1 And it cometh to pass that Isaac [is] aged, and his eyes are too dim for seeing, and he calleth Esau his elder son, and saith unto him, 'My son;' and he saith unto him, 'Here [am] I.' 2 And he saith, 'Lo, I pray thee, I have become aged, I have not known the day of my death; 3 and now, take up, I pray thee, thy instruments, thy quiver, and thy bow, and go out to the field, and hunt for me provision, 4 and make for me tasteful things, [such] as I have loved, and bring in to me, and I do eat, so that my soul doth bless thee before I die.' 5 And Rebekah is hearkening while Isaac is speaking unto Esau his son; and Esau goeth to the field to hunt provision — to bring in; 6 and Rebekah hath spoken unto Jacob her son, saying, 'Lo, I have heard thy father speaking unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring for me provision, and make for me tasteful things, and I do eat, and bless thee before Jehovah before my death. 8 'And now, my son, hearken to my voice, to that which I am commanding thee: 9 Go, I pray thee, unto the flock, and take for me from thence two good kids of the goats, and I make them tasteful things for thy father, [such] as he hath loved; 10 and thou hast taken in to thy father, and he hath eaten, so that his soul doth bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob saith unto Rebekah his mother, 'Lo, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I a smooth man, 12 it may be my father doth feel me, and I have been in his eyes as a deceiver, and have brought upon me disesteem, and not a blessing;' 13 and his mother saith to him, 'On me thy disesteem, my son; only hearken to my voice, and go, take for me.' 14 And he goeth, and taketh, and bringeth to his mother, and his mother maketh tasteful things, [such] as his father hath loved; 15 and Rebekah taketh the desirable garments of Esau her elder son, which [are] with her in the house, and doth put on Jacob her younger son; 16 and the skins of the kids of the goats she hath put on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck, 17 and she giveth the tasteful things, and the bread which she hath made, into the hand of Jacob her son. 18 And he cometh in unto his father, and saith, 'My father;' and he saith, 'Here [am] I; who [art] thou, my son?' 19 And Jacob saith unto his father, 'I [am] Esau thy first-born; I have done as thou hast spoken unto me; rise, I pray thee, sit, and eat of my provision, so that thy soul doth bless me.' 20 And Isaac saith unto his son, 'What [is] this thou hast hasted to find, my son?' and he saith, 'That which Jehovah thy God hath caused to come before me.' 21 And Isaac saith unto Jacob, 'Come nigh, I pray thee, and I feel thee, my son, whether thou [art] he, my son Esau, or not.' 22 And Jacob cometh nigh unto Isaac his father, and he feeleth him, and saith, 'The voice [is] the voice of Jacob, and the hands hands of Esau.' 23 And he hath not discerned him, for his hands have been hairy, as the hands of Esau his brother, and he blesseth him, 24 and saith, 'Thou art he — my son Esau?' and he saith, 'I [am].' 25 And he saith, 'Bring nigh to me, and I do eat of my son's provision, so that my soul doth bless thee;' and he bringeth nigh to him, and he eateth; and he bringeth to him wine, and he drinketh. 26 And Isaac his father saith to him, 'Come nigh, I pray thee, and kiss me, my son;' 27 and he cometh nigh, and kisseth him, and he smelleth the fragrance of his garments, and blesseth him, and saith, 'See, the fragrance of my son [is] as the fragrance of a field which Jehovah hath blessed; 28 and God doth give to thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of corn and wine; 29 peoples serve thee, and nations bow themselves to thee, be thou mighty over thy brethren, and the sons of thy mother bow themselves to thee; those who curse thee [are] cursed, and those who bless thee [are] blessed.' 30 And it cometh to pass, as Isaac hath finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob is only just going out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother hath come in from his hunting; 31 and he also maketh tasteful things, and bringeth to his father, and saith to his father, 'Let my father arise, and eat of his son's provision, so that thy soul doth bless me.' 32 And Isaac his father saith to him, 'Who [art] thou?' and he saith, 'I [am] thy son, thy first-born, Esau;' 33 and Isaac trembleth a very great trembling, and saith, 'Who, now, [is] he who hath provided provision, and bringeth in to me, and I eat of all before thou comest in, and I bless him? — yea, blessed is he.' 34 When Esau heareth the words of his father, then he crieth a very great and bitter cry, and saith to his father, 'Bless me, me also, O my father;' 35 and he saith, 'Thy brother hath come with subtilty, and taketh thy blessing.' 36 And he saith, 'Is it because [one] called his name Jacob that he doth take me by the heel these two times? my birthright he hath taken; and lo, now, he hath taken my blessing;' he saith also, 'Hast thou not kept back a blessing for me?' 37 And Isaac answereth and saith to Esau, 'Lo, a mighty one have I set him over thee, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants, and [with] corn and wine have I sustained him; and for thee now, what shall I do, my son?' 38 And Esau saith unto his father, 'One blessing hast thou my father? bless me, me also, O my father;' and Esau lifteth up his voice, and weepeth. 39 And Isaac his father answereth and saith unto him, 'Lo, of the fatness of the earth is thy dwelling, and of the dew of the heavens from above; 40 and by thy sword dost thou live, and thy brother dost thou serve; and it hath come to pass when thou rulest, that thou hast broken his yoke from off thy neck.' 41 And Esau hateth Jacob, because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau saith in his heart, 'The days of mourning [for] my father draw near, and I slay Jacob my brother.' 42 And the words of Esau her elder son are declared to Rebekah, and she sendeth and calleth for Jacob her younger son, and saith unto him, 'Lo, Esau thy brother is comforting himself in regard to thee — to slay thee; 43 and now, my son, hearken to my voice, and rise, flee for thyself unto Laban my brother, to Haran, 44 and thou hast dwelt with him some days, till thy brother's fury turn back, 45 till thy brother's anger turn back from thee, and he hath forgotten that which thou hast done to him, and I have sent and taken thee from thence; why am I bereaved even of you both the same day?' 46 And Rebekah saith unto Isaac, 'I have been disgusted with my life because of the presence of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these — from the daughters of the land — why do I live?'
Genesis · Young's Literal Translation
Genesis 27 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Esau
Isaac's elder son, who traded his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–27; 36
Isaac
The long-promised son, nearly offered on Moriah, through whom the covenant continued.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21–27
Jacob
He wrestled with God through the night and rose as Israel, father of twelve tribes.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 25–35; 46–49
Rebekah
Wife of Isaac and mother of the twins Jacob and Esau.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 24-27
Cross references (38)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 3:2; Genesis 48:10; Genesis 25:23–25; Ecclesiastes 12:3; John 9:3
- 2 James 4:14; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Mark 13:35; Proverbs 27:1; Genesis 48:21
- 3 Genesis 25:27–28; Genesis 10:9; 1 Corinthians 6:12
- 4 Hebrews 11:20; Genesis 48:9; Genesis 49:28; Genesis 27:25; Luke 24:51
- 6 Genesis 25:28
- 7 Joshua 6:26; Deuteronomy 33:1; 1 Samuel 24:19
- 8 Ephesians 6:1; Genesis 27:13; Acts 5:29; Genesis 25:23; Genesis 27:43
- 9 Judges 13:15; 1 Samuel 16:20
- 11 Genesis 25:25
- 12 Deuteronomy 27:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 2 Corinthians 6:8; Job 12:16; Malachi 1:14
- 13 Matthew 27:25; 1 Samuel 25:24; 2 Samuel 14:9; Genesis 25:33; 1 Samuel 14:36–45
- 14 Luke 21:34; Genesis 27:9; Genesis 27:17; Proverbs 23:2–3; Genesis 25:28
- 15 Genesis 27:27; Luke 20:46; Luke 15:22
- 19 Matthew 26:70–74; Isaiah 28:15; Zechariah 13:3–4; Genesis 27:24–25; Genesis 27:21
- 20 Exodus 20:7; Job 13:7; Genesis 24:12
- 21 Isaiah 57:19; James 4:8; Genesis 27:12; Psalm 73:28
- 23 Hebrews 11:20; Genesis 27:16; Romans 9:11–12
- 24 Colossians 3:9; Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:25; Job 13:7–8; 1 Samuel 21:2
- 25 Genesis 27:4
- 27 Hebrews 6:7; Psalm 65:10; Hebrews 11:20; Genesis 26:12; Hosea 14:6–7
- 28 Deuteronomy 33:28; Deuteronomy 33:13; Psalm 133:3; Hosea 14:5–7; Psalm 65:9–13
- 29 Numbers 24:9; Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 49:23; Genesis 9:25–26; Romans 9:12
- 31 Genesis 27:4
- 32 Genesis 27:18
- 33 Genesis 28:3–4; Romans 11:29; Job 21:6; Ephesians 1:3; Job 37:1
- 34 Hebrews 12:17; Proverbs 1:31; 1 Samuel 30:4; Proverbs 19:3; Luke 13:24–28
- 35 1 Thessalonians 4:6; Job 13:7; Malachi 2:10; 2 Kings 10:19; Romans 3:7–8
- 36 Genesis 25:26; Genesis 25:31–34; Genesis 32:28; John 1:47
- 37 Genesis 27:28–29; Genesis 25:23; 2 Samuel 8:14; Romans 9:10–12
- 38 Hebrews 12:17; Genesis 27:34; Isaiah 65:14; Genesis 27:36; Proverbs 1:24–26
- 39 Genesis 27:28; Hebrews 11:20; Joshua 24:4; Genesis 36:6–8
- 40 Genesis 25:23; 2 Kings 8:20–22; 2 Samuel 8:14; 2 Chronicles 25:11–12; 2 Chronicles 21:10
- 41 1 John 3:12–15; Genesis 37:4; Genesis 50:3–4; Ephesians 4:26–27; Genesis 32:6
- 42 1 Samuel 30:5; Psalm 64:5; Proverbs 4:16–17; Proverbs 2:14; Genesis 42:21–22
- 43 Genesis 11:31; Genesis 27:8; Genesis 27:13; Genesis 24:29; Proverbs 30:17
- 44 Genesis 31:38; Genesis 31:41
- 45 Proverbs 19:21; Genesis 27:35; Genesis 4:8–16; Lamentations 3:37; Acts 28:4
- 46 Genesis 26:34–35; Genesis 24:3; Genesis 28:8; Genesis 34:1–2; Job 14:13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Through envy, also, our father Jacob fled from the face of Esau his brother. Envy made Joseph be persecuted unto death, and to come into bondage.
The blessing of Isaac with which he blessed his younger son Jacob has the same meaning, when he says, "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field which the Lord has blessed." But "the field is the world." And therefore he added, "God give to thee of the dew of heaven, and of the …
… the fruitfulness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let nations serve thee, and princes adore thee: and be lord of thy brethren, and let thy father's sons adore thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." The blessing of Jacob is therefore a proclamation of Christ to all nations.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
"Who then," he says, "hath hunted me venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him, and he shall be blessed?" Who would not rather have expected the curse of an angry man here, if these things had been done in an earthly manner, and not by inspiration from above?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)