Genesis 27

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, "My son." Esau said to him, "Here I am."

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.

NoteEsau and Jacob were twins (Genesis 25:24-26); Esau counted as the elder because he was born first, moments before Jacob.

2Isaac said, "Look, I am old now, and I do not know the day I will die.

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

3So now take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, please, and go out to the open country and 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;

Note"Venison" in 1611 English meant the meat of any hunted animal, not deer specifically. The Hebrew word simply means game taken in hunting.

4Then make me the tasty food I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you 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.

NoteA father's deathbed blessing was a formal act, not a fond wish. Spoken words of blessing or cursing were treated as effective and binding once uttered (which is why the blessing can be stolen, and why in verse 33 Isaac cannot take it back. "That my soul may bless thee": the Hebrew word rendered "soul" means the self, the whole person, sometimes with the sense of appetite or desire) here roughly "that I myself may bless you."

5Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. And Esau went out to the field to hunt for game and to bring it back.

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

6Rebekah spoke to her son Jacob and said, "Listen, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau. He said,

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

7'Bring me some game and make me tasty food to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.'

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

Note"Before the LORD" means with God as witness, which gave the blessing the weight of a sworn oath.

8So now, my son, listen to my voice and do what I tell you.

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

9Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats from there, and I will make them into tasty food for your father, the kind he loves.

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 you will take it to your father to eat, so that he may 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.

11Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.

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

12Perhaps my father will touch me, and then I will seem to him like a man who is tricking him. I will bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing."

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.

NoteThe fear is not of being scolded but of triggering a curse: a curse, like a blessing, was thought to take effect once spoken, whether or not the speaker later regretted it. This is why Rebekah in the next verse offers to take the curse onto herself.

13His mother said to him, "Let your curse fall on me, my son. Only listen to my voice and go and get them 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 he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made tasty food, the kind his father loved.

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

15Rebekah took the fine clothes of Esau her older son, which she had with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

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 put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

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

NoteThe goats of the region had long, coarse, dark hair that could plausibly pass for the hair of an unusually hairy man.

17Then she put the tasty food and the bread she had made into the hands of her son Jacob.

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

18He came to his father and said, "My father." Isaac said, "Here I am. Which one are you, my son?"

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

19Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done what you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me."

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

NoteThe firstborn son held a special legal standing in the household, see the note on the birthright at verse 36.

20Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you found it so quickly, my son?" He said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me."

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.

21Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, so that I may touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not."

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.

22Jacob went near to his father Isaac, and Isaac touched him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are Esau's hands."

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.

23He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like the hands of his brother Esau. So he blessed him.

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

24He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" And he said, "I am."

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

25Isaac said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat some of my son's game, so that I may bless you." Jacob brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.

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 his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son."

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

27He came near and kissed him, and Isaac smelled the smell of his clothes. He blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that 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:

28So may God give you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.

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

Note"Corn" in the King James Version means grain of any kind (wheat, barley), not maize, which was unknown in Europe or the Near East at the time. "Dew of heaven" and "fatness of the earth" are the two things farming in that dry country depended on: moisture and fertile soil. The wine is new wine, the fresh juice of the grape harvest.

29May 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 everyone who curses you be cursed, and everyone who blesses you 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.

NoteThe closing lines repeat almost word for word the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3.

30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had barely gone out from his father Isaac's presence, his brother Esau came in from his hunting.

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.

31He also had made tasty food, and he brought it to his father and said to him, "Let my father sit up and eat some of his son's game, so that you may bless me."

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.

32His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

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

33Isaac shook very hard and said, "Who was it, then, who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I blessed him. Yes, and he will be blessed."

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.

Note"Yea, and he shall be blessed" is Isaac recognizing that the blessing cannot be recalled. Once pronounced, it stood, even though it had been obtained by fraud.

34When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with a loud and very bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me, me too, my father!"

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.

35Isaac said, "Your brother came with trickery, and he has taken away your blessing."

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

Note"Subtilty" in 1611 English meant craftiness or deceit. The modern word "subtlety" has softened to mean fineness or delicacy, which is not the sense here.

36Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? He has pushed me aside and taken my place two times now. He took away my birthright, and look, now he has taken away my blessing." Then he said, "Have you not kept back a 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?

NoteA play on words that the English hides. The name Jacob (Hebrew *Ya'aqob*) sounds like the word for "heel" (*'aqeb*) (he was born gripping Esau's heel) and like the verb *'aqab*, meaning to grab by the heel, trip up, or cheat. Esau is saying the name fit all along. The "birthright" was the firstborn's legal position: a double share of the inheritance and the headship of the family after the father's death. Esau had sold it to Jacob for a bowl of stew in Genesis 25:29-34.

37Isaac answered Esau, "Look, I have made him your master, and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and I have supported him with grain and wine. So what can I do for you now, 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 said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me too, my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice 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.

39His father Isaac answered him and said, "Look, your home will be of the richness of the earth, and of the dew of 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;

NoteThis line is genuinely ambiguous in Hebrew. The small word translated "of" can mean either "consisting of" or "away from," so the sentence can be read as a promise of fertile land and dew (as here) or as its opposite, a home away from the rich soil and the dew, that is, dry country. Both readings are defensible; translations split between them.

40You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. And it will happen that when you grow restless, you will break his yoke off your neck."

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.

NoteA yoke is the wooden bar fastened across the necks of oxen to harness them to a plow; "breaking the yoke" was the standard image for throwing off the rule of a stronger power. The clause rendered "when you grow restless" is also uncertain, the Hebrew verb has been read as "when you become restless," "when you break loose," and "when you gain dominion."

41Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had blessed him with. And Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are near. 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.

NoteEsau is not planning an immediate attack. He intends to wait until his father dies and the formal period of mourning arrives, then kill Jacob.

42These words of Esau, her older son, were told to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob her younger son and called him and said to him, "Look, your brother Esau is comforting himself about you by planning 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.

Note"Doth comfort himself" is odd in English but literal: Esau is consoling himself over the lost blessing by dwelling on the thought of killing Jacob.

43So now, my son, listen to my voice. Get up and run away to my brother Laban in Haran.

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

NoteHaran was a city far to the north, in what is now southern Turkey, several hundred miles away, the region Rebekah's family came from. Laban was her brother.

44Stay with him for a few days, until your brother's fury turns away,

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

45until your brother's anger turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. 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?

NoteRebekah expects to lose both sons at once: one murdered, and the other either killed by the dead man's avenging relatives or forced into permanent exile. In this society a killing within the family obliged the kin to take the killer's life in return.

46Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, one of these women of this land, what good will my life be to me?"

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?

NoteThe "daughters of Heth" are Hittite women, one of the local peoples of Canaan. Esau had already married two of them (Genesis 26:34-35), which the text says was a grief to both his parents. The concern is marriage outside the family's own kin group.