Isaac Blesses Jacob (Hebrews 11:20)
1 Brenton And it came to pass after Isaac was old, that his eyes were dimmed so that he could not see; and he called Esau, his elder son, and said to him, My son; and he said, Behold, I am here . 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 Brenton And he said, Behold, I am grown old, and know not the day of my death. BSB BSB: “Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death.
3 Brenton Now then take thy weapons, both thy quiver and thy bow, and go into the plain, and get me venison, BSB BSB: Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me.
4 Brenton and make me meats, as I like them, and bring them to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless thee, 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 Brenton And Rebecca heard Isaac speaking to Esau his son; and Esau went to the plain to procure venison for his father. 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 Brenton And Rebecca said to Jacob her younger son, Behold, I heard thy father speaking to Esau thy brother, saying, BSB BSB: Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau,
7 Brenton Bring me venison, and prepare me meats, that I may eat and bless thee before the Lord before I die. 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 Brenton Now then, my son, hearken to me, as I command thee. BSB BSB: Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you.
9 Brenton And go to the cattle and take for me thence two kids, tender and good, and I will make them meats for thy father, as he likes. 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 Brenton And thou shalt bring them in to thy father, and he shall eat, that thy father may bless thee before he dies. BSB BSB: Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”
11 Brenton And Jacob said to his mother Rebecca, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I a smooth man. BSB BSB: Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned.
12 Brenton Peradventure my father may feel me, and I shall be before him as one ill-intentioned, and I shall bring upon me a curse, and not a blessing. 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 Brenton And his mother said to him, On me be thy curse, son; only hearken to my voice, and go and bring them me. BSB BSB: His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”
14 Brenton So he went and took and brought them to his mother; and his mother made meats, as his father liked them . BSB BSB: So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved.
15 Brenton And Rebecca having taken the fine raiment of her elder son Esau which was with her in the house, put it on Jacob her younger son. 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 Brenton And she put on his arms the skins of the kids, and on the bare parts of his neck. BSB BSB: She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
17 Brenton And she gave the meats, and the loaves which she had prepared, into the hands of Jacob her son. BSB BSB: Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made.
18 Brenton And he brought them to his father, and said, Father; and he said, Behold I am here ; who art thou, son? BSB BSB: So Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” “Here I am!” he answered. “Which one are you, my son?”
19 Brenton And Jacob said to his father, I, Esau thy first-born, have done as thou toldest me; rise, sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul may 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 Brenton And Isaac said to his son, What is this which thou hast quickly found? And he said, That which the Lord thy God presented before me. 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 Brenton And Isaac said to Jacob, Draw nigh to me, and I will feel thee, son, if thou art my son Esau or not. 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 Brenton And Jacob drew nigh to his father Isaac, and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 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 Brenton And he knew him not, for his hands were as the hands of his brother Esau, hairy; and he blessed him, BSB BSB: Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
24 Brenton and he said, Art thou my son Esau? and he said, I am . BSB BSB: Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.”
25 Brenton And he said, Bring hither, and I will eat of thy venison, son, that my soul may bless thee; and he brought it near to him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank. 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 Brenton And Isaac his father said to him, Draw nigh to me, and kiss me, son. BSB BSB: Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.”
27 Brenton And he drew nigh and kissed him, and smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of an abundant field, which the Lord has blessed. 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 Brenton And may God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of corn and 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 Brenton And let nations serve thee, and princes bow down to thee, and be thou lord of thy brother, and the sons of thy father shall do thee reverence; accursed is he that curses thee, and blessed is he that blesses thee. 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.”
Esau’s Lost Hope 30 Brenton And it came to pass after Isaac had ceased blessing his son Jacob, it even came to pass, just when Jacob had gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his 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 Brenton And he also had made meats and brought them to his father; and he said to his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may 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 Brenton And Isaac his father said to him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy first-born son Esau. BSB BSB: But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?” “I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.
33 Brenton And Isaac was amazed with very great amazement, and said, Who then is it that has procured venison for me and brought it to me? and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed. 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 Brenton And it came to pass when Esau heard the words of his father Isaac, he cried out with a great and very bitter cry, and said, Bless, I pray thee, me also, 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 Brenton And he said to him, Thy brother has come with subtlety, and taken thy blessing. BSB BSB: But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
36 Brenton And he said, Rightly was his name called Jacob, for lo! this second time has he supplanted me; he has both taken my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing; and Esau said to his father, Hast thou not left a blessing for me, father? 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 Brenton And Isaac answered and said to Esau, If I have made him thy lord, and have made all his brethren his servants, and have strengthened him with corn and wine, what then shall I do for thee, 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 Brenton And Esau said to his father, Hast thou only one blessing, father? Bless, I pray thee, me also, father. And Isaac being troubled, Esau cried aloud and wept. 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 Brenton And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. 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 Brenton And thou shalt live by thy sword, and shalt serve thy brother; and there shall be a time when thou shalt break and loosen his yoke from off thy neck. 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 Brenton And Esau was angry with Jacob because of the blessing, with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his mind, Let the days of my father's mourning draw nigh, that I may slay 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 Brenton And the words of Esau her elder son were reported to Rebecca, and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, Esau thy brother threatens thee to kill thee. 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 Brenton Now then, my son, hear my voice, and rise and depart quickly into Mesopotamia to Laban my brother into Charran. BSB BSB: So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.
44 Brenton And dwell with him certain days, until thy brother's anger BSB BSB: Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s fury subsides—
45 Brenton and rage depart from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him; and I will send and fetch thee thence, lest at any time I should be bereaved of you both in one 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 Brenton And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life, because of the daughters of the sons of Chet; if Jacob shall take a wife of the daughters of this land, wherefore should I live? 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?”