The Sacred Scripture

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Genesis 27

1 And it was, that Isaac was·​·old, and his eyes were dimmed from seeing, and he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, My son; and he said to him, Behold me.
2 And he said, Behold, I pray, I am·​·old, I know not the day of my death.
3 And now carry, I pray, thy weapons, thy quiver, and thy bow, and go·​·out to the field, and hunt for me a hunting.
4 And make for me savory meats1, such as I have loved, and bring to me, and I will eat, so·​·that my soul may bless thee before I die.
5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son; and Esau went to the field to hunt for a hunting, to bring it.
6 And Rebekah said to Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring to me a hunting, and make for me savory meats, and I will eat, and will bless thee before Jehovah before my death.
8 And now my son, obey my voice, according·​·to that which I command thee.
9 Go now to the flock, and take for me from thence two good kids of the she-goats, and I will make them savory meats for thy father, such as he loves.
10 And thou shalt bring to thy father, and he shall eat, in·​·order that he may bless thee before his death.
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall be in his eyes as one who misleads; and I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said to him, Upon me be thy curse, my son; only obey my voice, and go, take for me.
14 And he went, and took, and brought to his mother; and his mother made savory meats, such as his father loved.
15 And Rebekah took garments of desires of Esau her elder son that were with her in the house, and clothed Jacob her younger son.
16 And the skins of the kids of the she-goats she caused him to be clothed·​·with on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck.
17 And she gave the savory meats and the bread, which she had made, into the hand of Jacob her son.
18 And he came to his father and said, My father; and he said, Behold me, who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done as thou didst speak to me; arise, I pray thee, sit, and eat of my hunting, so·​·that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said to his son, How is this that thou made·​·haste to find it, my son? And he said, For Jehovah thy God made it happen before me.
21 And Isaac said to Jacob, Approach, I pray, and I will feel thee my son, whether thou be this my son Esau, or not.
22 And Jacob approached Isaac his father, and he felt him, and said, The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he recognized him not, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; and he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou this my son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Present it to me, and I will eat of my son’s hunting, so·​·that my soul may bless thee; and he presented it to him, and he ate, and he brought to him wine, and he drank.
26 And Isaac his father said to him, Approach, I pray, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he approached, and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah has blessed.
28 And God shall give to thee of the dew of the heavens, and of fat things2 of the earth, and a multitude of grain and must3.
29 Peoples shall serve thee, and nations shall bow· themselves ·down to thee. Be thou a master to thy brothers, and let thy mother’s sons bow· themselves ·down to thee; cursed are they who curse thee, and blessed are they who bless thee.
30 And it was, as Isaac completed blessing Jacob—and Jacob going·​·out was only just gone·​·out from the faces of Isaac his father—that Esau his brother came·​·in from his hunting.
31 And he also made savory meats, and brought to his father, and he said to his father, Let my father arise and eat of the hunting of his son, so·​·that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said to him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau.
33 And Isaac shuddered with a shuddering, even very great, and said, Who then is he that has hunted a hunting, and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and blessed him? Yea, and he shall be blessed.
34 As Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and bitter cry, even exceedingly, and said to his father, Bless me, me also, my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with deceit, and has taken thy blessing.
36 And he said, Does he not call his name Jacob4? And he has supplanted me these two·​·times; he has taken my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have set him a master to thee, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants; and with grain and must I have supported him; and what then shall I do for thee, my son?
38 And Esau said to his father, Hast thou but this one blessing, my father? Bless me, me also, O my father. And Esau lifted·​·up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, of the fat things of the earth shall be thy dwelling, and of the dew of the heavens from above.
40 And upon thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother, and it shall be when thou shalt dominate, that thou shalt pull· his yoke ·off from upon thy neck.
41 And Esau hated Jacob on·​·account·​·of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father come·​·near, and I will kill Jacob my brother.
42 And the words of Esau her elder son were·​·told to Rebekah; and she sent and called to Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, Esau thy brother comforts himself as·​·to thee to kill thee.
43 And now, my son, obey my voice, and arise, run·​·away to Laban my brother, to Haran.
44 And dwell with him some days until thy brother’s fury turn·​·back,
45 until the anger of thy brother turn·​·back from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him, and I will send and take thee from thence. Why should I be bereaved even of the two of you in one day?
46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I loathe my life on·​·account·​·of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob should take a woman of the daughters of Heth as these, of the daughters of the land, why have I lives5?

1“In the original language ‘savories’ [or ‘delicacies’] signify things that are delightful and pleasing to the taste” (AC 3502).

2“the fat things,” literally, “the oil,” here and in verse 39

3“Must” (here and in verse 37) is grape juice that has not yet been fermented into wine.

4The name “Jacob” in Hebrew is related both to the noun meaning “heel” and to the verb meaning “to supplant,” that is, “to take by the heel.”

5“The reason why here and in other passages ‘lives’ are spoken of in the plural is that there are two faculties of life in man ... called the understanding ... and the will.... This is the reason why in the Hebrew language frequent mention is made of ‘lives’” (AC 3623).