27Eventually, Isaac grew so old that he could not see. One day, he called his eldest son Esau. "My son," he called out to him. "I'm here," he responded.H1961H3327H2204H5869H3543H7200H7121H6215H1419H1121H559H1121H559 2"Look how old I am! I could die any day now,H559H2204H3045H3117H4194 3so go find your weapons, take your bow and arrows, go outside, and hunt some game for me.H5375H3627H8522H7198H3318H7704H6679H6718H6720 4Then prepare some food, just the way I like it, and bring it to me so that I can eat and bless you before I die."H6213H4303H834H157H935H398H5315H1288H2962H4191 5Now Rebekah overheard Isaac while he was speaking to his son Esau. When Esau had gone out to the field to hunt and bring in some game,H7259H8085H3327H1696H6215H1121H6215H3212H7704H6679H6718H935 6Rebekah gave these instructions to her son Jacob: "Quick! Pay attention!" she said. "I heard your father talking to your brother Esau.H7259H559H3290H1121H559H8085H1H1696H6215H251H559 7He told him, 'Bring me some game and then prepare some food for me so I can eat and bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.'H935H6718H6213H4303H398H1288H6440H3068H6440H4194 8"So now, my son, listen to what I have to say and pay attention to what I'm about to tell you.H1121H8085H6963H834H6680 9Go to the flock and bring me two healthy young goats. I'll prepare some delicious food for your father, just the way he loves it.H3212H6629H3947H8147H2896H1423H5795H6213H4303H1H157 10Then you are to take it to your father so that he can eat and bless you before he dies."H935H1H398H834H1288H6440H4194 11"But look!" Jacob pointed out to his mother Rebekah, "My brother Esau is a hairy man, but I'm smooth skinned.H3290H559H7259H517H6215H251H8163H376H2509H376 12My father might touch me and he'll realize that I'm deceiving him. Then, I'll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing."H1H4959H5869H8591H935H7045H1293 13"My son," she replied, "let any curse against you fall on me. Just listen to me, then go and get them for me."H517H559H7045H1121H8085H6963H3212H3947 14So out he went, got them, and brought them to his mother, who then prepared some delicious food according to his father's liking.H3212H3947H935H517H517H6213H4303H1H157 15Then Rebekah took some garments that belonged to her elder son Esau - the best ones available - and put them on her younger son Jacob.H7259H3947H2532H899H1419H1121H6215H1004H3847H3290H6996H1121 16She put some goat skins over his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.H3847H5785H1423H5795H3027H2513H6677 17Then she handed the delicious food and bread that she had prepared over to her son Jacob,H5414H4303H3899H6213H3027H1121H3290 18who went in to his father and said, "My father…" "It's me," he replied. "Which one are you, my son?"H935H1H559H1H559H1121 19"I'm Esau, your first born," Jacob said to his father, "I've done what you asked, so please sit up and eat what I caught so you can bless me."H3290H559H1H6215H1060H6213H1696H6965H3427H398H6718H5315H1288 20"How did you catch it so quickly, my son?" Isaac asked. Jacob responded, "…because the Lord your God made me successful."H3327H559H1121H4672H4116H1121H559H3068H430H7136H6440 21So Isaac said to Jacob, "Come here, my son, so I can feel you and know for sure whether or not you're my son Esau."H3327H559H3290H5066H4184H1121H2088H1121H6215 22So Jacob approached his father, who felt him and said, "It's Jacob's voice, but Esau's hands."H3290H5066H3327H1H4959H559H6963H3290H6963H3027H3027H6215 23He didn't recognize Jacob, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau, so Isaac blessed him.H5234H3027H8163H251H6215H3027H1288 24He asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" "I am," Jacob replied.H559H1121H6215H559 25"Come closer to me," Isaac replied, "so I can eat some of the game, my son, and then bless you." So Isaac came closer, and Isaac ate. He also brought wine so he could drink.H559H5066H398H1121H6718H5315H1288H5066H398H935H3196H8354 26After this, Jacob's father Isaac told him, "Come closer and kiss me, my son."H1H3327H559H5066H5401H1121 27So he drew closer to kiss him. When he smelled the scent of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "How my son's scent is the fragrance of the field, That the Lord has blessed.H5066H5401H7306H7381H899H1288H559H7200H7381H1121H7381H7704H3068H1288 28May the Lord grant you dew from the skies, and from the fertile land may he grant you abundant grain and fresh wine.H430H5414H2919H8064H4924H776H7230H1715H8492 29May people serve and bow before you; may you be master over your brothers; may your mother's sons bow before you; May anyone who curses you be cursed; and may anyone who blesses you be blessed.H5971H5647H3816H7812H1933H1376H251H517H1121H7812H779H779H1288H1288 30Just after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left his father Isaac's presence, his brother Esau returned from hunting,H3327H3615H1288H3290H3290H389H3318H3318H6440H3327H1H6215H251H935H6718 31prepared some delicious food, brought it to his father, and told him, "Can you get up now, father, so you may eat some of your son's game and then bless me?"H6213H4303H935H1H559H1H1H6965H398H1121H6718H5315H1288 32But Isaac's father asked him, "Who are you?" "I'm Esau, your first born son," he answeredH3327H1H559H559H1121H1060H6215 33At this, Isaac began to tremble violently.H3327H2729H1419H3966H2731H559H645H6679H6718H935H398H935H1288H1288 34"Who then," he asked, "hunted some game and brought it to me to eat before you arrived, so that I've blessed him - Indeed, he is blessed." When Esau realized what his father Isaac was saying, he began to wail out loud bitterly. "Bless me," he cried, "even me, too, my father!"H6215H8085H1697H1H6817H1419H3966H4751H6818H559H1H1288H1 35Isaac replied, "Your brother came here deceitfully and stole your blessing."H559H251H935H4820H3947H1293 36Then he said, "Isn't his name rightly called Jacob?' Esau asked. "He has circumvented me this second time. First, he took away my birthright, and now, look how he also stole my blessing." Then he added, "Haven't you reserved a blessing for me -H559H3588H7121H8034H3290H6117H2088H6471H3947H1062H3947H1293H559H680H1293 37In response, Isaac told Esau, "Look! I've predicted that he's going to become your master, and I've assigned all his brothers to be his servants. What then can I do for you, my son?"H3327H6030H559H6215H7760H1376H251H5414H5650H1715H8492H5564H6213H645H1121 38Then Esau implored his father, "Don't you have even one blessing for me, my father - Bless me, even me too, my father!" Then Esau lifted his voice and wept bitterly.H6215H559H1H259H1293H1H1288H1H6215H5375H6963H1058 39In response, his father Isaac replied to him, "Look! Away from the fertile land will be your dwellings; away from the dew of the skies above.H3327H1H6030H559H4186H4924H776H2919H8064H5920 40By your sword you'll live; but you'll serve your brother. But when you've become restless, you'll break off his yoke from your neck."H2719H2421H5647H251H7300H6561H5923H6677 41So Esau harbored animosity toward Jacob because of the way his father had blessed him. Esau kept saying in his heart, "The time to mourn for my father is very near. That's when I'm going to kill my brother Jacob."H6215H7852H3290H5921H1293H834H1H1288H6215H559H3820H3117H60H1H7126H2026H251H3290 42Eventually, what Rebekah's older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, "Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.H1697H6215H1419H1121H5046H7259H7971H7121H3290H6996H1121H559H251H6215H5162H2026 43Son, you'd better do what I say! Get up, run off to my brother Laban in Haran,H1121H8085H6963H6965H1272H3837H251H2771 44and stay there with him a few days until your brother's fury sub sides.H3427H259H3117H834H251H2534H7725 45After that happens and he has forgotten what you've done to him, I'll send for you and take you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"27H251H639H7725H7911H6213H7971H3947H4100H7921H8147H259H3117 46Rebekah also told herself, "Heth's daughters are making me tired of living. If Jacob marries one of Heth's daughters, and she turns out to be just like these other local women, what kind of life would there be left for me?"H7259H559H3327H6973H2416H6440H1323H2845H3290H3947H802H1323H2845H1323H776H4100H2416
Dublin, OH
