Genesis 25:31
New International Version
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

New Living Translation
“All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

English Standard Version
Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.”

Berean Standard Bible
“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.

King James Bible
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

New King James Version
But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

New American Standard Bible
But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”

NASB 1995
But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”

NASB 1977
But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”

Amplified Bible
Jacob answered, “First sell me your birthright (the rights of a firstborn).”

Christian Standard Bible
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright."”

American Standard Version
And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright.

Contemporary English Version
Jacob replied, "Sell me your rights as the first-born son."

English Revised Version
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jacob responded, "First, sell me your rights as firstborn."

Good News Translation
Jacob answered, "I will give it to you if you give me your rights as the first-born son."

International Standard Version
But Jacob responded, "Sell me your birthright. Do it now."

Majority Standard Bible
“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.

NET Bible
But Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

New Heart English Bible
Jacob said, "First, sell me your birthright."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jacob said, Sell to me this day thy birth-right.

World English Bible
Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Jacob says, “Sell your birthright to me today.”

Young's Literal Translation
and Jacob saith, 'Sell to-day thy birthright to me.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jacob will say, Sell this day thy birth-right to me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jacob said to him: Sell me thy first birthright.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Jacob said to him, “Sell me your right of the firstborn.”

New American Bible
But Jacob replied, “First sell me your right as firstborn.”

New Revised Standard Version
Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Jacob said, Sell me this day your birthright.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Yaquuv said to him, “Sell to me today your firstborn inheritance.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Jacob said: 'Sell me first thy birth right.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Jacob said to Esau, Sell me this day thy birthright.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Esau Sells His Birthright
30He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied. 32“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”…

Cross References
Hebrews 12:16
See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.

Romans 9:12-13
not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” / So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Genesis 27:36
So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”

Genesis 27:33
Isaac began to tremble violently and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him—and indeed, he will be blessed!”

Genesis 27:28-29
May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine. / May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of 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.”

Genesis 27:19
Jacob 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 bless me.”

Genesis 27:41
Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

Malachi 1:2-3
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, / but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

Deuteronomy 21:17
Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of his unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he has. For that son is the firstfruits of his father’s strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.

1 Chronicles 5:1-2
These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright. / And though Judah prevailed over his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright belonged to Joseph.

Genesis 49:3-4
Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. / Uncontrolled as the waters, you will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, onto my couch, and defiled it.

Exodus 4:22
Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son,

1 Samuel 2:7-8
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. / He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.

Psalm 89:27
I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

Luke 15:12-13
The younger son said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. / After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living.


Treasury of Scripture

And Jacob said, Sell me this day your birthright.

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Birth Birthright Birth-Right First Jacob Right Sell To-Day
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Birth Birthright Birth-Right First Jacob Right Sell To-Day
Genesis 25
1. The sons of Abraham by Keturah.
5. The division of his goods.
7. His age, death, and burial.
11. God blesses Isaac.
12. The generations of Ishmael.
17. His age and death.
19. Isaac prays for Rebekah, being barren.
22. The children strive in her womb.
24. The birth of Esau and Jacob.
27. Their different characters and pursuits.
29. Esau sells his birthright.














Jacob replied
The name "Jacob" in Hebrew is "Ya'akov," which means "heel holder" or "supplanter." This name is prophetic of Jacob's role in the narrative, as he often takes what belongs to others, starting with Esau's birthright. Jacob's reply is strategic and calculated, reflecting his character as one who seizes opportunities. In the broader biblical context, Jacob's actions are part of God's sovereign plan, as he is chosen to carry the Abrahamic covenant forward.

First
The use of "first" indicates a condition or prerequisite. Jacob is not merely asking for the birthright; he is setting a condition that must be met before anything else. This highlights the importance and urgency Jacob places on acquiring the birthright, which in ancient Near Eastern culture, was a significant inheritance right, including leadership of the family and a double portion of the estate.

sell me
The concept of selling a birthright may seem foreign to modern readers, but in the ancient world, transactions involving rights and privileges were not uncommon. The Hebrew word for "sell" is "makar," which implies a formal transaction. This phrase underscores the gravity of Esau's decision, as he is about to trade something of immense spiritual and familial value for immediate physical satisfaction.

your birthright
The "birthright" in Hebrew is "bekorah," which refers to the rights of the firstborn son. In the patriarchal society of the Bible, the birthright included leadership of the family, a double portion of the inheritance, and the spiritual blessing of the covenant promises given to Abraham. Esau's willingness to sell his birthright reveals his disregard for these spiritual and familial responsibilities, contrasting with Jacob's desire to secure them, albeit through questionable means.

Verse 31. - And Jacob said, Sell me this day - literally, as the day; as clearly as the day (Jarchi, Kimchi, Drusius); immediately, statim (Rosenmüller); perhaps simply today, σήμερον (LXX., Glassius, Gesenius, Kalisch; cf. 1 Samuel 9:13, 27; 1 Kings 1:49) - thy birthright. The right of primogeniture in the family of Abraham implied

(1) succession to the earthly inheritance of Canaan;

(2) possession of the covenant blessing transmitted through the paternal benediction; and

(3) progenitorship of the promised seed. Under the Mosaic institute the privileges of the firstborn were clearly defined. They involved succession to . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“First
כַיּ֛וֹם (ḵay·yō·wm)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

sell
מִכְרָ֥ה (miḵ·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4376: To sell

me
לִֽי׃ (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

your birthright,”
בְּכֹֽרָתְךָ֖ (bə·ḵō·rā·ṯə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1062: The firstling of man, beast, primogeniture

Jacob
יַעֲקֹ֑ב (ya·‘ă·qōḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290: Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his desc

replied.
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say


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OT Law: Genesis 25:31 Jacob said First sell me your birthright (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 25:30
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