Rebekah and Jacob trick Isaac

1Many years later, when Isaac was really old and he could not see very well, he called out to his oldest son. He said, “Esau, my son.” And Esau answered, “I am here father.”

2Isaac said, “I am getting really old and I do not know when I will die.

3I want you to go hunting. Take your bow and arrows and get some bush meat for me.

4I want you to cook that meat with bush leaves, just the way I like it. Bring it to me and I will eat it and then I will ask God to bless you. I will ask him to be good to you and make you strong. You will get more than anyone else when I die and you will get the promises God made to Abraham and to me. I must do this before I die.”

5And so, Esau left his father and went hunting.

6Rebekah went and found Jacob and said, “I just heard your father tell Esau to go hunting to get some bush meat for him. He told him to bring it home and cook it with leaves to make it tasty. That is how your father likes his meat. Your father told Esau that after he ate the food, he would bless him and ask God to be good to him and make him strong. If your father says those words to Esau, he will get more than anyone else after your father dies. Esau will get the promises God made to Abraham and to your father. You see, your father has to say those words before he dies.

8Jacob. Do what I tell you.

9Go and get 2 of our best young goats and bring them here. I will cook them with leaves just the way your father likes to eat his meat.

10When it is ready, you can take the food to him and your father will say all the things to you that he was going to say to Esau.”

11Jacob said to his mother, “But Esau is a hairy man and I am not. My skin is smooth.

12What if my father touches my skin? He will know that I am tricking him and instead of asking God to do good things for me he would ask God to put a curse on me.”

13Rebekah said to him, “If anything goes wrong, I will take the curse. Go and do what I tell you and get those goats for me!”

14So, Jacob went and got the goats and took them to his mother. She cooked the meat with bush leaves, just like Isaac liked it.

15She went into the house and found Esau's best clothes and put them on Jacob.

16Then she took the skins from the goats and tied them onto Jacob's hands and neck.

17She gave Jacob the tasty meat and the bread that she had made.

18Jacob took them and went into his father's room and said, “Father.” Isaac answered, “Yes my son, but who are you?”

19Jacob said, “I am Esau, your oldest son. I have done what you asked me to do. Please sit up and eat this bush meat and then you can ask the Lord to bless me. When you do that, the Lord will do good things for me and make me strong.”

20Isaac asked him, “How did you find the meat so quickly?” Jacob answered, “The Lord your God helped me find it.”

21Isaac said to Jacob, “Come here so that I can touch you. Then I will know if you really are Esau or someone else.”

22Jacob went close to his father. Isaac touched Jacob's hands but he did not know that it was Jacob pretending to be his brother Esau. Isaac said, “When you talk, you sound like Jacob, but your hands feel like Esau's hands, they are really hairy.” Isaac was going to ask God to do good things for Jacob and make him strong and he started to say the special words to bless Jacob.

24But to make sure, he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob answered, “Yes I am.”

25And so Isaac said, “My son, give me some of that meat and then I will ask God to bless you and do good things for you and make you strong.” Jacob took the meat and the bread to his father and Isaac ate it. Then Jacob gave Isaac some wine and he drank it.

26Isaac said to Jacob, “Come close to me my son and kiss me.”

27Jacob went to Isaac and kissed him. Isaac smelled Esau's clothes that Jacob was wearing and so he blessed him and asked God to do good things for him and make him strong. He said, “Yes, I smell my son Esau. That smell comes from being in the bush, and God has made that smell good and strong.

28I want God to give you good country and good rain. I ask God to make your country grow a lot of food and grapes to make wine.

29I ask God to make you strong so that you are boss over other nations, and they will bow down to show you respect. My son, I ask God to make you the boss over your brothers and that your brothers will bow down and show you respect too. I ask God that if anyone puts a curse on you, they will get a curse from God, but if anyone does good things for you, I ask God to do good things for them.” Isaac finished saying these words and Jacob went outside. Jacob tricked Isaac so that he got the blessing that Esau should have got Esau asks Isaac for his blessing

30Just after Jacob left Isaac's tent, Esau came home from hunting.

31He cooked the meat with bush leaves and took it to his father. He said, “Hello father, I have cooked the meat the way you like it. Sit up and eat it and then you can bless me and ask God to do good things for me and make me strong.”

32Isaac said, “Who are you?” Esau answered, “I am Esau, your oldest son.”

33Isaac was really frightened and nearly took a fit. He was shaking and said, “Someone just gave me bush meat and I ate it. Who was that? I have just asked God to be good to him and he will take my place after I die. What I asked God for him will come true.”

34When Esau heard what Isaac said, he was very upset and started to cry out loud. He said, “My father, can you bless me and ask God to do good things for me too and make me strong?”

35Isaac answered, “Your brother was the one who gave me the meat. He tricked me and I blessed him. I asked God to be good to him and make him strong. He has taken the special words I was going to say for you.”

36Esau said, “You really did call him the right name. His name means Tricky One and now he has tricked me 2 times. He took my place as head of the family and now he has taken my blessing. Can you bless me too father and ask God to be good to me and make me strong?”

37Isaac answered, “Esau, I tell you now that I have made him boss over you. And all our relations will do what he says. I have given him all the food and wine that he needs. I have given him everything. I am sorry but I have nothing to give you.”

38Esau said, “Please father, can you bless me and ask God to be good to me and make me strong? Can you just say something to make me strong too?” Then he started to cry out loud again.

39Isaac answered him and said, “You will not live in good country. You will live in dry country. It will not rain so that plants can grow.

40You will fight and steal from other people to get food all your life. Your brother will be your boss, but one day you will make up your mind to break free from him.”

Jacob ran away from Esau

41Esau hated Jacob for tricking their father, and he made up his mind to kill Jacob after his father died. You see Jacob stole his brother's blessing, the special words that should have been given to Esau.

42Rebekah heard about Esau's plan to kill Jacob, and so she called Jacob to come to her. She said, “Listen to me. Your brother Esau is planning to kill you. He wants to pay you back for what you did. If he kills you, he thinks everything will be alright.”

43And so you have to run away to Harran where my brother Laban lives. Go straight away! Stay with my countrymen until Esau stops being angry.

45Esau will forget what you did to him, and then I will send a message to you so that you can come back. If he kills you, he might be killed too and I do not want to lose both of my sons on the same day.

46Rebekah went to see Isaac and said, “I hate those Hittite women that Esau married. If Jacob marries a woman from this country my life will be too hard.”