1 Now it came about, whenIsaac was old and 1his eyes were toodim to see, that he called his 2oldersonEsau and said to him, "My son." And he said to him, "Here I am."
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3Isaac said, "Beholdnow, I amold and I do not know the day of my death.
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"Now then, pleasetake your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and 4huntgame for me;
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and prepare a savorydish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that 5my soul may bless you before I die."
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Rebekah was listening while Isaacspoke to his sonEsau. So when Esauwent to the field to hunt for game to bring home,
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6Rebekahsaid to her sonJacob, "Behold, I heard your fatherspeak to your brotherEsau, saying,
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'Bring me some game and prepare a savorydish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the LORDbefore my death.'
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"Now therefore, my son, 7listen to me as I command you.
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"Gonow to the flock and bring me twochoiceyoung*goats* from there, that I may prepare them as a savorydish for your father, such as he loves.
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"Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death."
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Jacobanswered his motherRebekah, "Behold, Esau my brother is a 8hairyman and I am a smoothman.
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"9Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing."
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But his mothersaid to him, "Your curse be on me, my son; only10obey my voice, and go, get them for me."
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So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mothermadesavoryfoodsuch as his fatherloved.
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Then Rebekahtook the best11garments of Esau her elderson, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her youngerson.
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And she put the skins of the young*goats* on his hands and on the smoothpart of his neck.
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She also gave the savoryfood and the bread, which she had made, to her sonJacob.
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Then he came to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"
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Jacobsaid to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. 12Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that 13you may bless me."
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Isaacsaid to his son, "How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "14Because the LORD your God caused it to happen to me."
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Then Isaacsaid to Jacob, "Pleasecomeclose, that 15I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my sonEsauor not."
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So Jacobcameclose to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
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He did not recognize him, because his hands were 16hairy like his brotherEsau'shands; so he blessed him.
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And he said, "Are you really my sonEsau?" And he said, "I am."
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So he said, "Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son'sgame, that 17I may bless you." And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank.
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Then his fatherIsaacsaid to him, "Pleasecomeclose and kiss me, my son."
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So he cameclose and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he 18blessed him and said, "See, 19the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field20which the LORD has blessed;
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Now may 21Godgive you of the dew of heaven, And of the 22fatness of the earth, And an abundance of grain and newwine;
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23May peoplesserve you, And nationsbowdown to you; 24Be master of your brothers, 25And may your mother'ssonsbowdown to you. 26Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you."
The Stolen Blessing
30 Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finishedblessingJacob, and Jacob had hardly*gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brothercame in from his hunting.
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Then he alsomadesavoryfood, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, "27Let my fatherarise and eat of his son'sgame, that 28you may bless me."
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Isaac his fathersaid to him, "29Who are you?" And he said, "I am your son, 30your firstborn, Esau."
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Then Isaactrembledviolently***, and said, "31Who was he then that huntedgame and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? 32Yes, and he shall be blessed."
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When Esauheard the words of his father, 33he cried out with an exceedinglygreat and bittercry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!"
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And he said, "34Your brothercamedeceitfully and has taken away your blessing."
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Then he said, "Is he not rightly named*35Jacob, for he has supplanted me thesetwotimes? 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?"
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But Isaacreplied to Esau, "Behold, I have made him 36your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and newwine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?"
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Esausaid to his father, "Do you have only oneblessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." So Esaulifted his voice and 37wept.
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Then 38Isaac his fatheranswered and said to him, "Behold, 39away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above.
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"By your sword you shall live, And your brother40you shall serve; But it shall come about 41when you becomerestless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."
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So Esau42bore a grudgeagainstJacobbecause of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esausaid to himself, "43The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brotherJacob."
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Now when the words of her eldersonEsau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her youngersonJacob, and said to him, "Behold your brotherEsau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you.
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"Now therefore, my son, 44obey my voice, and arise, flee to 45Haran, to my brother46Laban!
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"Stay with him 47a fewdays, until* your brother'sfurysubsides,
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until your brother'sangeragainst you subsides and he forgets48what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in oneday?"
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Rebekahsaid to Isaac, "I am tired of livingbecause* of 49the daughters of Heth; 50ifJacobtakes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?"