Genesis 27:1-40
World English Bible
27 When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, “My son?”
He said to him, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “See now, I am old. I don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and get me venison. 4 Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6 Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you. 9 Go now to the flock and get me two good young goats from there. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves. 10 You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”
11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing.”
13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me.”
14 He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved. 15 Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck. 17 She gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 He came to his father, and said, “My father?”
He said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.”
20 Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”
He said, “Because Yahweh your God gave me success.”
21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”
22 Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. 24 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 venison, that my soul may bless you.”
He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank. 26 His father Isaac said to him, “Come near now, and kiss me, my son.” 27 He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said,
“Behold, the smell of my son
is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed.
28 God give you of the dew of the sky,
of the fatness of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers.
Let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you.
Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that your soul may bless me.”
32 Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?”
He said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
33 Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed.”
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, my father.”
35 He said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.”
36 He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing.” He said, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”
37 Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants. I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What then will I do for you, my son?”
38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have just one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 Isaac his father answered him,
“Behold, your dwelling will be of the fatness of the earth,
and of the dew of the sky from above.
40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother.
It will happen, when you will break loose,
that you will shake his yoke from off your neck.”
Genesis 27:1-40
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.”
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
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