Genesis 25:21–30

²¹Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.^s The Lord answered his prayer,^t and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. ²²The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.^u

²³The Lord said to her,

“Two nations^v are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will be separated;

one people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.^w”

²⁴When the time came for her to give birth,^x there were twin boys in her womb.^{y 25}The first to come out was red,^z and his whole body was like a hairy garment;^a so they named him Esau.^{db 26}After this, his brother came out,^c with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;^d so he was named Jacob.^ee Isaac was sixty years old^f when Rebekah gave birth to them.

²⁷The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,^g a man of the open country,^h while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. ²⁸Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,ⁱ loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.^j

²⁹Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,^k Esau came in from the open country,^l famished. ³⁰He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!^m I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.^f)ⁿ