UST GEN Chapter 27

Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing from Their Father Isaac

27:1-29

27 One day when Isaac was an old man and he could no longer see, he sent for his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” Esau answered him, “Yes, sir?” 2 Then Isaac told him, “Please listen closely: I am an old man now and I do not know when I will die. 3 So then, get your bow and arrows, go out in the open country and hunt some deer meat for me. 4 Next use the meat to cook a delicious meal for me the way that I like it, and bring it to me to eat so that I can bless you before I die.”

5 Rebekah overheard what Isaac said to his son Esau. So after Esau had gone out to the open country to hunt, 6 she said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I just overheard your father tell your brother Esau 7 to get him some deer meat and use it to cook a delicious meal for him to eat. Then before he dies, he wants to bless Esau with Yahweh as his witness. 8 So then, my son, listen to me and do what I tell you to do. 9 Please go out to our flock of goats and get for me two of the best young goats. I will use the meat from them to cook a delicious meal for your father, just the way that he likes it. 10 Then you can take the meal to your father to eat, so that he will bless you before he dies.”

11 But Jacob responded to his mother, “As you know, my brother Esau has hairy skin, but I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father feels my skin? He will recognize me and realize that I am trying to deceive him. Then he will curse me instead of blessing me.” 13 But his mother replied, “If that happens, may God curse me instead of you, my son. Just listen to me, and go get two goats for me!” 14 So Jacob went to the flock and selected two goats and took them to her. Then she cooked a delicious meal the way that his father liked it. 15 She also got her older son Esau’s finest clothes that she had in the house and had her younger son Jacob put them on. 16 And she used the goat skins to cover Jacob’s arms and the part of his neck that had no hair on it.

17 Then she handed the delicious meal to Jacob, including some bread that she had baked. 18 He took the meal to his father and said, “Father.” His father answered, “Yes? Which of my sons are you?” 19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your oldest son. I have done what you requested me to do. So now please sit up and eat some of the deer meat that I have cooked for you, so that you can bless me.” 20 But Isaac asked him, “How were you able to find the deer so quickly, my son?” Jacob answered, “Yahweh, who is the God who takes care of you, helped me to succeed.”

21 Then Isaac said to him, “My son, please come here so that I can feel you and make sure that you are really my son Esau.” 22 So Jacob stepped closer to his father Isaac, and his father felt him and thought to himself, “Hmm, his voice sounds like Jacob’s voice, but his arms feel like Esau’s arms.” 23 So Isaac was not able to identify who Jacob was because his arms felt hairy like his brother Esau’s. Isaac was about to bless Jacob, 24 but first he wanted to be completely sure, so he asked him, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob answered, “Yes, I am.” 25 So Isaac said to him, “Serve me the meal so that I can eat some of your deer meat and bless you.” Then Jacob served the meal to his father and he ate it. Jacob also served him wine and he drank it.

26 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27 So Jacob went over to his father and kissed him on the cheeks. As he did that, his father recognized the fragrance of Esau’s clothes, so he blessed him and said,

“Ahh, my son, you smell wonderful

like the fragrance of a field

that Yahweh has caused to flourish!

28 I ask God to provide you and your descendants plenty of rain from the sky for your crops and animals

and riches from the earth,

including abundant harvests and much wine.

29 I also ask God to cause nations to serve

and honor you and your descendants.

You will rule over your brother’s descendants,

and they will submit to you and bow down to you.

Whoever curses you God will curse,

but whoever blesses you he will bless.”

Esau Gets “Blessed” Too by His Father Isaac

27:30-40

30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and right after Jacob had left his father’s presence, Jacob’s brother Esau returned home from hunting. 31 Then he too cooked a delicious meal, and he took it to his father Isaac and said to him, “Father, please sit up and eat some of your son’s deer meat so that you can bless me.” 32 But his father asked him, “Which son are you?” Esau answered, “I am your oldest son Esau.” 33 Then Isaac became so upset that his body shook very violently, and he asked Esau, “Who was it then that hunted deer meat and brought a meal to me? I finished eating it just before you came, and I blessed him. So God will definitely bless him.” 34 When Esau heard what his father said, he shouted out with a very loud and distressed shout and begged his father, “Please bless me too, father!” 35 But his father responded, “Your brother came to me and tricked me and stole the blessing that I was planning to give you.” 36 Then Esau exclaimed, “The name Jacob fits him exactly, because he has tricked me like this two times now! First he stole my rights as the oldest son, and now look what he has done: he has stolen my blessing!”

Then Esau begged his father, “Is there still a way you can ask God to bless me?” 37 Isaac answered, “Listen, I have already appointed Jacob to be your master. In fact, I have asked God to make it so that you and all your descendants will serve him and his descendants. Besides that, I have also blessed him with abundant harvests and wine. So then, there is no way left for me to bless you, my son!” 38 But Esau continued to beg his father and say, “Father, isn’t there just one more way that you can bless me? Please bless me too, father!” Then Esau started crying loudly. 39 Finally his father said to him,

“Listen, you and your descendants will live

in a place where the land is not good for farming

and where there is not much rain.

40 You and your descendants will have to fight battles to stay alive,

and you will serve your brother and his descendants.

But when you rebel against them,

you will get free from their control over you.”

Jacob Flees from Esau

27:41-28:5

41 After that Esau held a grudge against Jacob because their father had blessed him. So Esau thought to himself, “Soon my father will die; then after we bury him and mourn for him, I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 But Rebekah heard about what her oldest son Esau was planning, so she sent for her youngest son Jacob and told him, “Listen, your brother Esau is planning to take revenge on you and kill you. 43 So then, my son, listen to me: Hurry and escape to the city of Haran to my brother Laban! 44 Live with him for a short time until your brother is no longer angry with you. 45 When he is not angry with you anymore and he forgets what you did to him, I will send word that it is safe for you to come back home from there. I do not want to lose both of you on the same day!”

46 Then Rebekah complained to Isaac, “My life is very miserable because of our Hittite daughters-in-law whom Esau married! If Jacob were to also marry a local Hittite woman like that, I would not want to keep on living!”