1 Many years later, when Isaac was really old and he could not see very well, he called out to his oldest son. He said, “Esau, my son.”
2 Isaac said, “I am getting really old and I do not know when I will die.
3 I want you to go hunting. Take your bow and arrows and get some bush meat for me.
4 I want you to cook that meat with bush leaves, just the way I like it. Bring it to me and I will eat it and then I will ask God to bless you. I will ask him to be good to you and make you strong. You will get more than anyone else when I die and you will get the promises God made to Abraham and to me. I must do this before I die.”
5 And so, Esau left his father and went hunting.Esau went hunting to get food for Isaac|src="CO00678b.tif" size="col" copy="David cook" ref="27:5" Isaac did not know that Rebekah was outside and heard what he had said to Esau.
8 Jacob. Do what I tell you.
9 Go and get 2 of our best young goats and bring them here. I will cook them with leaves just the way your father likes to eat his meat.
10 When it is ready, you can take the food to him and your father will say all the things to you that he was going to say to Esau.”
11 Jacob said to his mother, “But Esau is a hairy man and I am not. My skin is smooth.
12 What if my father touches my skin? He will know that I am tricking him and instead of asking God to do good things for me he would ask God to put a curse on me.”
13 Rebekah said to him, “If anything goes wrong, I will take the curse. Go and do what I tell you and get those goats for me!”
14 So, Jacob went and got the goats and took them to his mother. She cooked the meat with bush leaves, just like Isaac liked it.
15 She went into the house and found Esau's best clothes and put them on Jacob.
16 Then she took the skins from the goats and tied them onto Jacob's hands and neck.
17 She gave Jacob the tasty meat and the bread that she had made.
18 Jacob took them and went into his father's room and said, “Father.”
19 Jacob said, “I am Esau, your oldest son. I have done what you asked me to do. Please sit up and eat this bush meat and then you can ask the Lord to bless me. When you do that, the Lord will do good things for me and make me strong.”
20 Isaac asked him, “How did you find the meat so quickly?”
21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Come here so that I can touch you. Then I will know if you really are Esau or someone else.”
24 But to make sure, he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?”
25 And so Isaac said, “My son, give me some of that meat and then I will ask God to bless you and do good things for you and make you strong.”
26 Isaac said to Jacob, “Come close to me my son and kiss me.”
27 Jacob went to Isaac and kissed him. Isaac smelled Esau's clothes that Jacob was wearing and so he blessed him and asked God to do good things for him and make him strong. He said,
28 I want God to give you good country and good rain.
29 I ask God to make you strong so that you are boss over other nations, and they will bow down to show you respect.
30 Just after Jacob left Isaac's tent, Esau came home from hunting.
31 He cooked the meat with bush leaves and took it to his father. He said, “Hello father, I have cooked the meat the way you like it. Sit up and eat it and then you can bless me and ask God to do good things for me and make me strong.”
32 Isaac said, “Who are you?”
33 Isaac was really frightened and nearly took a fit. He was shaking and said, “Someone just gave me bush meat and I ate it. Who was that? I have just asked God to be good to him and he will take my place after I die. What I asked God for him will come true.”
34 When Esau heard what Isaac said, he was very upset and started to cry out loud. He said, “My father, can you bless me and ask God to do good things for me too and make me strong?”
35 Isaac answered, “Your brother was the one who gave me the meat. He tricked me and I blessed him. I asked God to be good to him and make him strong. He has taken the special words I was going to say for you.”
36 Esau said, “You really did call him the right name. His name means Tricky One and now he has tricked me 2 times. He took my place as head of the family and now he has taken my blessing. Can you bless me too father and ask God to be good to me and make me strong?”
37 Isaac answered, “Esau, I tell you now that I have made him boss over you. And all our relations will do what he says. I have given him all the food and wine that he needs. I have given him everything. I am sorry but I have nothing to give you.”
38 Esau said, “Please father, can you bless me and ask God to be good to me and make me strong? Can you just say something to make me strong too?” Then he started to cry out loud again.
39 Isaac answered him and said,
40 You will fight and steal from other people to get food all your life.
41 Esau hated Jacob for tricking their father, and he made up his mind to kill Jacob after his father died. Esau said to himself, “Jacob has stolen my blessing, he has stolen the special words that my father should have said to me!”
42 Rebekah heard about Esau's plan to kill Jacob, and so she called Jacob to come to her. She said, “Listen to me. Your brother Esau is planning to kill you. He wants to pay you back for what you did. If he kills you, he thinks everything will be alright.”
45 Esau will forget what you did to him, and then I will send a message to you so that you can come back. If he kills you, he might be killed too and I do not want to lose both of my sons on the same day.
46 Rebekah went to see Isaac and said, “I hate those Hittite women that Esau married. If Jacob marries a woman from this country my life will be too hard.”