1And when Isaac was old, and his eyes so dim that he could not see, he called Esau, his eldest son, and said, “My son:” and Esau replied, “I am here.” 2And Isaac said, “Look, I am now old, I do not know the day of my death: 3Now please take your weapons - quiver and bow, and go out to the field, and hunt some venison for me; 4And prepare me the savory meat that I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; and then bless you before I die.” 5And Rebekah over-heard what Isaac said to Esau, his son. And Esau went out to the field to hunt for and bring back venison. 6And Rebekah told her son, Jacob, “I heard your father tell Esau, your brother, 7‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before the LORD before I die.’ 8Now, my son, listen carefully to what I tell you: 9Go out to the flock, and bring me two good kids of the goats there; and I will make them into savory food for your father, such as he loves: 10And you shall take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau is a hairy man, and I have smooth skin: 12Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him to be a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.” 13And his mother said to him, “Let your curse be upon me, my son. Just do as I say, and go and get them for me.” 14And so he went, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. 15And Rebekah took the best clothes of her eldest son, Esau, which she had in the house, and put them on Jacob: 16And she covered his hands and the smooth of his neck with the skins of the kids of the goats. 17And she handed the savory food and bread, which she had prepared, to her son Jacob. 18And he went to his father, and said, “My father:” and he said, “Yes, my son; who are you?” 19And Jacob said, “I am Esau, your firstborn; I have done as you asked. Sit up and eat some of my venison, that you may bless me.” 20And Isaac said, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And Jacob said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.” 21And Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are truly my son Esau or not.” 22And Jacob went near to Isaac; and Isaac felt him, and said, “The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like Esau's hands; and so he blessed him. 24And Isaac again asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And Jacob replied, “I am.” 25And Isaac said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that I may give you my blessing.” And Jacob brought it to him, and he ate: and he brought him some wine, and he drank. 26And Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” 27And Jacob came near, and kissed him: and Isaac smelled the scent of his clothes, and blessed him, and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is the scent of a field which the LORD has blessed: 28May God give you the dew of heaven, and the richness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29Let nations serve you, and people bow down to you; be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be every one that curses you, and blessed be those that blesses you.” 30And right after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob; and Jacob had scarcely left the presence of Isaac; when Esau, his brother, came in from hunting. 31And he had also made savory meat, and he brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father sit up and eat of his son's venison, so that you may bless me.” 32And Isaac said, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33And Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who?! Who was the one that took venison, and brought it me, and I have just eaten it before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, and, indeed, he shall be blessed.” 34And 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.” 35And Isaac said, “Your brother came with trickery, and has taken your blessing.” 36And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cut me out twice! He stole my birthright; and, now he has stolen my blessing.” And Esau said, “Have you not saved a blessing for me?” 37And Isaac answered Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants; and have sustained him with corn and wine; and what can I possibly do now for you, my son?” 38And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, also, O my father.” And Esau wept aloud. 39And Isaac answered him, “Behold, you shall live far from the abundance of the earth, and from the dew of heaven above; 40And you shall live by your sword, and shall serve your brother; and when you decide to break free, you shall break his yoke from off your neck.” 41And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him: and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; but afterwards, I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42And when Rebekah became aware of Esau’s intent, she called Jacob, and said to him, “Look, your brother Esau consoles himself, intending to kill you. 43Now do what I say: get up and flee to my brother, Laban, at Haran; 44And stay with him for a while, until your brother's fury cools - 45Until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and fetch you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?” 46And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women: I would rather die than have Jacob take a wife of one of them!” Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |