1 And when Izhak was olde, and his eyes were dimme (so that he coulde not see) he called Esau his eldest sonne, and sayde vnto him, My sonne. And he answered him, I am here. 2 Then he sayd, Beholde, I am nowe olde, and knowe not the day of my death: 3 Wherefore nowe, I pray thee take thine instruments, thy quiuer and thy bowe, and get thee to the fielde, that thou mayest take mee some venison. 4 Then make mee sauourie meate, such as I loue, and bring it me that I may eat, and that my soule may blesse thee, before I die. 5 (Nowe Rebekah heard, when Izhak spake to Esau his sonne) and Esau went into the fielde to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6 Then Rebekah spake vnto Iaakob her sonne, saying, Beholde, I haue heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring mee vension, and make mee sauourie meate, that I may eate and blesse thee before the Lord, afore my death. 8 Nowe therefore, my sonne, heare my voyce in that which I command thee. 9 Get thee nowe to the flocke, and bring me thence two good kids of the goates, that I may make pleasant meate of them for thy father, such as he loueth. 10 Then shalt thou bring it to thy father, and he shall eate, to the intent that he may blesse thee before his death. 11 But Iaakob sayde to Rebekah his mother, Beholde, Esau my brother is rough, and I am smoothe. 12 My father may possibly feele me, and I shall seem to him to be a mocker: so shall I bring a curse vpon me, and not a blessing. 13 But his mother sayd vnto him, vpon me be thy curse, my sonne: onely heare my voyce, and go and bring me them. 14 So he went and set them, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made pleasant meat, such as his father loued. 15 And Rebekah tooke faire clothes of her elder sonne Esau, which were in her house, and clothed Iaakob her yonger sonne: 16 And she couered his hands and the smoothe of his necke with the skinnes of the kiddes of the goates. 17 Afterward she put the pleasant meate and bread, which she had prepared, in the hand of her sonne Iaakob. 18 And when he came to his father, he sayd, My father. Who answered, I am here: who art thou, my sonne? 19 And Iaakob sayde to his father, I am Esau thy first borne, I haue done as thou badest me, arise, I pray thee: sit vp and eate of my venison, that thy soule may blesse me. 20 Then Izhak said vnto his sonne, Howe hast thou founde it so quickly my sonne? Who sayde, Because the Lord thy God brought it to mine hande. 21 Againe sayde Izhak vnto Iaakob, Come neere nowe, that I may feele thee, my sonne, whether thou be that my sonne Esau or not. 22 Then Iaakob came neere to Izhak his father, and he felt him and sayd, The voyce is Iaakobs voyce, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 (For he knewe him not, because his hands were rough as his brother Esaus hands: wherefore he blessed him) 24 Againe he sayd, Art thou that my sonne Esau? Who answered, Yea. 25 Then said he, Bring it me hither, and I will eate of my sonnes venison, that my soule may blesse thee. And he brought it to him, and he ate: also he brought him wine, and he dranke. 26 Afterward his father Izhak sayd vnto him, Come neere nowe, and kisse me, my sonne. 27 And hee came neere and kissed him. Then he smellled the sauour of his garmentes, and blessed him, and sayde, Behold, the smelll of my sonne is as the smelll of a fielde, which the Lord hath blessed. 28 God giue thee therefore of the dewe of heauen, and the fatnesse of the earth, and plentie of wheate and wine. 29 Let people bee thy seruantes, and nations bowe vnto thee: be Lord ouer thy brethren, and let thy mothers children honour thee. cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. 30 And when Izhak had made an ende of blessing Iaakob, and Iaakob was scarce gone out from the presence of Izhak his father, then came Esau his brother from his hunting, 31 And hee also prepared sauourie meate and brought it to his father, and sayd vnto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his sonnes venison, that thy soule may blesse me. 32 But his father Izhak sayde vnto him, Who art thou? And he answered, I am thy sonne, euen thy first borne Esau. 33 Then Izhak was stricken with a marueilous great feare, and sayde, Who and where is hee that hunted venison, and brought it mee, and I haue eate of all before thou camest? and I haue blessed him, therefore he shalbe blessed. 34 When Esau heard the wordes of his father, he cryed out with a great crye and bitter, out of measure, and sayde vnto his father, Blesse me, euen me also, my father. 35 Who answered, Thy brother came with subtiltie, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36 Then he sayde, Was hee not iustly called Iaakob? for hee hath deceiued mee these two times: he tooke my birthright, and loe, nowe hath he taken my blessing. Also he sayd, Hast thou not reserued a blessing for me? 37 Then Izhak answered, and sayd vnto Esau, Beholde, I haue made him thy lorde, and all his brethre haue I made his seruants: also with wheate and wine haue I furnished him, and vnto thee now what shall I doe, my sonne? 38 Then Esau sayde vnto his father, Hast thou but one blessing my father? blesse mee, euen me also, my father: and Esau lifted vp his voyce, and wept. 39 Then Izhak his father answered, and sayde vnto him, Behold, the fatnesse of the earth shall be thy dwelling place, and thou shalt haue of the dewe of heauen from aboue. 40 And by thy sword shalt thou liue, and shalt be thy brothers seruant. But it shall come to passe, when thou shalt get the masterie, that thou shalt breake his yoke from thy necke. 41 Therefore Esau hated Iaakob, because of the blessing, wherewith his father blessed him. And Esau thought in his minde, The dayes of mourning for my father will come shortly, then I will slay may brother Iaakob. 42 And it was told to Rebekah of the wordes of Esau her elder sonne, and shee sent and called Iaakob her yonger sonne, and sayd vnto him, Beholde, thy brother Esau is comforted against thee, meaning to kill thee: 43 Now therefore my sonne, heare my voyce, arise, and flee thou to Haran to my brother Laban, 44 And tarie with him a while vntill thy brothers fiercenesse be swaged, 45 And till thy brothers wrath turne away from thee, and hee forget the thinges, which thou hast done to him: then will I sende and take thee from thence: why shoulde I bee depriued of you both in one day? 46 Also Rebekah said to Izhak, I am weary of my life, for the daughters of Heth. If Iaakob take a wife of the daughters of Heth like these of the daughters of the lande, what auaileth it me to liue?
Isaac Blesses Jacob
1 Isaac was old and almost blind, when he called in his first-born son Esau, who asked him, “Father, what can I do for you?”
2 Isaac replied, “I am old and might die at any time. 3 So go hunting with your bow and arrows and kill a wild animal. 4 Cook some of that tasty food that I love so much and bring it to me. I want to eat it once more and give you my blessing before I die.”
5 Rebekah had been listening, and as soon as Esau left to go hunting, 6 she said to Jacob, “I heard your father tell Esau 7 to kill a wild animal and cook some tasty food for him before he dies. Your father said this because he wants to bless your brother with the Lord as his witness. 8 Now, my son, listen carefully to what I want you to do. 9 Go and kill two of your best young goats and bring them to me. I'll cook the tasty food that your father loves so much. 10 Then you can take it to him, so he can eat it and give you his blessing before he dies.”
11 “My brother Esau is a hairy man,” Jacob reminded her. “And I am not. 12 If my father touches me and realizes I am trying to trick him, he will put a curse on me instead of giving me a blessing.”
13 Rebekah insisted, “Let his curse fall on me! Just do what I say and bring me the meat.” 14 So Jacob brought the meat to his mother, and she cooked the tasty food that his father liked. 15 Then she took Esau's best clothes and put them on Jacob. 16 She also covered the smooth part of his hands and neck with goatskins 17 and gave him some bread and the tasty food she had cooked.
18 Jacob went to his father and said, “Father, here I am.”
“Which one of my sons are you?” his father asked.
19 Jacob replied, “I am Esau, your first-born, and I have done what you told me. Please sit up and eat the meat I have brought. Then you can give me your blessing.”
20 Isaac asked, “My son, how did you find an animal so quickly?”
“The Lord your God was kind to me,” Jacob answered.
21 “My son,” Isaac said, “come closer, where I can touch you and find out if you really are Esau.” 22 Jacob went closer. His father touched him and said, “You sound like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy like Esau's.” 23 And so Isaac blessed Jacob, thinking he was Esau.
24 Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
“Yes, I am,” Jacob answered.
25 So Isaac told him, “Serve me the wild meat, and I can give you my blessing.”
Jacob gave him some meat, and he ate it. He also gave him some wine, and he drank it. 26 Then Isaac said, “Son, come over here and kiss me.” 27 While Jacob was kissing him, Isaac caught the smell of his clothes and said:
“The smell of my son
is like a field
the Lord has blessed.
28 God will bless you, my son,
with dew from heaven
and with fertile fields,
rich with grain and grapes.
29 Nations will be your servants
and bow down to you.
You will rule over your brothers,
and they will kneel
at your feet.
Anyone who curses you
will be cursed;
anyone who blesses you
will be blessed.”
30 Right after Isaac had given Jacob his blessing and Jacob had gone, Esau came back from hunting. 31 He cooked the tasty food, brought it to his father, and said, “Father, please sit up and eat the meat I have brought you, so you can give me your blessing.”
32 “Who are you?” Isaac asked.
“I am Esau, your first-born son.”
33 Isaac started trembling and said, “Then who brought me some wild meat right before you came in? I ate it and gave him a blessing that cannot be taken back.”
34 Esau cried out in great distress, “Father, give me a blessing too!”
35 Isaac answered, “Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing.”
36 Esau replied, “My brother deserves the name Jacob, because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing.” Then Esau asked his father, “Don't you have any blessing left for me?”
37 “My son,” Isaac answered, “I have made Jacob the ruler over you and your brothers, and all of you will be his servants. I have also promised him all the grain and grapes that he needs. There's nothing left that I can do for you.”
38 “Father,” Esau asked, “don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!” Then Esau started crying again.
39 So his father said:
“Your home will be far
from that fertile land,
where dew comes down
from the heavens.
40 You will live by the power
of your sword
and be your brother's slave.
But when you decide to be free,
you will break loose.”
41 Esau hated his brother Jacob because he had stolen the blessing that was supposed to be his. So he said to himself, “Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob.”
42 When Rebekah found out what Esau planned to do, she sent for Jacob and told him, “Son, your brother Esau is just waiting for a chance to kill you. 43 Now listen carefully and do what I say. Go to the home of my brother Laban in Haran 44 and stay with him for a while. When Esau stops being angry 45 and forgets what you have done to him, I'll send for you to come home. Why should I lose both of my sons on the same day?”
46 Rebekah later told Isaac, “Those Hittite wives of Esau are making my life miserable! If Jacob marries a Hittite woman, I'd be better off dead.”