Genesis 25:1–27:46
The Death and Descendants of Abraham
25 Now Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore to him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All of these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 But to the sons of Abraham’s concubines Abraham gave gifts. And while he was still living he sent them away eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the east. 7 Now these are the days of the years of ⌊the life of Abraham⌋:a one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 And Abraham passed away and died in a good old age, old and full of years. And he was gathered to his people. 9 And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, that was east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites.b There Abraham was buried and Sarah his wife. 11 And it happened that after the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac settled at Beer-Lahai-Roi.
12 Now these are the generationsc of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, that Hagar the Egyptian, the female slave of Sarah, bore to Abraham. 13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names according to their family records. The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments—12 leaders according to their tribes. 17 Now these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. And he passed away and died, and was gathered to his people.18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which was opposited Egypt, going toward Assyria; he ⌊settled⌋e oppositef all his brothers.
19 Now these are the generationsg of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 And Isaac was ⌊forty years old⌋h when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, as his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to Yahweh on behalf of his wife, for she was barren. And Yahweh responded to his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children in her womb jostled each other, and she said, “⌊If it is going to be like this, why be pregnant⌋?”i And she went to inquire of Yahweh. 23 And Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples ⌊from birth⌋j shall be divided. And ⌊one people shall be stronger than the other⌋.k And the elder shall serve the younger.” 24 And when her days to give birth were completed,l then—behold—twins were in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all ⌊his body⌋m was like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. 26 And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac ⌊was sixty years old⌋n at their birth. 27 And the boys grew up. And Esau was a skilledo hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because ⌊he could eat of his game⌋,p but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Onceq Jacob cooked a thick stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me ⌊some of that red stuff⌋r to gulp down, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom). 31 Then Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright ⌊first⌋.”s 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am going to die; now what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me ⌊first⌋.”t And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread, and thick lentil stew, and he ate and drank. Then he got up and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.
26 And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar. 2 And Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land which I will show to you. 3 Dwell as an alien in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands. And all nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, 5 because Abraham listened to my voice and kept my charge: my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked concerning his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinkinga “the men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for ⌊she was beautiful⌋.”b 8 And it happened that, ⌊when he had been there a long time⌋,c Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through the window, and saw—behold—Isaac was fondling Rebekah his wife. 9 And Abimelech called Isaacd and said, “Surely she is your wife. Now why did you say ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought I would die on account of her.” 10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife! Then you would have brought guilt upon us!” 11 Then Abimelech instructed all the people, saying, “The one who touches this man or his wife shall certainly die.”
12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in that same year a hundredfold, and Yahweh blessed him. 13 And the man ⌊became wealthier and wealthier⌋e until he was exceedingly wealthy. 14 And he possessed sheep and cattle and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 And the Philistines stopped up all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of Abraham his father. They filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you have become much too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham. And he gavef to them ⌊the same names⌋g which his father had givenh them. 19 And when the servants of Isaac dug in the valley, they found a well of fresh water there. 20 Then the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours.” And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 And they dug another well, and they quarreled over it also. And he called its name Sitnah. 22 Then he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. And he called its name Rehoboth, and said, “Now Yahweh has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23 And from there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And Yahweh appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and make your descendants numerous for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 25 And he built an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh. And he pitched his tent there, and the servants of Isaac dug a well there. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol his army commander. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you.” 28 And they said, “We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thoughti let there be an oath between us—between us and you—and let us ⌊make⌋j a covenant with you 29 that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You are now blessed by Yahweh.” 30 So he made a meal for them, and they ate and drank. 31 And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other,k and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace. 32 And it happened that on that same day the servants of Isaac came and told him about the well that they had dug. And they said, “We have found water!” 33 And he called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
34 And when Esau was ⌊forty years old⌋l he took as wife Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And ⌊they made life bitter⌋m for Isaac and Rebekah.
27 And it happened that when Isaac was old and ⌊his eyesight was weak⌋,a he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And heb said to him, “Here I am.” 2 And he said, “Look, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 So now, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt food for me. 4 Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring it to me. And I will eat it so that Ic can bless you before I die.
5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and when Esau went to the field to hunt wild game to bring back, 6 Rebekah said to Jacob her son, “Look, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother saying, 7 ‘Bring wild game to me and prepare tasty food so I can eat it and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’ 8 So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. 9 Go to the flock and take two good young goats from it for me, and I will prepare them as tasty food for your father, just as he likes. 10 Then you must take it to your father and he will eat it so that he may bless you before his death.” 11 Then Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes as a mocker, and he will bring upon me a curse and not a blessing.” 13 Then his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice—go and get them for me.” 14 So he went and took them, and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty …