Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
BSB May 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.”
OEB May peoples be subject to you,
⇔ and nations bow down to you.
⇔ Be master over your brothers.
⇔ Let your mother’s sons bow down before you,
⇔ Cursed be all who curse you.
⇔ and blessed be all who bless you.
WEBBE Let peoples serve you,
⇔ and nations bow down to you.
⇔ Be lord over your brothers.
⇔ Let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
⇔ Cursed be everyone who curses you.
⇔ Blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
WMBB (Same as above)
NET May peoples serve you
⇔ and nations bow down to you.
⇔ You will be lord over your brothers,
⇔ and the sons of your mother will bow down to you.
⇔ May those who curse you be cursed,
⇔ and those who bless you be blessed.”
LSV peoples serve you, and nations bow themselves to you, be mighty over your brothers, and the sons of your mother bow themselves to you; those who curse you [are] cursed, and those who bless you [are] blessed.”
FBV May the people of different nations serve you and bow down to you. May you rule over your relatives, and may they bow down to you. May everyone who curses you be cursed, and may everyone who bless you be blessed.”
T4T I ask that people of many nations will serve you and bow down to you.
⇔ I ask that you will rule over your brothers,
⇔ and that your mother’s descendants will also bow down to you.
⇔ I ask that God will curse/punish those who ◄curse you/ask God to do bad things to you►,
⇔ and bless those who bless you.”
LEB • and nations bow down to you; • Be lord of your brothers, • and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. • Cursed be those cursing you, • and blessed be those blessing you.”
BBE Let peoples be your servants, and nations go down before you: be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons go down before you: a curse be on everyone by whom you are cursed, and a blessing on those who give you a blessing.
Moff No Moff GEN book available
JPS Let peoples 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 every one that blesseth thee.
ASV Let peoples 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 every one that blesseth thee.
DRA And let peoples serve thee, and tribes worship thee: be thou lord of thy brethren, and let thy mother’s children bow down before thee. Cursed be he that curseth thee: and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings.
YLT peoples serve thee, and nations bow themselves to thee, be thou mighty over thy brethren, and the sons of thy mother bow themselves to thee; those who curse thee [are] cursed, and those who bless thee [are] blessed.'
Drby Let peoples serve thee, And races bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be they that curse thee, And blessed be they that bless thee.
RV Let peoples 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 every one that blesseth thee.
Wbstr Let 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.
KJB-1769 Let 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.
(Let people serve thee/you, and nations bow down to thee/you: be lord over thy/your brethren/brothers, and let thy/your mother’s sons bow down to thee/you: cursed be every one that curseth thee/you, and blessed be he that blesseth thee/you. )
KJB-1611 Let people serue thee, and nations bow downe to thee: bee LORD ouer thy brethren, & let thy mothers sonnes bow downe to thee: Cursed bee euery one that curseth thee, and blessed be hee that blesseth thee.
(Let people serve thee/you, and nations bow down to thee/you: be LORD over thy/your brethren/brothers, and let thy/your mothers sons bow down to thee/you: Cursed be every one that curseth thee/you, and blessed be he that blesseth thee/you.)
Bshps People be thy seruauntes, and nations bowe to thee: be lorde ouer thy brethren, and thy mothers children stowpe with reuerence vnto thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
(People be thy/your servants, and nations bow to thee/you: be lord over thy/your brethren/brothers, and thy/your mothers children stoop with reverence unto thee/you: cursed be he that curseth thee/you, and blessed be he that blesseth thee/you.)
Gnva Let people bee thy seruantes, and nations bowe vnto thee: be Lord ouer thy brethren, and let thy mothers children honour thee. cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
(Let people be thy/your servantes, and nations bow unto thee/you: be Lord over thy/your brethren/brothers, and let thy/your mothers children honour thee/you. cursed be he that curseth thee/you, and blessed be he that blesseth thee/you. )
Cvdl Nacions be thy seruauntes, and people fall downe at yi fote. Be thou lorde ouer thy brethren, and thy mothers children fall downe at thy fote. Cursed be he, that curseth the: and blessed be he, that blesseth the.
(Nacions be thy/your servants, and people fall down at yi fote. Be thou/you lord over thy/your brethren/brothers, and thy/your mothers children fall down at thy/your fote. Cursed be he, that curseth them: and blessed be he, that blesseth them.)
Wyc and puplis serue thee, and lynagis worschipe thee; be thou lord of thi britheren, and the sones of thi modir be bowid bifor thee; be he cursid that cursith thee, and he that blessith thee, be fillid with blessyngis.
(and peoples serve thee/you, and lynagis worship thee/you; be thou/you lord of thy/your brethren/brothers, and the sons of thy/your mother be bowid before thee/you; be he cursid that cursith thee/you, and he that blessith thee/you, be filled with blessyngis.)
Luth Völker müssen dir dienen, und Leute müssen dir zu Fuße fallen. Sei ein Herr über deine Brüder, und deiner Mutter Kinder müssen dir zu Fuße fallen. Verflucht sei, wer dir fluchet; gesegnet sei, wer dich segnet!
(peoples müssen you/to_you dienen, and Leute müssen you/to_you to foote fallen. Be a Lord above your brothers, and deiner mother children müssen you/to_you to foote fallen. Verflucht sei, who you/to_you fluchet; gesegnet sei, who you/yourself blesses!)
ClVg Et serviant tibi populi, et adorent te tribus: esto dominus fratrum tuorum, et incurventur ante te filii matris tuæ: qui maledixerit tibi, sit ille maledictus, et qui benedixerit tibi, benedictionibus repleatur.]
(And serviant to_you of_the_people, and adorent you(sg) tribus: esto dominus brothers tuorum, and incurventur before you(sg) children matris tuæ: who maledixerit tibi, let_it_be ille maledictus, and who benedixerit tibi, benedictionibus repleatur.] )
BrTr And let nations serve thee, and princes bow down to thee, and be thou lord of thy brother, and the sons of thy father shall do thee reverence; accursed is he that curses thee, and blessed is he that blesses thee.
BrLXX Καὶ δουλευσάτωσάν σοι ἔθνη, καὶ προσκυνησάτωσάν σοι ἄρχοντες· καὶ γίνου κύριος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, καὶ προσκυνήσουσί σοι οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρός σου· ὁ καταρώμενός σε, ἐπικατάρατος· ὁ δὲ εὐλογῶν σε, εὐλογημένος.
(Kai douleusatōsan soi ethnaʸ, kai proskunaʸsatōsan soi arⱪontes; kai ginou kurios tou adelfou sou, kai proskunaʸsousi soi hoi huioi tou patros sou; ho katarōmenos se, epikataratos; ho de eulogōn se, eulogaʸmenos. )
UTN uW Translation Notes:
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
יַֽעַבְד֣וּךָ עַמִּ֗ים וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֤וּ לְךָ֙ לְאֻמִּ֔ים
serve,you peoples (Some words not found in UHB: serve,you peoples and,bow_down to/for=yourself(m) nations be master over,brothers,your and,bow_down to/for=yourself(m) sons_of mother's,your curse,you cursing and,bless,you blessed )
If possible in your language, it is best to keep both halves of this parallelism, which is used to emphasize what Isaac is saying to Jacob. Alternate translation: “May people groups serve you and your descendants, and may they bow down to you in respect”
הֱוֵ֤ה גְבִיר֙
be master
Alternate translation: “May you rule” or “You will even rule”
לְאַחֶ֔יךָ
over,brothers,your
Jacob only had one brother, so this phrase refers here to Esau and his descendants. Alternate translation: “over your brother and his descendants,”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
וְיִשְׁתַּחֲוּ֥וּ לְךָ֖ בְּנֵ֣י אִמֶּ֑ךָ
and,bow_down to/for=yourself(m) sons_of mother's,your
This clause is another way of referring to Jacob's authority over Esau and his descendants. Consider again how you translated the singular you in verses 28-29. You could use a plural you here or you could say “you and your descendants”. Alternate translation: “and they will bow down to you in submission.” or “Yes, they too will submit to you and bow down to you.”
אֹרְרֶ֣יךָ אָר֔וּר וּֽמְבָרֲכֶ֖יךָ בָּרֽוּךְ
curse,you cursing and,bless,you blessed
See how you translated curse in Gen 12:3. Alternate translation: “Whoever curses you will be cursed by God, but whoever blesses you will be blessed by him.” or “I ask God to curse those who curse you, and I ask him to bless those who bless you.”
BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:
Jacob Goes to Paddan-Aram
Genesis 26:23-29:1
While Isaac’s family was at Beersheba, Jacob stole Esau’s birthright, and Esau made plans to kill Jacob once his father had passed away. When Rebekah found out about Esau’s plan, she told Jacob to flee to her family in Paddan-aram (also called Aram-naharaim, meaning “Aram of the two rivers”) and garnered Isaac’s support by telling him that she was concerned that Jacob might marry one of the local Canaanite woman. So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram to find a wife there, much like Abraham had sent his servant Eleazar to this area to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:10). Jacob left Beersheba and headed for Haran in Paddan-aram, and as night fell he stopped at a town called Luz. There he slept with his head resting on a stone and dreamed of a staircase to heaven with angels ascending and descending it. The Lord also spoke to him and reaffirmed his promise to give Canaan to his descendants. The Lord also promised to bring Jacob back to Canaan from Haran. When Jacob woke from his sleep, he declared the place to be the house of God and renamed it Bethel (meaning, “house of God”). Later Bethel appears to have served as an early location of the Ark of the Covenant in the Promised Land (Judges 20; see “The Ark of the Covenant in the Promised Land” map). From Bethel Jacob continued on to the general area of Haran, likely following the same route in reverse that he followed upon his return journey to Canaan from Haran (Genesis 31-35). Sometime before Jacob returned, however, Esau moved away from Canaan and settled in Seir (Genesis 32:3; 36:1-8; ; see “Edom and the Land of Seir” map).
Genesis 21-35
Though the patriarch Isaac moved from place to place several times within southern Canaan, compared to his father Abraham and his son Jacob, Isaac appears to have been a bit of a homebody. In fact, unless Isaac resettled in places not recorded in Scripture, the farthest extent he ever traveled appears to have been only about 90 miles (113 km). Yet, as the child of God’s promise to Abraham to build a great nation from his descendants, Isaac’s relatively simple life served as a critical bridge from Abraham to the beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel, who were descended from Isaac’s son Jacob. It is likely that Isaac was born at Beersheba (see Genesis 21:1-24), and later Abraham offered him as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah (located at Jerusalem; see 2 Chronicles 3:1). Then Abraham, Isaac, and those with them returned to Beersheba (Genesis 22:1-19). When Isaac reached adulthood, his father sent a servant to bring back a bride for him from Aram-naharaim, far north of Canaan. When his bride, Rebekah, arrived, Isaac had just come from Beer-lahai-roi and settled in the Negev (Genesis 24:62). Later Isaac resettled with Rebekah in Beer-lahai-roi, and this may have been where their twins son Esau and Jacob were born. A famine forced Isaac to go to Gerar (Genesis 26:1-6) in “the land of the Philistines.” The distinct people group known as the Philistines in later books of the Bible did not arrive until the time of the Judges, so the term here must have referred to another people group living in this region, and this is supported by the fact that King Abimelech’s name is Semitic, not Aegean (the likely origin of the later Philistines). While Isaac was there, he repeated his father’s error (Genesis 20) by lying to the king that his wife was only his sister. Isaac also became increasingly prosperous at Gerar, so the Philistines told him to leave their region. Isaac moved away from the town of Gerar and settled further away in the valley of Gerar. There he dug a well, but the Philistines claimed it for themselves, so he called it Esek, meaning “argument.” So Isaac’s men dug another well and called it Sitnah (meaning “hostility”), but it led to more quarreling, so he dug yet another well and called it Rehoboth (meaning “open space”). The locations of these two later wells are not certain, but they may have been located near Ruheibeh as shown on this map. Then Isaac moved to Beersheba and built an altar. He also dug a well there, and King Abimelech of the Philistines came and exchanged oaths of peace with him. It was likely at Beersheba that Isaac blessed his sons Esau and Jacob, and both sons eventually left Canaan (see “Jacob Goes to Paddan-Aram” map). When Jacob later returned, he traveled to Mamre near Hebron and reunited with Isaac. Sometime after this Isaac died, and Jacob and Esau buried him there.