Jacob Tricks Isaac

27 When Isaac was old, his ·eyesight was poor [^Leyes were dim], so he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, “[^LMy] Son.”

Esau answered, “Here I am.”

² Isaac said, “I am old and don’t know ·when I might die [^Lthe day of my death]. ³ So take your weapons, your ·bow and arrows [^Lquiver and your bow], and go hunting in the field for ·an animal for me to eat [^Lgame for me]. ⁴ When you prepare the tasty food that I love, bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die.” ⁵ So Esau went out in the field to hunt [^Lfor game to bring it].

Rebekah was listening as Isaac said this to his son Esau. ⁶ She said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I heard your father saying to your brother Esau, ⁷ ‘·Kill an animal [^LBring me game] and prepare some tasty food for me to eat. Then I will bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ ⁸ So ·obey [listen to] me, my son, and do what I ·tell [command] you. ⁹ Go out to our ·goats [^Lflock] and bring me two ·of the best young ones [choice goats]. I will prepare them just the way your father ·likes [loves] them. ¹⁰ Then you will ·take the food [^Lbring them] to your father, and he will bless you before he dies.”

¹¹ But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am smooth! ¹² If my father ·touches me, he will know I am not Esau [^Lfeels me…]. Then he will not bless me but will place a curse on me because ·I tried to trick him [^Lhe will think I am mocking him].”

¹³ So ·Rebekah [^Lhis mother] said to him, “·If your father puts a curse on you, I will accept the blame [^LLet your curse be on me]. Just do what I said. Go get the goats for me.”

¹⁴ So Jacob went out and got ·two goats [^Lthem] and brought them to his mother, and ·she cooked them in the special way [^Lhis mother prepared a tasty meal just as] ·Isaac [^Lhis father] ·enjoyed [loved]. ¹⁵ She took the best clothes of her older son Esau that were in the house and put them on the younger son Jacob. ¹⁶ She also took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and [^Lthe smoothness of his] neck. ¹⁷ Then she gave Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

¹⁸ Jacob went in to his father and said, “[^LMy] Father.”

And his father said, “Yes, my son. Who are you?”

¹⁹ Jacob said to him, “I am Esau, your ·first son [firstborn]. I have done what you told me. Now ·sit up [^Lget up and sit down] and eat some ·meat of the animal [game] I hunted for you. Then bless me.”

²⁰ But Isaac asked his son, “How did you find ·and kill the animal [^Lit] so quickly?”

Jacob answered, “Because the Lord your God ·helped me to find it [^Lwent before me].”

²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can ·touch [feel] you, my son. Then I will know if you are really my son Esau [^Lor not].”

²² So Jacob came near to Isaac his father. Isaac ·touched [felt] him and said, “Your voice ·sounds like [^Lis] Jacob’s voice, but your hands ·are hairy like [^Lare] the hands of Esau.” ²³ Isaac did not ·know it was [recognize] Jacob, because his hands were hairy like Esau’s hands, so Isaac blessed him. ²⁴ Isaac asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”

Jacob answered, “Yes, I am.”

²⁵ Then Isaac said, “Bring ·me the food [^Lit to me], and I will eat ·it [^Lmy son’s game] and bless you.” So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate. Jacob gave him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then Isaac [^Lhis father] said to him, “My son, come near and kiss me.” ²⁷ So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes, he blessed him and said,

³⁰ Isaac [^Lhad just] finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting. ³¹ He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. He said [^Lto his father], “Father, rise and eat ·the food that your son killed for you [^Lyour son’s game] and then bless me.”

³² Isaac his father asked him, “Who are you?”

He answered, “I am your son—your firstborn son—Esau.”

³³ Then Isaac trembled ·greatly [violently] and said, “Then who was it that hunted ·the animals [game] and brought me food before you came? I ate it, and I blessed him, and ·it is too late now to take back my blessing [^Lhe will indeed be blessed].”

³⁴ When Esau heard the words of his father, he let out a loud and bitter cry. He said to his father, “Bless me—me, too, my father [Heb. 12:17]!”

³⁵ But Isaac said, “Your brother came and ·tricked [deceived; defrauded] me. He has taken your blessing.”

³⁶ Esau said, “Jacob [^Csounds like Hebrew for “heel” or “deceive”; 25:26] is the right name for him. He has ·tricked me [deceived me; ^Lbeen at my heel] these two times. He took away my ·share of everything you own [birthright], and now he has taken away my blessing.” Then Esau asked, “Haven’t you ·saved [reserved] a blessing for me?”

³⁷ Isaac answered [^Land said to Esau], “I gave Jacob the power to be master over you, and all his brothers will be his servants. And I kept ·him strong [sustained him] with grain and new wine. ·There is nothing left to give you [^LWhat can I do for you…?], my son.”

³⁸ But Esau ·continued [^Lsaid to his father], “Do you have only one blessing, Father? Bless me, too, Father!” Then Esau ·began to cry out loud [^Llifted his voice and wept; Heb. 12:17].

³⁹ Isaac his father said to him,

⁴¹ After that Esau ·hated [held a grudge against] Jacob because of the blessing ·from Isaac [^Lwith which his father blessed him]. He thought ·to himself [^Lin his heart], “·My father will soon die, and I will be sad for him [^LThe days of mourning for my father are near]. Then I will kill Jacob [^Lmy brother].”

⁴² Rebekah ·heard about Esau’s plan to kill Jacob [^Lwas told the words of Esau her oldest son]. So she sent for Jacob [^Lher younger son] and ·said to [informed] him, “Listen, your brother Esau is ·comforting himself [consoling himself; or wants to execute his anger against you] by planning to kill you. ⁴³ So, my son, ·do what I say [^Llisten to my voice]. My brother Laban is living in Haran. ·Go to him at once [^LGet up and flee to him]! ⁴⁴ ·Stay [Live; Reside] with him for a while, until your brother ·is not so angry [calms down]. ⁴⁵ In time, your brother will not be angry, and he will forget what you did to him. Then I will send a servant to bring you back. I don’t want to lose both of my sons on the same day.”

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am ·tired of [weary of my life due to] ·Hittite women [^Lthe daughters of the Hittites]. If Jacob marries one of ·these Hittite women [^Lthe daughters of the Hittites] here in this land, ·I want to die [why would I want to live?].”