Genesis 27:1–29

Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing

27And 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 he^b said to him, “Here I am.” ²And he said, “Look, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. ³So now, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt food for me. ⁴Then make for me tasty food like I love, and bring it to me. And I will eat it so that I^c can bless you before I die.

⁵Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to Esau his son, and when Esau went to the field to hunt wild game to bring back, ⁶Rebekah 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.’ ⁸So now, my son, listen to my voice, to what I command you. ⁹Go 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. ¹⁰Then you must take it to your father and he will eat it so that he may bless you before his death.” ¹¹Then Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth man. ¹²Perhaps 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.” ¹³Then his mother said to him, “Your curse be upon me, my son, only listen to my voice—go and get them for me.” ¹⁴So he went and took them, and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared tasty food as his father liked. ¹⁵Then 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. ¹⁶And she put the skins of the young goats over his hands and over the smooth part of his neck.¹⁷And she put the tasty food and the bread that she had made into the hand of Jacob, her son. ¹⁸And he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” ¹⁹And 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 you^d may bless me.” ²⁰Then 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?” ²²And 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.” ²³And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother. And he blessed him. ²⁴And he said, “Are you really^h my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” ²⁵Then 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. ²⁶Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷And he drew near and kissed him. And he^j 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!

²⁸May God give you of the dew of heaven

and of the fatness of the earth,

and abundance of grain and new wine.

²⁹Let 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.”