Isaac wants to bless Esau
1Isaac was very old, and he could not see anymore. He called his older son Esau and said to him: ‘My son.’ And Esau said: ‘Here I am.’
2Isaac said: ‘I am very old, and I do not know how long I will live. 3Take your bow_and_arrow and shoot a deer in the field.
4Cook it as I like it and bring it to me. I want to eat it and then I will bless you before I die.’
Isaac blesses Jacob
5Rebekah heard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. When Esau went to the field to shoot a deer, 6Rebekah told her son Jacob: ‘I heard when your father talked to your brother. He told Esau 7to go and shoot a deer and to cook it for him. Your father wants to eat it and then he wants to bless Esau before he dies. 8My son, listen carefully to me and do what I tell you. 9Go quickly and catch 2 young goats. I will cook them the way that your father likes. 10Then you must take it to your father so that he can eat it and bless you before he dies.’
11Jacob said to Rebekah: ‘But Esau's skin is full of hair and my skin is not. 12If my father touches me, he will know that I am not Esau. He will think that I want to mock him and then he will curse me and not bless me.’
13His mother said to him: ‘My son, if your father curses you, then the punishment will be on me. You must listen to me. Go and catch 2 young goats.’
14Jacob went and he caught the young goats and he took them to his mother. She cooked them as his father liked. 15Then Rebekah took her oldest son Esau's clothes that were with her in the tent and put them on her younger son. 16She also took goat skins and put them over Jacob's arms and his neck that had no hair. 17Then she gave the meat and bread that she had made to her son, Jacob.
18He went to his father and said to him: ‘Father.’ Isaac said: ‘Here I am. Who are you, my son?’
19Jacob said to his father: ‘I am your oldest son, Esau. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat the meat of the deer so that you can bless me.’
20Then Isaac said: ‘My son, how did you get a deer so quickly?’ And Jacob said: ‘The Lord, your God, helped me to get a deer quickly.’ 21Isaac said to Jacob: ‘My son, please come closer to me so that I can touch you and know if you really are my son Esau or not.’ 22Jacob went to his father Isaac, and Isaac touched him and said: ‘Your voice is like Jacob's voice, but your arms feel like Esau's arms.’
23Isaac did not know that it was Jacob, because Jacob's arms were full of hair like his brother Esau's arms. Then Isaac blessed Jacob. 24But before he blessed him, he asked again: ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ And Jacob answered: ‘Yes, I am.’
25Then Isaac said: ‘My son, bring me the meat of the deer so that I can eat, because I want to bless you.’ Jacob gave it to him and he ate. Jacob also gave him wine and he drank it. 26Then his father Isaac said to him: ‘My son, please come to me and kiss me.’ 27Jacob went to him and kissed him. Then Isaac smelled the clothes that Jacob wore and he blessed Jacob and said:
‘My son smells like the field
that the Lord has blessed.
28I pray that God will give you
the dew from heaven
and the best of everything
that comes from the earth.
I pray that you will have a lot
of wheat and wine.
29I pray that other nations will serve you,
and that people from other lands
will bow before you.
You will rule over your brothers,
and they will bow down before you.
If someone curses you,
then the Lord will curse him,
and if someone blesses you,
then the Lord will bless him.’
30That is how Isaac blessed Jacob.
Esau wants to kill Jacob
After Jacob had gone away from his father, Esau came back from the field where he had shot a deer. 31Esau cooked a good-tasting meal for his father and said to him: ‘Father, please sit up and eat some of the meat of my deer so that you can bless me.’
32Isaac was upset and he asked him: ‘Who are you?’ Esau said: ‘I am Esau, your firstborn son.’ 33Then Isaac became so upset that he trembled. He said to Esau: ‘Someone shot a deer and gave it to me. Who was that? I ate everything and I blessed him before you came. I can not take away his blessing.’
34When Esau heard what his father said, he shouted_loudly and started to cry. He asked his father: ‘Father, please bless me.’
35Isaac said: ‘It is your brother who deceived me and who took your blessing.’
36Esau said: ‘Yes, his name is Jacob. He is a thief, and he has deceived me twice. He took my birthright and now he has also taken my blessing. Father, can you please bless me too?’
37Isaac said to Esau: ‘I have already said that Jacob will rule over you. Jacob's family will serve him. I have blessed him and he will always have a lot of wheat and wine. My son, what is there that I can give you?’
38Then Esau asked his father: ‘Father, do you have only one blessing? Please bless me too.’ And Esau started to cry loudly.
39His father said to him:
‘You will live far away from fertile fields,
far from the rain and dew that comes from heaven.
40You will have to make war to live
and you will serve your brother.
But if you try hard, you will become free.’
41Esau hated his brother Jacob because his father had blessed him and Esau said: ‘My father will not live for a long time and when he dies, I will kill Jacob.’
Rebekah tells Jacob what Esau wants to do
42The slaves told Rebekah what her oldest son Esau had said and she sent someone to call Jacob. She told him: ‘You must beware. Your brother Esau is so angry that he wants to kill you. 43My son, listen carefully to what I tell you. You must flee to my brother Laban. He lives in the land of Haran. 44You must stay with him for some time until your brother is not angry anymore. 45When your brother has forgotten what you have done to him and he is no longer angry with you, I will send someone to call you. I do not want to lose both my sons in one day.’
Rebekah complains about Esau's wives
46Rebekah said to Isaac: ‘I have had enough problems with Esau's 2 Hittite wives. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife like these 2 daughters-in-law, then I do not want to live anymore.’
