International Standard Version

English Standard Version

1Eventually, Isaac grew so old that he could not see. One day, he called his eldest son Esau. "My son," he called out to him.

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.”

2"Look how old I am! I could die any day now,

2He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.

3so go find your weapons, take your bow and arrows, go outside, and hunt some game for me.

3Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,

4Then 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."

4and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5Now 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,

5Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,

6Rebekah gave these instructions to her son Jacob: "Quick! Pay attention!" she said. "I heard your father talking to your brother Esau. He told him,

6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau,

7Bring 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.'

7‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’

8So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I'm about to tell you.

8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you.

9Go 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.

9Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.

10Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies."

10And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may 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.

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

12My 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."

12Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not 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."

13His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14So out he went, got them, and brought them to his mother, who then prepared some delicious food, just the way his father liked it.

14So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved.

15Then Rebekah took some garments that belonged to her elder son Esau—the best ones available—and put them on her younger son Jacob.

15Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

16She put some goat skins over his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

16And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

17Then she handed the delicious food and bread that she had prepared to her son Jacob,

17And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18who went to his father and said, "My father…" "It's me!" he replied. "Which one are you, my son?"

18So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who 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."

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

20"How did you get it so quickly, my son?" Isaac asked. Jacob responded, "…because the LORD your God made me successful."

20But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.”

21So Isaac told Jacob, "Come here, my son, so I can feel you and know for sure whether or not you're my son Esau."

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

22So Jacob approached his father, who felt him and said, "It's Jacob's voice, but Esau's hands."

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

23He didn't recognize Jacob, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau, so Isaac blessed him.

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

24He asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" "I am," Jacob replied.

24He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.”

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 could drink.

25Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26After this, Jacob's father Isaac told him, "Come closer and kiss me, my son."

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

27So Jacob drew closer to kiss him. When Isaac smelled the scent of his son's clothes, he blessed him and said, "How my son's scent is the fragrance of the field that the LORD has blessed.

27So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed!

28May the LORD grant you dew from the skies, and from the fertile land; may he grant you abundant grain and fresh wine.

28May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.

29May 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."

29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

30Just after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left his father Isaac, Jacob's brother Esau returned from hunting,

30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31prepared 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?"

31He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”

32But his father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I'm Esau, your firstborn son," he answered

32His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33At 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."

33Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

34When Esau realized what his father Isaac was saying, he began to wail out loud bitterly. "Bless me," he cried, "even me, too, my father!"

34As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”

35Isaac replied, "Your brother came here deceitfully and stole your blessing."

35But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”

36Then he said, "Isn't his name rightly called Jacob?" Esau asked. "He has circumvented me this second time. First, 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?"

36Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37In response, Isaac told Esau, "Look! I've predicted that he's going to become your master, and I've assigned all his brothers to be his servants. What then can I do for you, my son?"

37Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?”

38Then 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.

38Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39At 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.

39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.

40By 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."

40By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

41So Esau harbored animosity toward Jacob because of the way his father had blessed him. Esau kept saying to himself, "The time to mourn for my father is very near. That's when I'm going to kill my brother Jacob."

41Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42Eventually, 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.

42But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.

43Son, you'd better do what I say! Get up, run off to my brother Laban in Haran,

43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran

44and stay there with him a few days until your brother's fury subsides.

44and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away—

45After that happens 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?"

45until 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 bereft of you both in one day?”

46Rebekah also told herself, "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, what kind of life would there be left for me?"

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.