New Living Translation

King James Bible

1One day when Isaac was old and turning blind, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied.

1And 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.

2“I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know when I may die.

2And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

3Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me.

3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

4Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.”

4And 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.

5But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game,

5And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau,

6And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

7‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the LORD’s presence before I die.’

7Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

8Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you.

8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

9Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish.

9Go 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:

10Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.”

10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

11“But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth.

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

12What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.”

12My 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.

13But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats for me!”

13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

14So Jacob went out and got the young goats for his mother. Rebekah took them and prepared a delicious meal, just the way Isaac liked it.

14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

15Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave them to her younger son, Jacob.

15And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

16She covered his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skin of the young goats.

16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

17Then she gave Jacob the delicious meal, including freshly baked bread.

17And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said. “Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you—Esau or Jacob?”

18And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.”

19And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God put it in my path!” Jacob replied.

20And 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.

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.”

21And 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.

22So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said.

22And 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.

23But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.

23And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

24“But are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “Yes, I am,” Jacob replied.

24And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

25Then Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then I will give you my blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him.

25And 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.

26Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.”

26And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the LORD has blessed!

27And 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:

28“From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine.

28Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

29May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.”

29Let 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.

30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father, Esau returned from his hunt.

30And 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.

31Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. Then he said, “Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your blessing.”

31And 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.

32But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.”

32And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

33Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!”

33And 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.

34When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged.

34And 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.

35But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.”

35And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

36Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?”

36And 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?

37Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?”

37And 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?

38Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and wept.

38And 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.

39Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above.

39And 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;

40You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.” Jacob Flees to Paddan-Aram

40And 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.

41From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”

41And 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.

42But Rebekah heard about Esau’s plans. So she sent for Jacob and told him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.

42And 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.

43So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran.

43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

44Stay there with him until your brother cools off.

44And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;

45When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

45Until 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?

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick and tired of these local Hittite women! I would rather die than see Jacob marry one of them.”

46And 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?

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.