Study Desk

Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, "My son." And he said to him, "Here I am."

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

Then Isaac said, "Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.

And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

"Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me;

Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

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

And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

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

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying,

And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

'Bring me some game and prepare a delicious meal for me, so that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.'

Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.

"So now, my son, listen to me as I command you.

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

"Go now to the flock and bring me two choice young goats from there, so that I may prepare them as a delicious meal for your father, such as he loves.

Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

"Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death."

And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

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

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

"Perhaps my father will touch me, then I will be like a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing."

My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

But his mother said to him, "Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get the goats for me."

And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made a delicious meal such as his father loved.

And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

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

And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

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

And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

She also gave the delicious meal and the bread which she had made to her son Jacob.

And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Then he came to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"

And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Come now, sit and eat of my game, so that you may bless me."

And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God made it come to me."

And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.

Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come close, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."

And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, and he touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."

And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him.

And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

And he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" And he said, "I am."

And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

So he said, "Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son's game, that I may bless you." And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank.

And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.

Then his father Isaac said to him, "Please come close and kiss me, my son."

And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed;

And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:

Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And an abundance of grain and new wine;

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you."

Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of his father Isaac, that his brother Esau came in from his hunting.

And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

Then he also made a delicious meal, 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."

And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who then was he who hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate from all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed."

And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, me as well, my father!"

And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

And he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing."

And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

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

And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

But Isaac replied to Esau, "Behold, I have made him your master, and I have given to him all his relatives as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?"

And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me as well, my father." So Esau raised his voice and wept.

And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

Then his father Isaac answered and said to him, "Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above.

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

"And by your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."

And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

So Esau held a grudge against 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 near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent word and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, "Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you.

And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.

"Now then, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban!

Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

"Stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury subsides,

And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;

until your brother's anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send word and get you from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?"

Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"

And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?