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.

Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing

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 food as his father liked. 15 Then Rebekah took some of her older son Esau’s best garments that were with her in the house, and she put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth part of his neck.17 And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son. 18 And he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit up and eat from my wild game so that youd may bless me.” 20 Then Isaac said to his son, “⌊How⌋e did you find it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because Yahweh your God ⌊caused me to find it⌋.”f 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. ⌊Are you really⌋g my son Esau or not?” 22 And Jacob drew near 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.” 23 And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother. And he blessed him. 24 And he said, “⌊Are you really⌋h my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me that I may eat from the game of my son, so that Ii may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate. And he brought wine to him, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he drew near and kissed him. And hej smelled the smell of his garments, and he blessed him and said,

“Look, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that Yahweh has blessed!

28 May God give you of the dew of heaven

and of the fatness of the earth,

and abundance of grain and new wine.

29 Let peoples serve you,

and nations bow down to you;

Be lord of your brothers,

and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.

Cursed be those cursing you,

and blessed be those blessing you.”

30 And as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, ⌊immediately after⌋k Jacob had gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came back from his hunting. 31 He too prepared tasty food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat from the wild game of his son, that youl may bless me.” 32 And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac ⌊trembled violently⌋.m Then he said, “Who then was he that hunted wild game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I blessed him? Moreover, he will be blessed!” 34 When Esau heard the words of his father he cried out with a great and exceedingly bitter cry of distress. And he said to his father, “Bless me as well, my father!” 35 And he said, “Your brother came in deceit and took your blessing.” 36 Then he said, “⌊Isn’t that why he is named Jacob⌋?n He has deceived me these two times. He took my birthright and, look, now he has taken my blessing!” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you and I have given him all his brothers as servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. Now what can I do for you, my son?” 38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,

“Your home shall be fromo the fatness of the land,

and from the dew of heaven above.

40 But by your sword you shall live,

and you shall serve your brother.

But it shall be that when free yourself

you shall tear off his yoke from your neck.