The Holy Bible · Genesis

Genesis 27

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1Now it came to pass after Isaac was old, that his eyes were dimmed so that he could not see; and he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered, “Behold, here I am.”

2And Isaac said, “Behold now, I am grown old, and I do not know the day of my death.”

3“Now therefore, take your hunting gear, both your quiver and your bow, and go out into the plain and hunt game for me.”

4“And prepare a savory meal for me, such as I like, and bring it to me so that I may eat it, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5Now Rebekah heard Isaac speaking to Esau, his son; and Esau went out into the plain to procure game for his father.

6Then Rebekah spoke to Jacob, her younger son, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying,”

7“‘Bring me game and prepare a savory meal for me, so that I may eat and bless you before the Lord before I die.’”

8“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice in what I command you.”

9“Go to the flock and bring me two young goats, tender and good, and I will make them into a savory meal for your father, just as he likes it.”

10“Then you shall bring it to your father and he will eat it, so that your father may bless you before he dies.”

11But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.”

12“Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall appear before his face as one who treats him with contempt; then I shall bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing.”

13And his mother said to him, “Upon me be your curse, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14So he went, took them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared a savory meal, just as his father liked it.

15Then Rebekah took the fine clothing of her older son Esau, which was with her in the house, and put it on Jacob, her younger son.

16She also put the skins of the kids on his arms and on the bare parts of his neck.

17And she handed the savory meal and the loaves of bread which she had prepared into the hands of Jacob, her son.

18And he brought them to his father, and said, “Father!” And he said, “Behold, I am here; who are you, my son?”

19And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Arise, sit up, and eat of my game, so that your soul may bless me.”

20Isaac said to his son, “What is this you have found so quickly, my child?” He said, “Because the Lord your God placed it before me.”

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Draw near to me, and I will feel you, my son, whether you are truly my son Esau or not.”

22So Jacob drew near to his father Isaac, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

24And he said, “Are you my son Esau?” And he answered, “I am.”

25And Isaac said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of your game, my son, so that my soul may bless you.” And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26Then Isaac his father said to him, “Draw near to me and kiss me, my son.”

27And he drew near and kissed him, and smelled the fragrance of his garments, and blessed him and said, “Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of an abundant field which the Lord has blessed.”

28“May God give you the dew of heaven, the richness of the earth, and abundant grain and wine.”

29“May nations serve you, and rulers shall bow down to you. Be lord over your brother, and your father’s sons shall bow down to you. Cursed be the one who curses you, and blessed be the one who blesses you.”

30And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing his son Jacob, and just as Jacob had gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, that Esau his brother came from his hunt.

31And he also had prepared a savory meal and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, so that your soul may bless me.”

32And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your firstborn son, Esau.”

33Isaac was utterly astonished and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate some of everything before you came, and I blessed him. Let him be blessed.”

34When Esau heard the words of his father Isaac, he cried out with a great and exceedingly bitter cry, and said, “Bless me, even me also, O father!”

35But Isaac said to him, “Your brother came with guile and took your blessing.”

36And Esau said, “Rightly was his name called Jacob, for he has supplanted me now these two times: he took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing!” Then Esau said to his father, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “If I have made him your lord, and have made all his brothers his household slaves, and have sustained him with grain and wine, what then shall I do for you, my son?”

38Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, father? Bless me too, father.” Isaac was deeply moved, and Esau raised his voice and wept.

39Isaac his father answered him, “Your dwelling shall be away from the richness of the earth and away from the dew of heaven above.”

40“By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve. But a time will come when you pull down and loosen his yoke from your neck.”

41Esau was angry with Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. Esau said in his mind, “Let the days of mourning for my father draw near, so that I may kill my brother Jacob.”

42Rebekah was told what Esau her older son had said. She sent for Jacob her younger son and said, “Your brother Esau is threatening to kill you.”

43“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise and escape into Mesopotamia, to Laban my brother, unto Haran,”

44“Stay with him a few days, until the fury”

45“and anger of your brother turn away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you back from there, lest I be bereaved of both of you in one day.”

46And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of the Hittites. If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of this land, why should I live?”

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Read this chapter with the Hebrew and Greek compared →

Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · working draft awaiting specialist review.