The Birth of Isaac’s Twin Sons Jacob and Esau

25:19-26

19 Here is more of the history about Abraham’s son Isaac and his descendants: After Abraham had Isaac, 20 Isaac grew up and married Rebekah when he was forty years old. She was a daughter of Bethuel, who was an Aramean from the region of Paddan Aram, and her brother was Laban who was also an Aramean. 21 However for many years Rebekah was not able to become pregnant, so Isaac prayed that Yahweh would give her children. Yahweh did what Isaac prayed for, so that she became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two babies wrestled with each other inside her, so she asked, “Why is this happening to me?” Then she asked Yahweh about it. 23 Yahweh answered her,

“The ancestors of two future people groups are inside you.

They will be enemies starting now even before they are born.

One of them will be more powerful than the other,

so that the older son’s descendants will serve the younger son’s descendants.”

24 Later when it was time for Rebekah to give birth, sure enough, there were twin boys inside her! 25 The first one who was born was completely covered with thick red hair. So his parents named him Esau, which means “hairy.” 26 Next his brother was born, with his hand grabbing on tightly to Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob, which means “heel-grabber.” Isaac was sixty years old when Esau and Jacob were born.