Genesis, 27

1. When Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he summoned his elder son Esau. 'Son!' he said, and Esau replied, 'Here I am.'

1. When 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."

2. He then said, 'Look, I am old and do not know when I may die.

2. He said, "Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.

3. Now take your weapons, your quiver and bow; go out into the country and hunt me some game.

3. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me,

4. Make me the kind of appetising dish I like and bring it to me to eat and I shall give you my special blessing before I die.'

4. and prepare for me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat; that I may bless you before I die."

5. Rebekah was listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau. So when Esau went into the country to hunt game for his father,

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

6. Rebekah said to her son Jacob, 'I have just heard your father saying to your brother Esau,

6. Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "I heard your father speak to your brother Esau,

7. "Bring me some game and make an appetising dish for me to eat and then I shall bless you in Yahweh's presence before I die."

7. `Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food, that I may eat it, and bless you before the LORD before I die.'

8. Now, son, listen to me and do as I tell you.

8. Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you.

9. Go to the flock and bring me back two good kids, so that I can make the kind of special dish your father likes.

9. Go to the flock, and fetch me two good kids, that I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he loves;

10. Then take it to your father for him to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.'

10. and you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies."

11. Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, 'Look, my brother Esau is hairy, while I am smooth-skinned.

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

12. If my father happens to touch me, he will see I am cheating him, and I shall bring a curse down on myself instead of a blessing.'

12. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him, and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing."

13. But his mother replied, 'On me be the curse, my son! Just listen to me; go and fetch me the kids.'

13. His mother said to him, "Upon me be your curse, my son; only obey my word, and go, fetch them to me."

14. So he went to fetch them and brought them to his mother, and she made the kind of special dish his father liked.

14. So he went and took them and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared savory food, such as his father loved.

15. Rebekah took her elder son Esau's best clothes, which she had at home, and dressed her younger son Jacob in them,

15. Then 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;

16. covering his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skins of the kids.

16. and the skins of the kids she put upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck;

17. She then handed the special dish and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

17. and she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18. He went to his father and said, 'Father!' 'Yes?' he replied. 'Which of my sons are you?'

18. So he went in to his father, and said, "My father"; and he said, "Here I am; who are you, my son?"

19. Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of the game I have brought and then give me your soul's blessing.'

19. Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your first-born. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that you may bless me."

20. Isaac said to his son, 'Son, how did you succeed so quickly?' He replied, 'Because Yahweh your God made things go well for me.'

20. But 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."

21. Isaac said to Jacob, 'Come closer, son, so that I can feel you and be sure whether you really are my son Esau or not.'

21. Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not."

22. Jacob went closer to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, 'The voice is Jacob's voice but the arms are the arms of Esau!'

22. So 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."

23. He did not recognise him since his arms were hairy like his brother Esau's, and so he blessed him.

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

24. He said, 'Are you really my son Esau?' And he replied, 'I am.'

24. He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He answered, "I am."

25. Isaac said, 'Serve it to me, so that I can eat my son's game and give you my special blessing.' He served it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank.

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

26. His father Isaac said to him, 'Come closer, and kiss me, son.'

26. Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and kiss me, my son."

27. He went closer and kissed his father, who sniffed the smell of his clothes. Then he blessed him, saying: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a fertile field which Yahweh has blessed.

27. So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed!

28. May God give you dew from heaven, and the richness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine!

28. May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.

29. Let peoples serve you and nations bow low before you! Be master of your brothers; let your mother's other sons bow low before you! Accursed be whoever curses you and blessed be whoever blesses you!

29. Let 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 every one who curses you, and blessed be every one who blesses you!"

30. As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and just as Jacob was leaving his father Isaac, his brother Esau returned from hunting.

30. As 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.

31. He too made an appetising dish and brought it to his father, 'Father, please eat some of your son's game and then give me your special blessing.'

31. He also prepared savory 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."

32. His father Isaac asked, 'Who are you?' 'I am your first-born son, Esau,' he replied.

32. His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" He answered, "I am your son, your first-born, Esau."

33. At this Isaac was seized with a violent trembling and said, 'Who was it, then, that went hunting and brought me the game? I finished eating it just before you came; I blessed him, and now blessed he will remain!'

33. Then Isaac trembled 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."

34. On hearing his father's words, Esau cried out loudly and bitterly and said to his father, 'Father, bless me too!'

34. 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, even me also, O my father!"

35. But he replied, 'Your brother came by fraud and took your blessing.'

35. But he said, "Your brother came with guile, and he has taken away your blessing."

36. Esau said, 'His name should be Jacob right enough, for he has now supplanted me twice. First he took my birthright, and look, now he has gone and taken my blessing! But', he added, 'have you not kept a blessing for me?'

36. Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted 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?"

37. Isaac replied to Esau, 'I have already made him your master; I have given him all his brothers as servants, I have given him grain and wine to sustain him. So what can I do for you, son?'

37. Isaac answered Esau, "Behold, I have made him your lord, 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?"

38. Esau said to his father, 'Can you bless only once, father? Father, bless me too.' Isaac remained silent, and Esau began to weep aloud.

38. Esau 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.

39. Then his father Isaac spoke again and said: 'Far from the richness of the earth and the dew of heaven above, your home will be.

39. Then Isaac his father answered him: "Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high.

40. By your sword you will live, and your brother will you serve. But when you win your freedom, you will shake his yoke off your neck.'

40. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you break loose you shall break his yoke from your neck."

41. Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him, and Esau said to himself, 'The time to mourn for my father will soon be here. Then I shall kill my brother Jacob.'

41. Now 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."

42. When the words of Esau, her elder son, were repeated to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, 'Look, your brother Esau means to take revenge and kill you.

42. But 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 by planning to kill you.

43. Now, son, listen to me; go at once and take refuge with my brother Laban in Haran.

43. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran,

44. Stay with him a while, until your brother's fury cools,

44. and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away;

45. until your brother's anger is diverted from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I shall send someone to bring you back. I do not want to lose you both on one day!'

45. until your brother's anger turns away, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send, and fetch you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?"

46. Rebekah said to Isaac, 'The Hittite women sicken me to death. If Jacob were to marry a Hittite woman like these, one of the local women, what would there be left in life for me?'

46. Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women such as these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?"