Beginning
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.”
41 So Esau harbored animosity toward Jacob because of the way his father had blessed him. Esau kept saying to himself,[s] “The time[t] to mourn for my father is very near. That’s when I’m going to kill my brother Jacob.”
42 Eventually, what Rebekah’s older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, “Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.[u] 43 Son, you’d better do what I say! Get up, run off to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay there with him a few days until your brother’s fury subsides.[v] 45 After that happens[w] and he has forgotten what you’ve done to him, I’ll send for you so you can return from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”
46 Rebekah also told herself,[x] “Heth’s daughters are making me tired of living. If Jacob marries one of Heth’s daughters, and she turns out to be just like these other local women,[y] what kind of life would there be left for me?”
Isaac Sends Jacob to Paddan-aram
28 Later, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, instructing him, “Don’t marry a wife from the local Canaanite women. 2 Instead, get up, travel to Paddan-aram,[z] and visit the household of Bethuel, your mother’s father. Marry one of Laban’s daughters, since he’s your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful so that your descendants[aa] become a whole group of people. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessings that he gave Abraham. May you possess the land where you have lived[ab] that God gave to Abraham.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob off toward Paddan-aram[ac] to visit Bethuel’s son Laban, the Aramean[ad] and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Esau Marries a Canaanite Woman
6 Esau noticed that after Isaac had blessed Jacob as he was sending him off to Paddan-aram[ae] to marry a wife from there, he had instructed Jacob,[af] “Don’t marry a Canaanite woman.” 7 After Jacob had obeyed his father and mother’s instructions to set out for Paddan-aram,[ag] 8 Esau realized[ah] that Canaan women didn’t please his father Isaac, 9 so he went to Abraham’s son Ishmael and married Ishmael’s daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth.
God Visits Jacob in a Dream
10 Meanwhile, Jacob had left[ai] Beer-sheba and was on his way to Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun was setting. He found a stone there, used it for a pillow,[aj] and slept there for the night, 12 when he had a dream! He saw a raised highway that had been built with its ending point on earth and its beginning point in heaven. God’s angels were ascending and descending on it. 13 And there was the Lord, standing above it and telling Jacob, “I am the Lord God of your grandfather Abraham. I’m Isaac’s God, too. I’m giving you and your descendants the ground on which you’re sleeping. 14 Your descendants are going to become like the dust of the earth and spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth[ak] will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 Now pay attention! I’m here with you, and I’m going to be watching over you wherever you go. I’m going to bring you back to this land, because I won’t ever leave you until I’ve accomplished what I’ve promised about you.”
Jacob Worships God in Bethel
16 Then Jacob woke up during the night[al] and told himself,[am] “Surely, the Lord is in this place and I never knew it!” 17 In mounting terror, he cried out, “How scary this place is! This is nothing less than God’s house and the gateway to heaven!” 18 When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the stone that he had used for his pillow,[an] set it up as a pillar, drenched it with oil, 19 and named[ao] the place Beth-el, although previously[ap] the city had been named Luz.
20 Then he made this solemn vow:[aq] “If God remains with me, watches over me throughout this journey that I’m taking, gives me food to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and returns me safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God, 22 this stone that I’ve erected in the form of a pillar will be God’s house, and I’ll give you a tenth of everything that you give to me.”
Jacob Meets Rachel
29 Jacob journeyed on and reached the territory that belonged to the people who lived in the east.[ar] 2 As he was observing a well that had been dug out on the open range, all of a sudden he noticed three flocks of sheep lying there, because shepherds watered their flocks from that well. There was a very large stone that covered the opening of the well, 3 and when all the flocks had been gathered there, they would roll away the stone from the opening of the well, water their flocks, and then return the stone to its place covering the opening of the well.
4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?”
“We’re from Haran,” they answered.
5 “Do you happen to know Nahor’s son Laban?” he inquired.
“We do,” they replied.
6 So he asked them, “How’s he doing?”
“Very well,” they answered. “As a matter of fact, look over there! That’s his daughter Rachel, coming here with his sheep.”
7 “Look!” Jacob replied. “The sun[as] is still high. It’s not yet time for the flocks to be gathered. Let’s water the sheep, then let them graze.”
8 But they responded, “We can’t do that until all the sheep have been gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the opening of the well. Only then can we water the flock.” 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, since she was a shepherdess.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, accompanied by Laban’s sheep, Jacob approached the well, rolled the stone from the opening of the well, and then watered his mother’s brother Laban’s flock. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to cry out loud. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was related to her father, since he was Rebekah’s son, so she ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him, kissed him, and brought him back to his house. Then Jacob told Laban about everything that had happened. 14 Laban responded, “You certainly are my flesh and blood!”[at] So Jacob[au] stayed with him for about a month.[av]
Jacob Agrees to Work in Order to Marry Rachel
15 Later, Laban asked Jacob, “Should you serve me for free, just because you’re my nephew?[aw] Let’s talk about what your wages should be.”
16 Now Laban happened to have two daughters. The older one was named Leah and the younger was named Rachel. 17 Leah looked rather plain,[ax] but Rachel was lovely in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel, so he made this offer to Laban: “I’ll serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
19 “It’s better that I give her to you than to another man,” Laban replied, “so stay with me.” 20 Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but it seemed like only a few days because of his love for her.
21 Eventually, Jacob told Laban, “Bring me my wife, now that my time of service[ay] has been completed, so I can go be with her.” 22 So Laban gathered all the men who lived in that place and held a wedding festival.
Laban Deceives Jacob
23 That night Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob.[az] He had marital relations with her. 24 Laban also gave his servant woman Zilpah to Leah to be her maidservant. 25 The next morning, Jacob[ba] realized that it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” he demanded of Laban. “Didn’t I serve you for seven years in order to marry Rachel? Why did you deceive me?”
26 But Laban responded, “It’s not the practice of our place to give the younger one in marriage[bb] before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill the week for this daughter,[bc] then we’ll give you the other one in exchange for serving me another seven years.”
28 So Jacob completed another seven years’ work, and then Laban[bd] gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban also gave his woman servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maidservant. 30 Jacob[be] also married Rachel, since he loved her. He served Laban another full seven years’ work for Rachel.
Leah’s Children
31 Later, the Lord noticed that Leah was being neglected,[bf] so he made her fertile, while Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah conceived, bore a son, and named him Reuben,[bg] because she was saying, “The Lord had looked on my torture, so now my husband will love me.”
33 Later, she conceived again, bore a son, and declared, “Because the Lord heard that I’m neglected, he gave me this one, too.” So she named him Simeon.[bh]
34 Later, she conceived again and said, “This time my husband will become attached to me, now that I’ve borne him three sons.” So he named him Levi.[bi]
35 Then she conceived yet again, bore a son, and said, “This time I’ll praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[bj]
Then she stopped bearing children.
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