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Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing

27 And it happened that when Isaac was old and his eyesight was weak,[a] he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he[b] said to him, “Here I am.” And he said, “Look, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. So now, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt food for me. Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring it to me. And I will eat it so that I[c] can bless you before I die.

Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and when Esau went to the field to hunt wild game to bring back, Rebekah said to Jacob her son, “Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother saying, ‘Bring wild game to me and prepare tasty food so I can eat it and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’ So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. Go to the flock and take two good young goats from it for me, and I will prepare them as tasty food for your father, just as he likes. 10 Then you must take it to your father and he will eat it so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 Then Jacob said to his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes as a mocker, and he will bring upon me a curse and not a blessing.” 13 Then his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice—go and get them for me.” 14 So he went and took them, and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty food as his father liked. 15 Then Rebekah took some of her older son Esau’s best garments that were with her in the house, and she put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son. 18 And he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit up and eat from my wild game so that you[d] may bless me.” 20 Then Isaac said to his son, “How[e] did you find it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because Yahweh your God caused me to find it.”[f] 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. Are you really[g] my son Esau or not?” 22 And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father. And he felt 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 hairy like the hands of Esau his brother. And he blessed him. 24 And he said, “Are you really[h] my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me that I may eat from the game of my son, so that I[i] may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate. And he brought wine to him, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he drew near and kissed him. And he[j] smelled the smell of his garments, and he blessed him and said,

“Look, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed!
28 May God give you of the dew of heaven
    and of the fatness of the earth,
    and abundance of grain and new wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
    and nations bow down to you;
Be lord of your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
Cursed be those cursing you,
    and blessed be those blessing you.”

30 And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, immediately after[k] Jacob had gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came back from his hunting. 31 He too prepared tasty food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat from the wild game of his son, that you[l] may bless me.” 32 And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled violently.[m] Then he said, “Who then was he that hunted wild game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I blessed him? Moreover, he will be blessed!” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father he cried out with a great and exceedingly bitter cry of distress. And he said to his father, “Bless me as well, my father!” 35 And he said, “Your brother came in deceit and took your blessing.” 36 Then he said, “Isn’t that why he is named Jacob?[n] He has deceived me these two times. He took my birthright and, look, now he has taken my blessing!” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. Now what can I do for you, my son?” 38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,

“Your home shall be from[o] the fatness of the land,
    and from the dew of heaven above.
40 But by your sword you shall live,
    and you shall serve your brother.
But it shall be that when free yourself
    you shall tear off his yoke from your neck.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 27:1 Literally “his eyes were weak from seeing”
  2. Genesis 27:1 That is, Esau
  3. Genesis 27:4 Or “my soul”
  4. Genesis 27:19 Or “your soul”
  5. Genesis 27:20 Literally “what is this?”
  6. Genesis 27:20 Literally “made it to happen before me”
  7. Genesis 27:21 Literally “are you this one?”
  8. Genesis 27:24 Literally “are you this one?”
  9. Genesis 27:25 Or “my soul”
  10. Genesis 27:27 That is, Isaac
  11. Genesis 27:30 Literally “it was only”
  12. Genesis 27:31 Or “your soul”
  13. Genesis 27:33 Literally “trembled a great trembling unto exceeding”
  14. Genesis 27:36 Literally “that his name is called Jacob?”
  15. Genesis 27:39 Or “away from”

Isaac Blesses Jacob

27 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was (A)old and (B)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 (C)do not know the day of my death. (D)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 [a]savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul (E)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 [b]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, (F)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 (G)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 (H)may bless you before his death.”

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

13 But his mother said to him, (L)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 (M)made [c]savory food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took (N)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, (O)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 (P)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 (Q)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 (R)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 (S)kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, (T)the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.
28 Therefore may (U)God give you
Of (V)the dew of heaven,
Of (W)the fatness of the earth,
And (X)plenty of grain and wine.
29 (Y)Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And (Z)let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
(AA)Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope(AB)

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

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, (AE)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, (AF)“Is he not rightly named [e]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, (AG)“Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with (AH)grain and wine I have [f]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 (AI)and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

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

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 27:4 tasty
  2. Genesis 27:7 tasty
  3. Genesis 27:14 tasty
  4. Genesis 27:31 tasty
  5. Genesis 27:36 Supplanter or Deceitful, lit. One Who Takes the Heel
  6. Genesis 27:37 provided support for
  7. Genesis 27:39 fertility