Esau

19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac:

This is the family story of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham was Isaac's father.

20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. She was the daughter of Bethuel, a man from Paddan-aram. Her brother was named Laban.

21And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Rebekah could not have babies. So Isaac begged the LORD to help her. The LORD listened, and Rebekah became pregnant.

22And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.

The two babies inside her pushed and shoved each other. She said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to ask the LORD about it.

23And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

The LORD told her, "There are two nations inside you. Your two sons will start two different peoples. One people will be stronger than the other. The older son will serve the younger one."

24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

When the time came for her to give birth, there really were twins.

25And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

The first baby came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat. They named him Esau.

26And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

Then his brother came out, holding on to Esau's heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.

27And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

The boys grew up. Esau became a very good hunter who loved being outdoors. Jacob was a quiet man who stayed near the tents.

28And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Isaac loved to eat the wild meat Esau hunted, so he loved Esau. But Rebekah loved Jacob.

29And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

One day Jacob was cooking a pot of stew. Esau came in from the fields, weak and very hungry.

30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

Esau said, "Please let me eat some of that red stew. I feel so weak." That is why he was also called Edom, which means red.

31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

Jacob said, "First sell me your birthright, the special rights you have as the older son."

32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Esau said, "Look, I feel like I am about to die. What good is a birthright to me?"

33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

Jacob said, "Then promise me right now." So Esau made the promise and sold his birthright to Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank, then got up and walked away. He had treated his birthright as if it were worth nothing.

34And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

Esau was forty years old when he got married. He married two women from the Hittite people. One was Judith, whose father was Beeri. The other was Bashemath, whose father was Elon.

35Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

These two wives made Isaac and Rebekah very sad.

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.

Isaac was old. His eyes were weak, so he could not see. He called his older son Esau. He said, "My son." Esau said, "Here I am."

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

Isaac said, "Look, I am old now. I do not know when I will die."

3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

"So take your hunting things, your arrow bag and your bow. Go out to the field and hunt an animal for me."

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.

"Then cook me the tasty food I love. Bring it to me so I can eat. Then I will bless you before I die."

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

Rebekah heard what Isaac said to his son Esau. So Esau went out to the field to hunt.

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

Rebekah spoke to her son Jacob. She said, "Listen. I heard your father talking to your brother Esau."

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

"He said, 'Bring me an animal and cook me tasty food. Then I will bless you before the LORD before I die.'"

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

"So now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly what I tell you."

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:

"Go out to the animals and bring me two good young goats. I will cook the tasty food your father loves."

10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

"Then you will take it to your father to eat. And he will bless you before he dies."

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

Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man. My skin is smooth."

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.

"What if my father touches me? He will know I am tricking him. Then he will say bad words over me instead of good ones."

13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

His mother said, "If that happens, let the bad words fall on me, my son. Just listen to me and go get the goats."

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

So Jacob went and got them and brought them to his mother. She cooked the tasty food his father loved.

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:

Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house. She put them on her younger son Jacob.

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

She put the goat skins on his hands. She also put them on the smooth part of his neck.

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

Then she handed the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

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

Jacob went to his father and said, "My father." Isaac said, "Here I am. Which son are you?"

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.

Jacob said, "I am Esau, your oldest son. I did what you asked. Please sit up and eat. Then bless 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.

Isaac asked, "How did you find it so fast, my son?" Jacob said, "The LORD your God helped me find it."

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.

Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come close so I can touch you. I want to know if you are really Esau."

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.

Jacob came close to his father Isaac. Isaac touched him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice. But the hands are Esau's hands."

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

Isaac did not know it was Jacob. His hands felt hairy, like his brother Esau's hands. So Isaac blessed him.

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

Isaac asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob said, "I am."

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.

Isaac said, "Bring me the food. I will eat what my son hunted, and then I will bless you." Jacob brought it, and Isaac ate. Jacob brought wine, and Isaac drank.

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

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

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:

Jacob came close and kissed him. Isaac smelled his clothes and blessed him. He said, "My son smells like a field the LORD has blessed."

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

"May God give you dew from the sky and rich soil. May he give you plenty of grain and new wine."

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.

"May people serve you and nations bow to you. Be the leader over your brothers. May your mother's sons bow to you. May anyone who curses you be cursed. May anyone who blesses you be blessed."

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.

Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Jacob had barely left the room. Then his brother Esau came in from hunting.

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.

Esau had also cooked tasty food. He brought it to his father and said, "Father, sit up and eat what I hunted. Then bless me."

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

His father Isaac said, "Who are you?" Esau said, "I am your son, your oldest son, Esau."

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.

Isaac began to shake hard. He said, "Then who was it? Someone hunted and brought me food. I ate it all before you came. I blessed him. And yes, he will stay blessed."

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.

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

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

Isaac said, "Your brother came and tricked me. He took your blessing."

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?

Esau said, "He is named Jacob for a good reason. He has pushed me aside two times. He took my rights as the oldest son. Now he has taken my blessing." Then he asked, "Have you saved any blessing for me?"

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?

Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him your leader. I have made all his family his servants. I gave him grain and new wine to live on. So what can I do for you, my son?"

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.

Esau said, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too!" And Esau cried out loud.

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;

His father Isaac answered him, "Your home will be far from rich soil. It will be far from the dew of the sky."

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.

"You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But one day you will pull free. You will break his heavy wooden bar off your neck."

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.

Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father gave him. Esau said to himself, "Soon my father will die and we will cry for him. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

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.

Someone told Rebekah what her older son Esau said. She sent for her younger son Jacob. She said, "Your brother Esau is making himself feel better by planning to kill you."

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

"So now, my son, listen to me. Get up and run to my brother Laban in Haran."

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

"Stay with him for a while, until your brother is not so angry."

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?

"Wait until he is not angry at you and forgets what you did. Then I will send for you. Why should I lose both of you in one day?"

6When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;

Esau saw that his father had blessed Jacob. He saw that Isaac sent Jacob to Padanaram to find a wife there. He also heard the order Isaac gave: "Do not marry a woman from Canaan."

7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;

Esau saw that Jacob obeyed his father and mother. Jacob had already left for Padanaram.

8And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;

And Esau saw that his father Isaac was not pleased with the women of Canaan.

9Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

So Esau went to the family of Ishmael, who was Abraham's son. He married Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter and Nebajoth's sister. He already had other wives, and she was added to them.

3And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

Jacob sent men ahead with a message for his brother Esau. Esau lived in the land of Seir, also called Edom.

4And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

Jacob told them what to say. "Tell my master Esau this: Your servant Jacob says, I have been living with Laban. I stayed there until now.

5And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

I have cows, donkeys, sheep, and servants, both men and women. I sent this news to you, my master. I hope you will be kind to me."

6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

The men came back to Jacob. They said, "We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you. He has 400 men with him."

7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

Jacob was very scared and worried. He split his people into two groups. He split up the sheep, cows, and camels too.

8And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

He thought, "Esau may attack one group. Then the other group can run away and be safe."

9And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

Jacob prayed. "God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac. LORD, you told me to go back to my land and my family. You said you would be good to me.

10I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

You have been kind and faithful to me. I am not good enough for even a little of it. I crossed this Jordan River with only a walking stick. Now I have grown into two big groups.

11Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

Please save me from my brother Esau. I am afraid of him. I fear he will come and hurt me, and the mothers and children too.

12And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

But you said you would surely be good to me. You said my family would grow as big as the sand by the sea. Nobody can count that much sand."

13And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

Jacob slept there that night. From what he had with him, he picked out a gift for his brother Esau.

14Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

He chose 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He chose 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep.

15Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

He chose 30 mother camels with their babies. He chose 40 cows and 10 bulls. He chose 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys.

16And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

He gave the animals to his servants, one herd at a time. He said, "Go on ahead of me. Leave space between each herd."

17And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

He told the first servant what to do. "My brother Esau will meet you. He will ask, 'Whose servant are you? Where are you going? Whose animals are these?'

18Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

Then say, 'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift for my master Esau. And Jacob is coming right behind us.'"

19And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.

He told the second servant the same thing. He told the third one too, and all the rest. "Say these same words to Esau when you meet him.

20And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.

Also say, 'Your servant Jacob is right behind us.'" Jacob thought, "The gift will go first and calm him down. Then I will see his face. Maybe he will welcome me."

21So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

So the gift went on ahead of him. Jacob stayed in the camp that night.