Berean Study Bible

English Standard Version

1When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied.

1When 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“Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old, and I do not know the day of my death.

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

3Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me.

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

4Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”

4and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt game and bring it back,

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

6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau,

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

7‘Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’

7‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’

8Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you.

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

9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father—the kind he loves.

9Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.

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

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

11Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned.

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

12What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.”

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

13His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”

13His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

14So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved.

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

15And Rebekah took the finest clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she put them on her younger son Jacob.

15Then 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.

16She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

16And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

17Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made.

17And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18So Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” “Here I am!” he answered. “Which one are you, my son?”

18So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19Jacob 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.”

19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

20But Isaac asked his son, “How did you ever find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the LORD your God brought it to me,” he replied.

20But 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.”

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son Esau, or not?”

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

22So Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

22So 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.”

23Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.

23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.

24Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.”

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

25“Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he drank.

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

26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.”

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

27So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.

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

28May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine.

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

29May 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.”

29Let 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 everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing him and Jacob had left his father’s presence, his brother Esau returned from the hunt.

30As 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.

31He too made some tasty food, brought it to his father, and said to him, “My father, sit up and eat of your son’s game, so that you may bless me.”

31He also prepared delicious 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.”

32But his father Isaac replied, “Who are you?” “I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.

32His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33Isaac 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!”

33Then Isaac trembled very 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.”

34When 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!”

34As soon as 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!”

35But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

35But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”

36So 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?”

36Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated 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?”

37But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?”

37Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, 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?”

38Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.

38Esau 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.

39His father Isaac answered him: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above.

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

40You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”

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

41Esau 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.”

41Now 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.”

42When the words of her older son Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.

42But 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 about you by planning to kill you.

43So now, my son, obey my voice and flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.

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

44Stay with him for a while, until your brother’s fury subsides—

44and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away—

45until your brother’s rage against you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

45until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.