Genesis 27

1. And it came to pass when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called his oldest son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Behold, I am here.”

2. And he said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.

3. And now please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me.

4. And make savory meat for me, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

5. And Rebekah listened when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt venison in order to bring it.

6. And Rebekah spoke to her son Jacob, saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying,

7. ‘Bring me venison, and make me delicious food so that I may eat and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’

8. And now, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you.

9. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two good kids of the goats. And I will make of them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.

10. And you shall bring it to your father so that he may eat, and that he may bless you before his death.”

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

12. My father will perhaps feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver. And I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.”

13. And his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son—only obey my voice and go bring them to me.”

14. And he went and he took them and brought them to his mother. And his mother made delicious things such as his father loved.

15. And Rebekah took the clothes of her older son Esau, the costly ones which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son.

16. And she put the skins from the kids of the goats upon his hands and upon the smooth of his neck.

17. And she gave the delicious food and the bread which she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.

18. And he came to his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am; who are you, my son?”

19. And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you asked me. Arise, I pray you, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me.”

20. And Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.”

21. And Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, I pray you, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are truly my son Esau or not.”

22. And Jacob went near to Isaac his father. And he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23. And he did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. And he blessed him.

24. And he said, “Are you truly my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”

25. And he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, so that my soul may bless you.” And he brought it near to him, and he ate. And he brought him wine, and he drank.

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

27. And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.

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

29. Let people serve you, and let nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you.”

30. And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was scarcely gone from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31. And he also had made a dish of savory meat and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s venison so that your soul may bless me.”

32. And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33. Then Isaac trembled greatly, and said, “Who then was the one who has hunted deer and brought it to me—and I have eaten it all before you came, and have blessed him? Yea, he shall be blessed!”

34. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceedingly bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”

35. And he said, “Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing.”

36. And Esau said, “Is he not rightly called Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times—he took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37. And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brethren I have given him for servants. And with grain and wine I have sustained him. And what shall I do now to you, my son?”

38. And Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, your dwelling shall be far from the fatness of the earth and far from the dew of heaven from above.

40. And you shall live by your sword and shall serve your brother. But it shall come to pass that when you shall have the dominion, you shall break his yoke from off your neck.”

41. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand—then I will kill my brother Jacob.

42. And these words of her older son Esau were told to Rebekah. And she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau is going to comfort himself concerning you—for he is planning to kill you.

43. And now therefore, my son, obey my voice—arise, and flee to my brother Laban, to Haran,

44. And stay with him a few days until your brother’s fury turns away,

45. Until 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 from there. Why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?”

46. And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these of the daughters of the land, what good is my life to me?”