Genesis 27

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 When Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he summoned hiselder son Esau. 'Son!' he said, and Esau replied, 'Here I am.'	1 Now Isaac was old, and his eyes were cloudy, and so he was not able to see. And he called his elder son Esau, and he said to him, “My son?” And he responded, “Here I am.”
2 He then said, 'Look, I am old and do not know when I may die.	2 His father said to him: “You see that I am old, and I do not know the day of my death.
3 Now take your weapons, your quiver and bow; go out into the country and hunt me some game.	3 Take your weapons, the quiver and the bow, and go out. And when you have taken something by hunting,
4 Make me the kind of appetising dish I like and bring it to me to eat and I shal give you my specialblessing before I die.'	4 make from it a small meal for me, just as you know I like, and bring it, so that I may eat and my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 Rebekah was listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau. So when Esau went into the country tohunt game for his father,	5 And when Rebekah had heard this, and he had gone out into the field to fulfill his father’s order,
6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, 'I have just heard your father saying to your brother Esau,	6 she said to her son Jacob: “I heard your father speaking with your brother Esau, and saying to him,
7 "Bring me some game and make an appetising dish for me to eat and then I shal bless you inYahweh's presence before I die."	7 ‘Bring to me from your hunting, and make me foods, so that I may eat and bless you in the sight of the Lord before I die.’
8 Now, son, listen to me and do as I tel you.	8 Therefore, now my son, agree to my counsel,
9 Go to the flock and bring me back two good kids, so that I can make the kind of special dish yourfather likes.	9 and go straight to the flock, and bring me two of the best young goats, so that from them I may make meat for your father, such as he willingly eats.
10 Then take it to your father for him to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.'	10 Then, when you have brought these in and he has eaten, he may bless you before he dies.”
11 Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, 'Look, my brother Esau is hairy, while I am smooth-skinned.	11 He answered her: “You know that my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am smooth.
12 If my father happens to touch me, he wil see I am cheating him, and I shall bring a curse down onmyself instead of a blessing.'	12 If my father should lay hands on me and perceive it, I am afraid lest he think me willing to mock him, and I will bring a curse upon myself, instead of a blessing.”
13 But his mother replied, 'On me be the curse, my son! Just listen to me; go and fetch me the kids.'	13 And his mother said to him: “Let this curse be upon me, my son. Yet listen to my voice, and go directly to bring what I said.”
14 So he went to fetch them and brought them to his mother, and she made the kind of special dish hisfather liked.	14 He went out, and he brought, and he gave to his mother. She prepared the meats, just as she knew his father liked.
15 Rebekah took her elder son Esau's best clothes, which she had at home, and dressed her youngerson Jacob in them,	15 And she clothed him with the very fine garments of Esau, which she had at home with her.
16 covering his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skins of the kids.	16 And she encircled his hands with little pelts from the young goats, and she covered his bare neck.
17 She then handed the special dish and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.	17 And she gave him the small meal, and she handed him the bread that she had baked.
18 He went to his father and said, 'Father!' 'Yes?' he replied. 'Which of my sons are you?'	18 When he had carried these in, he said, “My father?” And he answered, “I’m listening. Who are you, my son?”
19 Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eatsome of the game I have brought and then give me your soul's blessing.'	19 And Jacob said: “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you instructed me. Arise; sit and eat from my hunting, so that your soul may bless me.”
20 Isaac said to his son, 'Son, how did you succeed so quickly?' He replied, 'Because Yahweh your Godmade things go well for me.'	20 And again Isaac said to his son, “How were you able to find it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “It was the will of God, so that what I sought met with me quickly.”
21 Isaac said to Jacob, 'Come closer, son, so that I can feel you and be sure whether you real y are myson Esau or not.'	21 And Isaac said, “Come here, so that I may touch you, my son, and may prove whether you are my son Esau, or not.”
22 Jacob went closer to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, 'The voice is Jacob's voice but the armsare the arms of Esau!'	22 He approached his father, and when he had felt him, Isaac said: “The voice indeed is the voice of Jacob. But the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 He did not recognise him since his arms were hairy like his brother Esau's, and so he blessed him.	23 And he did not recognize him, because his hairy hands made him seem similar to the elder one. Therefore, blessing him,
24 He said, 'Are you real y my son Esau?' And he replied, 'I am.'	24 he said, “Are you my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.”
25 Isaac said, 'Serve it to me, so that I can eat my son's game and give you my special blessing.' Heserved it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank.	25 Then he said, “Bring me the foods from your hunting, my son, so that my soul may bless you.” And when he had eaten what was offered, he also brought forth wine for him. And after he finished it,
26 His father Isaac said to him, 'Come closer, and kiss me, son.'	26 he said to him, “Come to me and give me a kiss, my son.”
27 He went closer and kissed his father, who sniffed the smel of his clothes. Then he blessed him,saying: Ah, the smel of my son is like the smel of a fertile field which Yahweh has blessed.	27 He approached and kissed him. And immediately he perceived the fragrance of his garments. And so, blessing him, he said: “Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you dew from heaven, and the richness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine!	28 May God give to you, from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth, an abundance of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you and nations bow low before you! Be master of your brothers; let your mother'sother sons bow low before you! Accursed be whoever curses you and blessed be whoever blesses you!	29 And may the peoples serve you, and may the tribes reverence you. May you be the lord of your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down before you. Whoever curses you, may he be cursed, and whoever blesses you, may he be filled with blessings.”
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and just as Jacob was leaving his father Isaac, hisbrother Esau returned from hunting.	30 Scarcely had Isaac completed his words, and Jacob departed, when Esau arrived.
31 He too made an appetising dish and brought it to his father, 'Father, please eat some of your son'sgame and then give me your special blessing.'	31 And he brought his father foods cooked from his hunting, saying, “Arise, my father, and eat from your son’s hunting, so that your soul may bless me.”
32 His father Isaac asked, 'Who are you?' 'I am your first-born son, Esau,' he replied.	32 And Isaac said to him, “But who are you?” And he answered, “I am your firstborn son, Esau.”
33 At this Isaac was seized with a violent trembling and said, 'Who was it, then, that went hunting andbrought me the game? I finished eating it just before you came; I blessed him, and now blessed he wil remain!'	33 Isaac became frightened and very astonished. And wondering beyond what can be believed, he said: “Then who is he that a while ago brought me the prey from his hunting, from which I ate, before you arrived? And I blessed him, and he will be blessed.”
34 On hearing his father's words, Esau cried out loudly and bitterly and said to his father, 'Father, blessme too!'	34 Esau, having heard his father’s words, roared out with a great outcry. And, being confounded, he said, “But bless me also, my father.”
35 But he replied, 'Your brother came by fraud and took your blessing.'	35 And he said, “Your twin came deceitfully, and he received your blessing.”
36 Esau said, 'His name should be Jacob right enough, for he has now supplanted me twice. First hetook my birthright, and look, now he has gone and taken my blessing! But', he added, 'have you not kept ablessing for me?'	36 But he responded: “Justly is his name called Jacob. For he has supplanted me yet another time. My birthright he took away before, and now, this second time, he has stolen my blessing.” And again, he said to his father, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me also?”
37 Isaac replied to Esau, 'I have already made him your master; I have given him al his brothers asservants, I have given him grain and wine to sustain him. So what can I do for you, son?'	37 Isaac answered: “I have appointed him as your lord, and I have subjugated all his brothers as his servants. I have reinforced him with grain and wine, and after this, my son, what more shall I do for you?”
38 Esau said to his father, 'Can you bless only once, father? Father, bless me too.' Isaac remainedsilent, and Esau began to weep aloud.	38 And Esau said to him: “Have you only one blessing, father? I beg you, bless me also.” And when he wept with a loud wail,
39 Then his father Isaac spoke again and said: 'Far from the richness of the earth and the dew ofheaven above, your home will be.	39 Isaac was moved, and he said to him: “In the fatness of the earth, and in the dew of heaven from above,
40 By your sword you wil live, and your brother wil you serve. But when you win your freedom, you wilshake his yoke off your neck.'	40 will your blessing be. You will live by the sword, and you will serve your brother. But the time will arrive when you will shake off and release his yoke from your neck.”
41 Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him, and Esau said to himself, 'Thetime to mourn for my father wil soon be here. Then I shal kil my brother Jacob.'	41 Therefore, Esau always hated Jacob, for the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And he said in his heart, “The days will arrive for the mourning of my father, and I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 When the words of Esau, her elder son, were repeated to Rebekah, she sent for her younger sonJacob and said to him, 'Look, your brother Esau means to take revenge and kil you.	42 These things were reported to Rebekah. And sending and calling for her son Jacob, she said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau is threatening to kill you.
43 Now, son, listen to me; go at once and take refuge with my brother Laban in Haran.	43 Therefore, now my son, listen to my voice. Rise up and flee to my brother Laban, in Haran.
44 Stay with him a while, until your brother's fury cools,	44 And you will dwell with him for a few days, until the fury of your brother subsides,
45 until your brother's anger is diverted from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then Ishall send someone to bring you back. I do not want to lose you both on one day!'	45 and his indignation ceases, and he forgets the things that you have done to him. After this, I will send for you and bring you from there to here. Why should I be bereaved of both my sons in one day?”
46 Rebekah said to Isaac, 'The Hittite women sicken me to death. If Jacob were to marry a Hittitewoman like these, one of the local women, what would there be left in life for me?'	46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob accepts a wife from the stock of this land, I would not be willing to live.”