you will break free from him.”
41 After that Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing from Isaac. Esau thought to himself, “My father will soon die, and I will be sad for him. After that I will kill Jacob.”
42 Rebekah heard about Esau’s plan to kill Jacob. So she sent for Jacob. She said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is comforting himself by planning to kill you. 43 So, son, do what I say. My brother Laban is living in Haran. Go to him at once! 44 Stay with him for a while, until your brother is not so angry. 45 In time, your brother will not be angry. He will forget what you did to him. Then I will send a servant to bring you back. I don’t want to lose both of my sons on the same day.”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of these Hittite women here in this land, I want to die.”
Footnotes
- 27:36 Jacob This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “heel.” “Grabbing someone’s heel” is a Hebrew saying for tricking someone.
Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
