Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.(A) A tabernacle(B) was set up. In its first room were the lampstand(C) and the table(D) with its consecrated bread;(E) this was called the Holy Place.(F) Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,(G) which had the golden altar of incense(H) and the gold-covered ark of the covenant.(I) This ark contained the gold jar of manna,(J) Aaron’s staff that had budded,(K) and the stone tablets of the covenant.(L) Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory,(M) overshadowing the atonement cover.(N) But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly(O) into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered(P) the inner room,(Q) and that only once a year,(R) and never without blood,(S) which he offered for himself(T) and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.(U) The Holy Spirit was showing(V) by this that the way(W) into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration(X) for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered(Y) were not able to clear the conscience(Z) of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food(AA) and drink(AB) and various ceremonial washings(AC)—external regulations(AD) applying until the time of the new order.

The Blood of Christ

11 But when Christ came as high priest(AE) of the good things that are now already here,[a](AF) he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle(AG) that is not made with human hands,(AH) that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;(AI) but he entered the Most Holy Place(AJ) once for all(AK) by his own blood,(AL) thus obtaining[b] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls(AM) and the ashes of a heifer(AN) sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit(AO) offered himself(AP) unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences(AQ) from acts that lead to death,[c](AR) so that we may serve the living God!(AS)

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator(AT) of a new covenant,(AU) that those who are called(AV) may receive the promised(AW) eternal inheritance(AX)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.(AY)

16 In the case of a will,[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.(AZ) 19 When Moses had proclaimed(BA) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,(BB) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.(BC) 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[e](BD) 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,(BE) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.(BF)

23 It was necessary, then, for the copies(BG) of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;(BH) he entered heaven itself,(BI) now to appear for us in God’s presence.(BJ) 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place(BK) every year with blood that is not his own.(BL) 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.(BM) But he has appeared(BN) once for all(BO) at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.(BP) 27 Just as people are destined to die once,(BQ) and after that to face judgment,(BR) 28 so Christ was sacrificed once(BS) to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,(BT) not to bear sin,(BU) but to bring salvation(BV) to those who are waiting for him.(BW)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come
  2. Hebrews 9:12 Or blood, having obtained
  3. Hebrews 9:14 Or from useless rituals
  4. Hebrews 9:16 Same Greek word as covenant; also in verse 17
  5. Hebrews 9:20 Exodus 24:8

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The Earthly Sanctuary(A)

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and (B)the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the [a]sanctuary; (C)and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the (D)golden censer and (E)the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were (F)the golden pot that had the manna, (G)Aaron’s rod that budded, and (H)the tablets of the covenant; and (I)above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Limitations of the Earthly Service

Now when these things had been thus prepared, (J)the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone (K)once a year, not without blood, which he offered for (L)himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that (M)the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered (N)which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with (O)foods and drinks, (P)various [b]washings, (Q)and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

The Heavenly Sanctuary

11 But Christ came as High Priest of (R)the good things [c]to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not (S)with the blood of goats and calves, but (T)with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place (U)once for all, (V)having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if (W)the blood of bulls and goats and (X)the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, [d]sanctifies for the [e]purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without [f]spot to God, (Y)cleanse your conscience from (Z)dead works (AA)to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason (AB)He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that (AC)those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

The Mediator’s Death Necessary

16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For (AD)a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 (AE)Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every [g]precept to all the people according to the law, (AF)he took the blood of calves and goats, (AG)with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, (AH)“This is the (AI)blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise (AJ)he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are [h]purified with blood, and (AK)without shedding of blood there is no [i]remission.

Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice

23 Therefore it was necessary that (AL)the copies of the things in the heavens should be [j]purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For (AM)Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are [k]copies of (AN)the true, but into heaven itself, now (AO)to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as (AP)the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 (AQ)And as it is appointed for men to die once, (AR)but after this the judgment, 28 so (AS)Christ was (AT)offered once to bear the sins (AU)of many. To those who (AV)eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 9:2 holy place, lit. holies
  2. Hebrews 9:10 Lit. baptisms
  3. Hebrews 9:11 NU that have come
  4. Hebrews 9:13 sets apart
  5. Hebrews 9:13 cleansing
  6. Hebrews 9:14 blemish
  7. Hebrews 9:19 command
  8. Hebrews 9:22 cleansed
  9. Hebrews 9:22 forgiveness
  10. Hebrews 9:23 cleansed
  11. Hebrews 9:24 representations

The Death of Abraham(A)

25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran,(B) Jokshan, Medan, Midian,(C) Ishbak and Shuah.(D) Jokshan was the father of Sheba(E) and Dedan;(F) the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah,(G) Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.(H) But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines(I) and sent them away from his son Isaac(J) to the land of the east.(K)

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years.(L) Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age,(M) an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.(N) His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him(O) in the cave of Machpelah(P) near Mamre,(Q) in the field of Ephron(R) son of Zohar the Hittite,(S) 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[a](T) There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac,(U) who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.(V)

Ishmael’s Sons(W)

12 This is the account(X) of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar(Y) the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.(Z)

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth(AA) the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar,(AB) Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah,(AC) Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema,(AD) Jetur,(AE) Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers(AF) according to their settlements and camps.(AG) 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.(AH) 18 His descendants(AI) settled in the area from Havilah to Shur,(AJ) near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[b] all the tribes related to them.(AK)

Jacob and Esau

19 This is the account(AL) of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old(AM) when he married Rebekah(AN) daughter of Bethuel(AO) the Aramean from Paddan Aram[c](AP) and sister of Laban(AQ) the Aramean.(AR)

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.(AS) The Lord answered his prayer,(AT) and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.(AU)

23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations(AV) are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.(AW)

24 When the time came for her to give birth,(AX) there were twin boys in her womb.(AY) 25 The first to come out was red,(AZ) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;(BA) so they named him Esau.[d](BB) 26 After this, his brother came out,(BC) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;(BD) so he was named Jacob.[e](BE) Isaac was sixty years old(BF) when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,(BG) a man of the open country,(BH) while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,(BI) loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(BJ)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,(BK) Esau came in from the open country,(BL) famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!(BM) I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[f])(BN)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.(BO)

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear(BP) to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright(BQ) to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.(BR) He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelek(BS)

26 Now there was a famine in the land(BT)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines(BU) in Gerar.(BV) The Lord appeared(BW) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;(BX) live in the land where I tell you to live.(BY) Stay in this land for a while,(BZ) and I will be with you(CA) and will bless you.(CB) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands(CC) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.(CD) I will make your descendants(CE) as numerous as the stars in the sky(CF) and will give them all these lands,(CG) and through your offspring[g] all nations on earth will be blessed,[h](CH) because Abraham obeyed me(CI) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees(CJ) and my instructions.(CK) So Isaac stayed in Gerar.(CL)

When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,(CM)” 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(CN) 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’?(CO)

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?(CP) 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(CQ) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”(CR)

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

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

17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,(DB) where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells(DC) 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(DD) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”(DE) So he named the well Esek,[i] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled(DF) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[j] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[k](DG) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room(DH) and we will flourish(DI) in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba.(DJ) 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(DK) Do not be afraid,(DL) for I am with you;(DM) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants(DN) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”(DO)

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

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

28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;(DU) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty(DV) with you 29 that you will do us no harm,(DW) 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.”(DX)

30 Isaac then made a feast(DY) for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath(DZ) 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(EA) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[l] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[m](EB)

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

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

27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,(EF) he called for Esau his older son(EG) 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.(EH) Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country(EI) to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like(EJ) and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing(EK) before I die.”(EL)

Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country(EM) to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob,(EN) “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.’(EO) Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you:(EP) Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats,(EQ) so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it.(ER) 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing(ES) before he dies.”

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

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me.(EW) Just do what I say;(EX) 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.(EY) 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes(EZ) of Esau her older son,(FA) 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.(FB) 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?”(FC)

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

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

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

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

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac,(FI) who touched(FJ) 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;(FK) 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.”(FL)

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(FM) him(FN). When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,(FO) he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.(FP)
28 May God give you heaven’s dew(FQ)
    and earth’s richness(FR)
    an abundance of grain(FS) and new wine.(FT)
29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.(FU)
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.(FV)
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.(FW)

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.”(FX)

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

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

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

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

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

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[n]?(GG) This is the second time he has taken advantage of(GH) me: He took my birthright,(GI) and now he’s taken my blessing!”(GJ) 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.(GK) 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.(GL)

39 His father Isaac answered him,(GM)

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew(GN) of heaven above.(GO)
40 You will live by the sword
    and you will serve(GP) your brother.(GQ)
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.(GR)

41 Esau held a grudge(GS) against Jacob(GT) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning(GU) for my father are near; then I will kill(GV) my brother Jacob.”(GW)

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

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:10 Or the descendants of Heth
  2. Genesis 25:18 Or lived to the east of
  3. Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
  5. Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
  6. Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.
  7. Genesis 26:4 Or seed
  8. Genesis 26:4 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
  9. Genesis 26:20 Esek means dispute.
  10. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means opposition.
  11. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means room.
  12. Genesis 26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.
  13. Genesis 26:33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
  14. Genesis 27:36 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.

25 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

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

And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn 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 the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:

20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

21 And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord.

23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

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?

Abraham and Keturah(A)

25 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was (B)Keturah. And (C)she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

And (D)Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he (E)sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to (F)the country of the east.

Abraham’s Death and Burial

This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and (G)died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and (H)was gathered to his people. And (I)his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of (J)Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 (K)the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. (L)There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at (M)Beer Lahai Roi.

The Families of Ishmael and Isaac(N)

12 Now this is the (O)genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 And (P)these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 [a]Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their [b]settlements, (Q)twelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and (R)he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 (S)(They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He [c]died (T)in the presence of all his brethren.

19 This is the (U)genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. (V)Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, (W)the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, (X)the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; (Y)and the Lord granted his plea, (Z)and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” (AA)So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 And the Lord said to her:

(AB)“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than (AC)the other,
(AD)And the older shall serve the younger.”

24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was (AE)like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name [d]Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and (AF)his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so (AG)his name was called [e]Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 So the boys grew. And Esau was (AH)a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was (AI)a [f]mild man, (AJ)dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he (AK)ate of his game, (AL)but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright(AM)

29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called [g]Edom.

31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so (AN)what is this birthright to me?”

33 Then Jacob said, [h]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and (AO)sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then (AP)he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau (AQ)despised his birthright.

Isaac and Abimelech

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

Then the Lord appeared to him and said: (AT)“Do not go down to Egypt; live in (AU)the land of which I shall tell you. (AV)Dwell in this land, and (AW)I will be with you and (AX)bless you; for to you and your descendants (AY)I give all these lands, and I will perform (AZ)the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And (BA)I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; (BB)and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; (BC)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 (BD)he said, “She is my sister”; for (BE)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 (BF)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, [i]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 (BG)you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who (BH)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 (BI)a hundredfold; and the Lord (BJ)blessed him. 13 The man (BK)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 (BL)envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells (BM)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 (BN)you are much mightier than we.”

17 Then Isaac departed from there and [j]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. (BO)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 (BP)quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well [k]Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name [l]Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name [m]Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall (BQ)be fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord (BR)appeared to him the same night and said, (BS)“I am the God of your father Abraham; (BT)do not fear, for (BU)I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he (BV)built an altar there and (BW)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, (BX)and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, (BY)since you hate me and have (BZ)sent me away from you?”

28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord (CA)is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a [n]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. (CB)You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ”

30 (CC)So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and (CD)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 [o]Shebah. (CE)Therefore the name of the city is [p]Beersheba to this day.

34 (CF)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 (CG)they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was (CH)old and (CI)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 (CJ)do not know the day of my death. (CK)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 [q]savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul (CL)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 [r]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, (CM)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 (CN)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 (CO)may bless you before his death.”

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

13 But his mother said to him, (CS)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 (CT)made [s]savory food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took (CU)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, (CV)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 (CW)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 (CX)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 (CY)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 (CZ)kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, (DA)the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.
28 Therefore may (DB)God give you
Of (DC)the dew of heaven,
Of (DD)the fatness of the earth,
And (DE)plenty of grain and wine.
29 (DF)Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And (DG)let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
(DH)Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope(DI)

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 [t]savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and (DJ)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—(DK)and indeed he shall be blessed.”

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, (DL)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, (DM)“Is he not rightly named [u]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, (DN)“Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with (DO)grain and wine I have [v]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 (DP)and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, (DQ)your dwelling shall be of the [w]fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live,
And (DR)you shall serve your brother;
And (DS)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 (DT)hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, (DU)“The days of mourning for my father [x]are at hand; (DV)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 (DW)comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban (DX)in Haran. 44 And stay with him a (DY)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, (DZ)“I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; (EA)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 25:15 MT Hadad
  2. Genesis 25:16 camps
  3. Genesis 25:18 fell
  4. Genesis 25:25 Lit. Hairy
  5. Genesis 25:26 Supplanter or Deceitful, lit. One Who Takes the Heel
  6. Genesis 25:27 Lit. complete
  7. Genesis 25:30 Lit. Red
  8. Genesis 25:33 Take an oath
  9. Genesis 26:8 caressing
  10. Genesis 26:17 camped
  11. Genesis 26:20 Lit. Quarrel
  12. Genesis 26:21 Lit. Enmity
  13. Genesis 26:22 Lit. Spaciousness
  14. Genesis 26:28 treaty
  15. Genesis 26:33 Lit. Oath or Seven
  16. Genesis 26:33 Lit. Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven
  17. Genesis 27:4 tasty
  18. Genesis 27:7 tasty
  19. Genesis 27:14 tasty
  20. Genesis 27:31 tasty
  21. Genesis 27:36 Supplanter or Deceitful, lit. One Who Takes the Heel
  22. Genesis 27:37 provided support for
  23. Genesis 27:39 fertility
  24. Genesis 27:41 are soon here