| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 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.” | 1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. |
| 2He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. | 2Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. |
| 3Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, | 3Now then, get your equipment--your quiver and bow--and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. |
| 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.” | 4Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." |
| 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, | 5Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, |
| 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, | 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, |
| 7‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’ | 7Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' |
| 8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. | 8Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: |
| 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. | 9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. |
| 10And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” | 10Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." |
| 11But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. | 11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. |
| 12Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” | 12What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." |
| 13His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.” | 13His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." |
| 14So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. | 14So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. |
| 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. | 15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. |
| 16And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. | 16She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. |
| 17And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. | 17Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. |
| 18So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” | 18He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" |
| 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.” | 19Jacob 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 give me your blessing." |
| 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.” | 20Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The LORD your God gave me success," he replied. |
| 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.” | 21Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." |
| 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.” | 22Jacob went 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." |
| 23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. | 23He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. |
| 24He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” | 24"Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied. |
| 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. | 25Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing." Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. |
| 26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” | 26Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me." |
| 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! | 27So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. |
| 28May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. | 28May God give you heaven's dew and earth's richness-- an abundance of grain and new wine. |
| 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!” | 29May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over 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." |
| 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. | 30After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. |
| 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.” | 31He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing." |
| 32His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” | 32His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau." |
| 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.” | 33Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him--and indeed he will be blessed!" |
| 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!” | 34When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me--me too, my father!" |
| 35But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” | 35But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." |
| 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?” | 36Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" |
| 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?” | 37Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" |
| 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. | 38Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. |
| 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. | 39His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. |
| 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.” | 40You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." |
| 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.” | 41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." |
| 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. | 42When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. |
| 43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran | 43Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. |
| 44and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away— | 44Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. |
| 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?” | 45When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" |
| 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?” | 46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living." |
| 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. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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