1 ARST One day when Isaac was an old man and he could no longer see, he sent for his older son Esau and said to him,“My son.” Esau answered him,“Yes,{ sir}?” BSB BSB: When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied.
2 ARST Then Isaac told{ him},“Please listen{ closely}: I am an old man{ now}{ and} I do not know when I will die. BSB BSB: “Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death.
3 ARST So then, get your bow and arrows, go out in the open country and hunt{ some} deer{ meat} for me. BSB BSB: Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me.
4 ARST Next{ use the meat to} cook a delicious meal for me the way that I like it, and bring it to me to eat so that I can bless you before I die.” BSB BSB: Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”
5 ARST Rebekah overheard what Isaac said to his son Esau. So after Esau had gone out to the open country to hunt, BSB BSB: Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt game and bring it back,
6 ARST she said to her son Jacob,“Listen, I{ just} overheard your father tell your brother Esau BSB BSB: Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau,
7 ARST to get him{ some} deer{ meat} and{ use it to} cook a delicious meal for him to eat. Then before he dies, he wants to bless Esau with Yahweh as his witness. BSB BSB: ‘Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’
8 ARST So then, my son, listen to me and do what I tell you{ to do}. BSB BSB: Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you.
9 ARST Please go{ out} to our flock{ of goats} and get for me two of the best young goats. I will{ use the meat from them to} cook a delicious meal for your father,{ just} the way that he likes it. BSB BSB: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father—the kind he loves.
10 ARST Then you can take the meal to your father to eat, so that he will bless you before he dies.” BSB BSB: Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”
11 ARST But Jacob responded to his mother,“As you know, my brother Esau has hairy skin, but I have smooth skin. BSB BSB: Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned.
12 ARST What if my father feels my skin? He will{ recognize me and} realize that I am trying to deceive him. Then he will curse me instead of blessing me.” BSB BSB: What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.”
13 ARST But his mother replied,“{ If that happens,} may God curse me instead of you, my son. Just listen to me, and go get{ two goats} for me!” BSB BSB: His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”
14 ARST So Jacob went{ to the flock} and selected{ two goats} and took{ them} to her. Then she cooked a delicious meal the way that his father liked it. BSB BSB: So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved.
15 ARST She also got her older son Esau’ s finest clothes that she had in the house and had her younger son Jacob put them on. BSB BSB: And Rebekah took the finest clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she put them on her younger son Jacob.
16 ARST And she used the goat skins to cover Jacob’ s arms and the part of his neck that had no hair{ on it}. BSB BSB: She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 ARST Then she handed the delicious meal to Jacob, including some bread that she had baked. BSB BSB: Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made.
18 ARST He took the meal to his father and said,“Father.” His father answered,“Yes? Which of my sons{ are} you?” BSB BSB: So Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” “Here I am!” he answered. “Which one are you, my son?”
19 ARST Jacob replied to his father,“I am Esau, your oldest son. I have done what you requested me{ to do}.{ So now} please sit up and eat some of the deer{ meat} that I have cooked{ for you}, so that you can bless me.” BSB BSB: Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.”
20 ARST But Isaac asked him,“How were you able to find{ the deer} so quickly, my son?” Jacob answered,“Yahweh,{ who is} the God who takes care of you, helped me to succeed.” BSB BSB: But Isaac asked his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the LORD your God brought it to me,” he replied.
21 ARST Then Isaac said to him,“My son, please come here so that I can feel you and make sure that you are really my son Esau.” BSB BSB: Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau, or not?”
22 ARST So Jacob stepped closer to his father Isaac, and his father felt him and thought{ to himself},“{ Hmm,} his voice{ sounds like} Jacob’ s voice, but{ his} arms{ feel like} Esau’ s arms.” BSB BSB: So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 ARST So Isaac was not able to identify who Jacob was because his arms felt hairy like his brother Esau’ s. Isaac was about to bless Jacob, BSB BSB: Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
24 ARST but{ first}{ he wanted to be completely sure, so} he asked{ him},“Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob answered,“{ Yes,} I am.” BSB BSB: Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.”
25 ARST So Isaac said{ to him},“Serve me{ the meal} so that I can eat some of your deer meat and bless you.” Then Jacob served{ the meal} to his father and he ate{ it}. Jacob also served him wine and he drank{ it}. BSB BSB: “Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 ARST Then Isaac said to Jacob,“Come here and kiss me, my son.” BSB BSB: Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.”
27 ARST So Jacob went over{ to his father} and kissed him{ on the cheeks}.{ As he did that,} his father recognized the fragrance of Esau’ s clothes, so he blessed him and said,“Ahh, my son, you smell{ wonderful} like the fragrance of a field that Yahweh has caused to flourish! BSB BSB: So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.
28 ARST I ask God to provide you{ and your descendants}{ plenty of} rain from the sky{ for your crops and animals} and riches from the earth, including abundant harvests and{ much} wine. BSB BSB: May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 ARST I also ask God to cause nations to serve and honor you{ and your descendants}. You will rule over your brother’ s descendants, and they will{ submit to you and} bow down to you. Whoever curses you{ God} will curse, but whoever blesses you{ he} will bless.” 27:30-40 BSB BSB: May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
30 ARST As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and right after Jacob had left his father’ s presence, Jacob’ s brother Esau returned{ home} from hunting. BSB BSB: As soon as Isaac had finished blessing him and Jacob had left his father’s presence, his brother Esau returned from the hunt.
31 ARST Then he too cooked a delicious meal, and he took{ it} to his father{ Isaac} and said to him,“Father,{ please} sit up and eat some of your son’ s deer meat so that you can bless me.” BSB BSB: He too made some tasty food, brought it to his father, and said to him, “My father, sit up and eat of your son’s game, so that you may bless me.”
32 ARST But his father asked him,“Which son{ are} you?” Esau answered,“I{ am} your oldest son Esau.” BSB BSB: But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?” “I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.
33 ARST Then Isaac{ became so upset that his body} shook very violently, and he asked{ Esau},“Who{ was} it then that hunted deer meat and brought a meal to me? I finished eating it just before you came, and I blessed him. So God will definitely bless him.” BSB BSB: Isaac began to tremble violently and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him—and indeed, he will be blessed!”
34 ARST When Esau heard what his father said, he shouted out with a very loud and distressed shout and begged his father,“{ Please} bless me too, father!” BSB BSB: When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me too, O my father!”
35 ARST But his father responded,“Your brother came{ to me} and tricked{ me} and stole the blessing that I was planning to give you.” BSB BSB: But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
36 ARST Then Esau exclaimed,“The name Jacob fits him exactly, because he has tricked me like this two times{ now}!{ First} he stole my rights as the oldest son, and now look{ what he has done}: he has stolen my blessing!” Then Esau begged{ his father},“Is there still a way you can{ ask God to} bless me?” BSB BSB: So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
37 ARST Isaac answered,“Listen, I have{ already} appointed Jacob to be your master. In fact, I have asked{ God to make it so} that you and all your descendants will serve him{ and his descendants}. Besides that, I have{ also} blessed him with{ abundant} harvests and wine. So then, there is no way left for me to bless you, my son!” BSB BSB: But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?”
38 ARST But Esau continued to beg his father{ and say},“Father, isn’ t there{ just} one more way that you can bless{ me}?{ Please} bless me too, father!” Then Esau started crying loudly. BSB BSB: Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
39 ARST Finally his father said to him,“Listen, you{ and your descendants} will live in a place where the land is not good{ for farming} and where there is not much rain. BSB BSB: His father Isaac answered him: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above.
40 ARST You{ and your descendants} will have to fight battles to stay alive, and you will serve your brother{ and his descendants}. But when you rebel{ against them}, you will get free from their control over you.” 27:41-28:5 BSB BSB: You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”
41 ARST After that Esau held a grudge against Jacob because their father had blessed him. So Esau thought to himself,“Soon my father will die; then after we{ bury him and} mourn for him, I will kill my brother Jacob.” BSB BSB: Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 ARST But Rebekah heard about what her oldest son Esau was planning, so she sent for her youngest son Jacob and told him,“Listen, your brother Esau is planning to take revenge on you and kill you. BSB BSB: When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.
43 ARST So then, my son, listen to me: Hurry{ and} escape to{ the city of} Haran to my brother Laban! BSB BSB: So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.
44 ARST Live with him for a short time until your brother is no longer angry{ with you}. BSB BSB: Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s fury subsides—
45 ARST When he is not angry with you anymore and he forgets what you did to him, I will send word that it is safe for you to come{ back home} from there. I do not want to lose both of you{ on} the same day!” BSB BSB: until your brother’s rage against you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 ARST Then Rebekah complained to Isaac,“My life is{ very} miserable because of our Hittite daughters- in- law{ whom Esau married}! If Jacob were to{ also} marry a local Hittite woman like that, I would not want to keep on living!” BSB BSB: Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”