Genesis 25:30

Plain English Version

So Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me eat some of that red soup right now. I’m really tired and hungry.” Jacob said to Esau, “First, I want you to do something for me. You are the oldest son in our family. That means you are the most important son, and you will be the next leader for our family. But I want to be the most important son, instead of you. I want to be the next leader for our family. So you have to promise that you will let me be the most important son now, instead of you. Then you can eat some soup.” Esau said, “Look, I’m so tired and hungry that I’m going to die. So it doesn’t matter if I stop being the next leader for our family. I just need some food right now.” But Jacob said, “First, you have to make me that strong promise.” So Esau did what Jacob asked. He said to Jacob, “I promise that you can be the most important son in our family, instead of me, and you can be the next leader for our family.” Then Jacob gave Esau some of that soup with red beans in it, and some bread. Esau ate that red soup and bread, and then he got up and left. That’s the story about how Esau let Jacob be the most important son. So Esau wasn’t the most important son any more, but he didn’t care. Later on, people sometimes called Esau a different name. They called him Edom. That name means red, like that red soup.

Cross References

Genesis 25:29

One day, while Esau was out bush, Jacob cooked some soup with red beans in it. While Jacob was cooking that soup, Esau came back home, and he was really tired and hungry.

Genesis 32:3

Jacob’s brother Esau lived in the place called Seir, in Edom country. Jacob thought, “Maybe my brother still wants to kill me.” So when Jacob got near to Seir, he said to some of his men, “Go and talk to my brother Esau.

Genesis 32:4

I want him to know that I respect him, just like a work-man respects his boss. Tell Esau that I said, ‘I went and stayed with our uncle Laban for a long time, and now I’m coming back.

Genesis 36:1

This is the story about Jacob’s brother Esau and his family. Sometimes people called Esau a different name. They called him Edom.

Genesis 36:19

All those sons of Esau, they were the leaders for their clans. And you know, sometimes people called Esau a different name. They called him Edom.

Genesis 36:43

– Magdiel – Iram Those people were the leaders for their clans in the Edom tribe. All those clans lived in different places. All the people in the Edom tribe were the kids and grand-kids of Esau.

Genesis 36:9

Esau’s family was called the Edom tribe, and they lived in the hill country called Seir. These are the names of Esau’s sons and grand-sons.