(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)

Toldot

25:19. And these are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac: 20. And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebeccah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21. And Isaac entreated the LORD* for his wife, because she was barren, and the LORD* was entreated by him and Rebeccah his wife conceived. 22. And the children struggled together within her and she said, “If it is so, why am I like this?” And she went to inquire of the LORD*. 23. And the LORD* said to her, “Two nations are in your womb and two kinds of people will be separated from your body, and the one people will be stronger than the other people and the elder will serve the younger.” (Rom. 9:12)

25:24. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25. And the first came out, red all over like a hairy garment and they called his name Esau (Esav). 26. And after that his brother came out and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel, and his name was called Jacob (Yaakov) and Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27. And the boys grew and Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a plain man, living in tents. 28. And Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his venison, but Rebeccah loved Jacob.

25:29. And Jacob made a stew and Esau came from the field and he was weary. 30. And Esau said to Jacob, “Feed me, I pray you, with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom, Red. 31. And Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright this day.” 32. And Esau said, “Look, I am at the point of death, so what good will this birthright do me?” 33. And Jacob said, “Swear to me this day.” And he swore to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob. 34. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, then got up and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Isaac Calls Rebeccah His Sister

26.1. And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.

2. And the LORD* appeared to him and said, “Do not go down into Egypt. Stay in the land which I shall tell you about. 3. Sojourn in this land and I shall be with you, and will bless you, for I shall give all these countries to you and to your seed, and I shall perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4. And I shall make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven and will give to your seed all these countries. And in your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed. 5. Because Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My Torahs (Teachings).”

26:6. So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7. And the men of the place asked him about his wife and he said, “She is my sister.” For he feared to say, “She is my wife.” In case, he said, “The men of the place would kill me for Rebeccah,” because she was fair to look upon. 8. And it happened, when he had been there a long time that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window and saw and, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebeccah his wife. 9. And Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Look here! She surely is your wife, so why did you say, ‘She is my sister?’” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die for her.’” 10. And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of our people might lightly have lain with your wife and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11. And Abimelech charged all his people saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

Hundredfold Return

26:12. Then Isaac sowed in that land, and in the same year reaped a hundredfold, and the LORD* blessed him. 13. And the man became great and kept increasing and grew until he became very great, 14. for he owned flocks, herds, and had numerous servants, and the Philistines envied him. 15. For all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. 16. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go from us, for you are much mightier than we.” 17. And Isaac left from there and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and lived there. 18. And Isaac dug the wells of water again, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19. And Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water. 20. And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” And he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21. And they dug another well and quarreled for that also, and he called the name of it Sitnah. 22. And he left from there and dug another well and they did not argue for that: and he called its name Rehoboth, and he said, “For now the LORD* has made room for us and we will be fruitful in the land.” 23. And he went up from there to Beer-Sheba. 24. And the LORD* appeared to him the same night and said, “I AM the God of Abraham your father. Do not be in awe! I AM with you and will bless you and multiply your seed for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25. And he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD* and pitched his tent there and Isaac’s servants dug a well there.

26:26. Then Abimelech, his friend Ahazzath, and Fikhol the chief captain of his army went to him from Gerar. 27. And Isaac said to them, “Why did you come to me, seeing you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28. And they said, “We saw that the LORD* was certainly with you and we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you 29. so that you will do us no hurt, as we have not touched you and as we have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD*.’” 30. And he made them a feast and they ate and drank. 31. And they got up early in the morning and swore one to another, then Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32. And it was the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33. And he called it Shibah: therefore the name of the city is Beer-Sheba to this day.

26:34. And Esau was forty years old when he took for wives Judith the daughter of Be’eri the Hittite, and Basemat the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35. And they were a source of a bitter spirit for Isaac and Rebeccah.

Blessing Goes to Jacob

27.1. And it was that when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 2. And he said, “Behold now, I am old, I do not know the day of my death. 3. Now take, I beg you, your weapons, your quiver and your bow and go out to the field and take me some venison. 4. And make me savory meat, such as I love and bring it to me, so I can eat, so I can bless you before I die.” 5. But Rebeccah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison and to bring it.

27:6. And Rebeccah spoke to Jacob her son saying, “Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother saying, 7. ‘Bring me venison and make me savory meat, so I may eat and bless you before the LORD* before my death.’ 8. So now, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you. 9. Go now to the flock and fetch me from there two good kids of the goats, and I shall make savory meat for your father, such as he loves. 10. And you will bring it to your father, so he may eat and so he can bless you before his death.”

27:11. And Jacob said to Rebeccah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man. 12. Perhaps my father will feel me and    I shall seem to him as a mocker, and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.”

27:13. And his mother said to him, “Your curse will be upon me, my son. Only obey my voice and go get them for me.”

27:14. And he went, and got them and brought them to his mother and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved. 15. And Rebeccah took clean garments of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands and upon the smooth nape of his neck, 17. then she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

27:18. And he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19. And Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done according as you asked me. Get up now, please. Sit and eat of my venison, so your soul can bless me.” 20. And Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the LORD* your God brought it to me.” 21. And Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, please, so I can feel you, my son, whether or not you are my very son, Esau.” 22. And Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23. And he did not discern him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. 24. And he said, “Are you my very son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” 25. And he said, “Bring it near to me and I shall eat of my son’s venison, so my soul may bless you.” And he brought it near to him and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26. And his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27. And he came near and kissed him, and he smelled the smell of his raiment and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD* has blessed. 28. And may God give you of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29. Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you.” (Gen. 12:3, Heb. 11:20)

27:30. And it was, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31. And he also had made savory meat and brought it to his father and said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat of his son’s venison, so you yourself may^. bless me.” 32. And Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn Esau.” 33. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said, “Who? Where is he who has taken venison and brought it to me and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed” 34. And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, me too, O my father.” 35. And he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.” 36. And he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has outwitted me these two times: he took away my birthright and, behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37. And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold; I have made him your master and I have given all his brothers to him for servants, and with grain and wine have I sustained him: and what will I do now for you, my son?” 38. And Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, me too, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, your dwelling will be of the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven from above. 40. And by your sword will you live, and will serve your brother. And it will be when you have the dominion, that you will break his yoke from off your neck.” (Heb. 11:20)

27:41. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I shall slay my brother Jacob.” 42. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebeccah and she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau, as touching you, comforts himself, purposing to kill you. 43. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Rise, flee for yourself to Laban my brother in Haran. 44. And tarry with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away. 45. Until your brother’s anger turns away from you and he forgets that which you have done to him, then I shall send and fetch you from there. Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?”

27:46. And Rebeccah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?”

Jacob Goes to Get a Wife

28.1. And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him and said to him, 2. “You will not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father and take a wife for yourself from there of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3. And God Almighty will bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so you will be an asssembled multitude of people, 4. and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, so you may inherit the land in which you are living, which God gave to Abraham.” 5. And Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Padan-Aram, to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebeccah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

28:6. When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan-Aram, to take a wife for himself from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge saying, “You will not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.” 7. And Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Padan-Aram. 8. And Esau, seeing that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the eyes of Isaac his father, 9. Esau then went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath to be his wife, in addition to the wives that he had. She was the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.

Next week’s Torah readings: Vayeitsei

(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)