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Jacob and Esau

19 Now these are the generations[a] of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 And Isaac was forty years old[b] when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, as his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to Yahweh on behalf of his wife, for she was barren. And Yahweh responded to his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children in her womb jostled each other, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, why be pregnant?”[c] And she went to inquire of Yahweh. 23 And Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from birth[d] shall be divided. And one people shall be stronger than the other.[e] And the elder shall serve the younger.” 24 And when her days to give birth were completed,[f] then—behold—twins were in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all his body[g] was like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. 26 And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old[h] at their birth.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:19 Or “family records”
  2. Genesis 25:20 Literally “a son of forty years”
  3. Genesis 25:22 Literally “if so, why this I?”
  4. Genesis 25:23 Literally “from your bowels”
  5. Genesis 25:23 Literally “people than people shall be stronger”
  6. Genesis 25:24 Or “full”
  7. Genesis 25:25 Literally “of him”
  8. Genesis 25:26 Literally “a son of sixty years”

Jacob and Esau are born

19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean and the sister of Laban the Aramean, from Paddan-aram. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, since she was unable to have children. The Lord was moved by his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 But the boys pushed against each other inside of her, and she said, “If this is what it’s like, why did it happen to me?”[a]

So she went to ask the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb;
        two different peoples will emerge from your body.
One people will be stronger than the other;
    the older will serve the younger.”

24 When she reached the end of her pregnancy, she discovered that she had twins. 25 The first came out red all over, clothed with hair, and she named him Esau. 26 Immediately afterward, his brother came out gripping Esau’s heel, and she named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 25:22 Heb uncertain