OET-RV GEN Chapter 27

27 When Yitshak (Isaac) grew old and could no longer see, he called his older son Esav (Esau) and said to him, “My son.”

“I’m here,” Esav replied.

2 “Please listen,” Yitshak continued, “I’m old and don’t know how long I’ve got before I die. 3 So please take your weapons—your quiver, and your bow—and go out into the countryside and hunt game for me 4 and cook me a tasty meal in the way that I love it, and bring it to me so I can eat it, so that I can bless you before I die.”

5 Now Rivkah had been listening while Yitshak spoke to Esav. Then Esav went out to the countryside to hunt game and bring it back. 6 Meanwhile Rivkah said to her son Ya’akov (Jacob), “Listen, I heard your father speaking to your brother Esav, saying, 7 ‘Get some game meat for me and prepare me a tasty meal so that I can eat it, and then I can bless you in Yahweh’s presence before I die.’ 8 So now Ya’akov, listen to what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and get me two of the best young goats so that I can prepare a tasty meal from them that your father loves. 10 Then you can take it in to your father, and after he’s eaten it, he’ll bless you before he dies.”

11 “Look,” Ya’akov said to his mother, “My brother Esav is very hairy, whereas my skin is smooth. 12 What if my father touches me? Then he’ll think of me as a deceiver and he’ll curse me rather than bless me.”

13 “Let your curse be on me, my son,” his mother replied, “Just do what I said and go get the young goats for me.” 14 So he went and slaughtered them and brought them to his mother. Then she prepared tasty food the way his father loved it. 15 She then got Esav’s best clothes that were in the house and got her younger son Ya’akov to put them on, 16 and then she tied the skins of the young goats over his hands and around the smooth part of his neck.

17 Then she handed the tasty food and the bread to Ya’akov, 18 and he went in to his elderly father and said, “My father.”

“I’m here,” he said, “Which son are you?” 19 “I’m your oldest son Esav,” Ya’akov replied to his father. “I’ve done what you told me. Please get up, and come and sit up and eat some of my game, so that you’ll bless me.” 20 “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” Yitshak (Isaac) asked.

“Because your god Yahweh helped me when I went out hunting,” Ya’akov answered.

21 Then Yitshak said to Ya’akov, “Please come close so that I can touch you, my son, and to be sure whether you’re really my son Esav or not.” 22 So Ya’akov went close to his father and Yitshak felt his skin and said to himself, “It’s Ya’akov’s voice, but these are definitely Esav’s hands.” 23 So he didn’t recognise that it was Ya’akov, because his hands were hairy like Esav’s hands, so he was about to bless him 24 but asked once more, “Are you really my son Esav?”

“Yes, I am,” Ya’akov answered.

25 So Yitshak told him, “Bring the food here and I’ll eat some of my son’s game, so that I can then bless you.” So Ya’akov took it to him and he ate, and then he brought wine to him and he drank. 26 Then Yitshak asked Ya’akov, “My son, please come close and kiss me.” 27 So he went close and kissed him. His dad noticed the smell of his clothes, so he blessed him saying,

“Ah yes, the smell of my son

is like the pleasant fragrance of the countryside

that Yahweh has blessed.[ref]

28 May God give you dew from the sky

and riches from the land,

to produce plenty of grain and wine.

29 May peoples serve you,

and may nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brothers,

and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.

May those who curse you be cursed,

and may those who bless you be blessed.”[ref]

30 Then just as Yitshak (Isaac) had finished blessing Ya’akov (Jacob), and as Ya’akov had only just gone out from his father’s presence, his brother Esav (Esau) his brother returned from his hunting. 31 Then he too prepared some tasty food and brought it in to his father and said, “Let my father get up and eat from the game that his son hunted so that you can bless me.”

32 But Yitshak asked him, “Which son are you?”

“I’m your oldest son Esav.” he answered.

33 Then Yitshak started to trembled badly and he said, “Then who was it that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it all just before you came in, and I blessed that man and indeed, he’ll be blessed.”

34 When Esav heard that, then he let out a very loud and exceedingly bitter wail, and then begged his father, “Bless me too, my father.”

35 But Yitshak replied, “Your brother came in and deceived me and he’s taken your blessing!”

36 “Yes, his name Ya’akov (Jacob) (meaning ‘deceiver’) suits him exactly!” said Esav. “First he took my inheritance[ref] and man, now he’s also taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you at least saved a blessing for me?”

37 But Yitshak replied, “Listen, I’ve made him master over you, and I’ve given all his brothers to him as slaves. And I’ve sustained him with grain and wine. So then, what else can I do for you, my son?”

38 “My father, Did you only have one blessing that you could give?” Esav asked. “Bless me too, my father!” Then Esav sobbed loudly.[ref]

39 Then his father Yitshak responded and said to him,

“Listen, you and your descendants will live

away from the most fertile land on the earth[fn]

in a place that doesn’t get dew from the sky.[ref]

40 You and your descendants will live by your sword,

and you’ll serve your brother.

But when you become restless

you’ll all break away from serving them.[ref]

41 From that time onwards, Esav (Esau) hated Ya’akov (Jacob) because of the blessing that their father had blessed him with, and Esav said to himself, “My father’s funeral can’t be that far away—after that I’ll kill my brother Ya’akov.”

42 But Rivkah got to hear about Esav’s plans, so she sent for her younger son Ya’akov and told him, “Listen, your brother Esav is coping with what happened by planning to kill you. 43 So my son, listen to what I’m saying: for your own sake, pack up and flee to my brother Lavan’s (Laban’s) place in Haran 44 and stay with him for a while until your brother cools down. 45 When he’s no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, then I’ll send for you from there so you can return here. I don’t want to lose both of you on the same day.”

46 Then Rivkah told her husband Yitshak (Isaac), “I’m quite disgusted with those daughters of Het. If Ya’akov (Jacob) chooses a wife like Het’s daughters from this culture around us here, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.”