NLT 1 One day when Isaac was old and turning blind, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied. NIV 1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered. NLT 2 “I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know when I may die. NIV 2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. NLT 3 Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me. NIV 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. NLT 4 Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.” NIV 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” NLT 5 But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game, NIV 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, NLT 6 she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau, NIV 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, NLT 7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the LORD ’s presence before I die.’ NIV 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ NLT 8 Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you. NIV 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: NLT 9 Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish. NIV 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. NLT 10 Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.” NIV 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” NLT 11 “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. NIV 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. NLT 12 What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.” NIV 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” NLT 13 But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats for me!” NIV 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” NLT 14 So Jacob went out and got the young goats for his mother. Rebekah took them and prepared a delicious meal, just the way Isaac liked it. NIV 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. NLT 15 Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave them to her younger son, Jacob. NIV 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. NLT 16 She covered his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skin of the young goats. NIV 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. NLT 17 Then she gave Jacob the delicious meal, including freshly baked bread. NIV 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. NLT 18 So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said. “Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you—Esau or Jacob?” NIV 18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” NLT 19 Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.” NIV 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” NLT 20 Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God put it in my path!” Jacob replied. NIV 20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God gave me success,” he replied. NLT 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.” NIV 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” NLT 22 So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said. NIV 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” NLT 23 But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob. NIV 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. NLT 24 “But are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “Yes, I am,” Jacob replied. NIV 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. NLT 25 Then Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then I will give you my blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. NIV 25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. NLT 26 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.” NIV 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” NLT 27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the LORD has blessed! NIV 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. NLT 28 “From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. NIV 28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. NLT 29 May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.” NIV 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” NLT 30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father, Esau returned from his hunt. NIV 30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. NLT 31 Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. Then he said, “Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your blessing.” NIV 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” NLT 32 But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.” NIV 32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” NLT 33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!” NIV 33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” NLT 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged. NIV 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” NLT 35 But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” NIV 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” NLT 36 Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?” NIV 36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob ? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?” NLT 37 Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?” NIV 37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” NLT 38 Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and wept. NIV 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. NLT 39 Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above. NIV 39 His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. NLT 40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.” NIV 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” NLT 41 From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.” NIV 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” NLT 42 But Rebekah heard about Esau’s plans. So she sent for Jacob and told him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. NIV 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. NLT 43 So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran. NIV 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. NLT 44 Stay there with him until your brother cools off. NIV 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. NLT 45 When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” NIV 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” NLT 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick and tired of these local Hittite women! I would rather die than see Jacob marry one of them.” NIV 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”
NIV 1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered. NIV 2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. NIV 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. NIV 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” NIV 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, NIV 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, NIV 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ NIV 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: NIV 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. NIV 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” NIV 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. NIV 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” NIV 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” NIV 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. NIV 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. NIV 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. NIV 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. NIV 18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” NIV 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” NIV 20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God gave me success,” he replied. NIV 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” NIV 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” NIV 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. NIV 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. NIV 25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. NIV 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” NIV 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. NIV 28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. NIV 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” NIV 30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. NIV 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” NIV 32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” NIV 33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” NIV 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” NIV 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” NIV 36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob ? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?” NIV 37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” NIV 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. NIV 39 His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. NIV 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” NIV 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” NIV 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. NIV 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. NIV 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. NIV 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” NIV 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”