Genesis 27 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Isaac grew old, and his eyes became so weak he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him. Isaac said, “Son!”

² Isaac said, “I am old. Maybe I will die soon!

³ So take your bow and arrows and go hunting. Kill an animal for me to eat.

⁴ Prepare the food that I love. Bring it to me, and I will eat it. Then I will bless you before I die.”

⁵ So Esau went hunting.

⁶ Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen, I heard your father talking to your brother Esau.

⁷ Your father said, ‘Kill an animal for me to eat. Prepare the food for me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die.’

⁸ So listen son, and do what I tell you.

⁹ Go out to our goats and bring me two young goats. I will prepare them the way your father loves them.

¹⁰ Then you will carry the food to your father. And he will bless you before he dies.”

¹¹ But Jacob told his mother Rebekah, “My brother Esau is a hairy man. I am not hairy like him.

¹² If my father touches me, he will know that I am not Esau. Then he will not bless me—he will curse [159] me! Why? Because I tried to trick him.”

¹³ So Rebekah said to him, “I will accept the blame if there is trouble. Do the things I said. Go and get the goats for me.”

¹⁴ So Jacob went out and got two goats and brought them to his mother. His mother cooked the goats in the special way that Isaac loved.

¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the clothes that her older son Esau loved to wear. Rebekah put those clothes on the younger son Jacob.

¹⁶ Rebekah took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and on his neck.

¹⁷ Then Rebekah got the food she had cooked and gave it to Jacob.

¹⁸ Jacob went to his father and said, “Father.”

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your first son. I have done the things you told me. Now sit up and eat the animals that I hunted for you. Then you can bless me.”

²⁰ But Isaac said to his son, “How have you hunted and killed the animals so quickly?”

²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near to me so that I can feel you, my son. If I can feel you, then I will know if you are really my son Esau.”

²² So Jacob went to Isaac his father. Isaac felt him and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob’s voice. But your arms are hairy like the arms of Esau.”

²³ Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his arms were hairy like Esau’s arms. So Isaac blessed Jacob.

²⁴ Isaac said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

²⁵ Then Isaac said, “Bring me the food. I will eat it and bless you.” So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate it. Then Jacob gave him some wine, and he drank it.

²⁶ Then Isaac said to him. “Son, come near and kiss me.”

²⁷ So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes and blessed him. Isaac said,

²⁸ May the Lord give you plenty of rain so you will have good crops and wine.

²⁹ May all people serve you. May nations bow down to you. You will rule over your brothers. Your mother’s sons will bow down to you and obey you.

³⁰ Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Then, just as Jacob left his father Isaac, Esau came in from hunting.

³¹ Esau prepared the food in the special way his father loved. Esau brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Father, I am your son. Get up and eat the meat that I killed {and cooked} for you. Then you can bless me.”

³² But Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

³³ Then Isaac became very worried and said, “Then who was it that cooked and brought me food before you came? I ate it all and I blessed him. Now it is too late to take back my blessing.”

³⁴ Esau heard his father’s words. He became very angry and bitter. He cried out. He said to his father, “Then bless me also, father!”

³⁵ Isaac said, “Your brother tricked me! He came and took your blessing!”

³⁶ Esau said, “His name is Jacob (‘Tricky’). That is the right name for him. He has tricked me twice. He took away my rights as the firstborn son. [161] And now he has taken away my blessing.” Then Esau said, “Have you saved any blessing for me?”

³⁷ Isaac answered, “No, it’s too late. I gave Jacob the power to rule over you. And I said all his brothers will be his servants. And I have given him the blessing for much grain and wine. There is nothing left to give you son.”

³⁸ But Esau continued to beg his father. “Do you have only one blessing, father? Bless me also, father!” Esau began to cry.

³⁹ Then Isaac said to him,

⁴⁰ You will have to fight to live. And you will be a slave to your brother. But you will fight to be free. You will break away from his control.”

⁴¹ After that Esau hated Jacob because of this blessing. Esau thought to himself, “My father will soon die, and there will be a time of sadness for him. But after that I will kill Jacob.”

⁴² Rebekah heard about Esau’s plan to kill Jacob. She sent for Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is planning to kill you.

⁴³ So, son, do what I say. My brother Laban is living in Haran. Go to him and hide.

⁴⁴ Stay with him for a short time. Stay with him until your brother stops being angry.

⁴⁵ After a short time, your brother will forget what you did to him. Then I will send a servant to bring you back. I don’t want to lose both of my sons in the same day.”

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “Your son Esau married Hittite women. I am very upset about these women. Why? Because they are not our people. I’ll just die if Jacob marries one of these women too!”