Description
In this chapter, Isaac blesses Jacob and Esau after Jacob cheats his brother out of the blessing of the firstborn.
Commentary
This chapter describes the manner in which the promises and blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant were passed from Isaac to his younger son Jacob, rather than to his older son Esau. Isaac had intended to pass them to Esau, but Isaac's wife Rebecca persuaded Jacob to deceive his father, and Isaac, who was blind by this time, blessed Jacob, thinking that he was blessing Esau. When the deception was revealed, it was too late for Jacob's blessing to be retracted, and Esau received a lesser blessing.
Isaac's blessing over Jacob is recorded in verses 27 to 29:
“Yes, my son smells like the scent of an open field which the Lord has blessed. 28 May God give you the dew of the sky and the richness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. 29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. You will be lord over your brothers, and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
Verse 28 is a blessing of prosperity for Jacob and his descendants (the Israelites), that their land will be fertile and plentiful. In verse 29, Jacob is made lord over his brother, such that Esau's descendants (the Edomites) would have to bow down and be subservient to the Israelites. And it ends with the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant, that those who bless the Israelites will be blessed and those who curse them will be cursed, as in Genesis 12:3.
Isaac's blessing over Esau is recorded in verses 39 to 40:
“Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the sky above. 40 You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck.”
After the exodus, Jacob's descendants lived in the promised land of Israel, which was very fertile. By contrast, Esau's descendants lived in the more arid region of Seir, between the southern tip of the Dead Sea and Aqaba by the Red Sea. In later times, Edom was seen to extend south as far as Dedan (Jeremiah 49:8, Ezekiel 25:13). Dedan is modern-day Al-Ula in western Saudi Arabia, a little north of Medina. As well as marrying Canaanite wives, Esau married Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). Perhaps it was Esau's descendants through Mahalath that lived further south in what was also Ishmaelite territory.
Isaac's blessing over Jacob is recorded in verses 27 to 29:
“Yes, my son smells like the scent of an open field which the Lord has blessed. 28 May God give you the dew of the sky and the richness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. 29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. You will be lord over your brothers, and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
Verse 28 is a blessing of prosperity for Jacob and his descendants (the Israelites), that their land will be fertile and plentiful. In verse 29, Jacob is made lord over his brother, such that Esau's descendants (the Edomites) would have to bow down and be subservient to the Israelites. And it ends with the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant, that those who bless the Israelites will be blessed and those who curse them will be cursed, as in Genesis 12:3.
Isaac's blessing over Esau is recorded in verses 39 to 40:
“Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the sky above. 40 You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck.”
After the exodus, Jacob's descendants lived in the promised land of Israel, which was very fertile. By contrast, Esau's descendants lived in the more arid region of Seir, between the southern tip of the Dead Sea and Aqaba by the Red Sea. In later times, Edom was seen to extend south as far as Dedan (Jeremiah 49:8, Ezekiel 25:13). Dedan is modern-day Al-Ula in western Saudi Arabia, a little north of Medina. As well as marrying Canaanite wives, Esau married Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). Perhaps it was Esau's descendants through Mahalath that lived further south in what was also Ishmaelite territory.
Verses 41-45 tell us that Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to Jacob, and made plans to kill him after Isaac died. Rebecca found out about this and sent Jacob away to Haran to stay with his Uncle Laban until Esau's anger had subsided. Genesis 33 tells the story of how Jacob later returned and was reconciled with Esau. However, the Israelites and Edomites were hostile towards each other from the time of the Exodus (Numbers 20:14-20). King David subjugated Edom (1 Chronicles 18:13) so that it became part of Israel's small empire during his and Solomon's reigns. David's commander, Joab, is said to have killed nearly every male in Edom (1 Kings 11:15-17). Edom later rebelled against Judah in about 845 BC, during the reign of King Jehoram and chose their own king (2 Kings 8:20-22). Later, in about 770 BC, King Amaziah of Judah defeated and killed 10,000 Edomites (2 Kings 14:7). In about 720 BC, during the reign of King Ahaz, the Edomites attacked Judah and took captives. In 586 BC, when the Babylonians conquered Judah, Obadiah (v10-14) records that the Edomites joined in the slaughter. They behaved as though they were in league with the Babylonians, and gloated when their relatives, the Jews, suffered calamity. They entered the city and joined in the looting, slaughtering those who were trying to escape. This act of betrayal is greatly condemned in several passages (Psalm 137:7, Lamentations 4:21-22, Ezekiel 25:12-14; 35:1-15, Isaiah 34:5-15; 63-1-6), as well as in Obadiah.
Psalm 137:7-9 gives a similar account of Edom's reaction to the fall of Jerusalem, "Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!” O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who repays you for what you dished out to us! How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies and smashes them on a rock!" This coming judgment that the psalmist proclaims may have been partly fulfilled in history. In about 500 BC, the Nabatean Arabs conquered northern Edom (the region of Seir), and the surviving Edomites were absorbed into southern Judea, which became known as Idumea during the Greek and Roman period. The Hasmonean Jews forced the Idumeans to be circumcised and follow Judaism. When the Romans conquered the Hasmonean kingdom of Israel, they placed Herod, who was an Idumean, as king over Israel, and he ruled from 37 BC until shortly after the birth of Jesus. He became known as Herod the Great, and greatly expanded the second temple.
Considering the fulfilment of Isaac's prophecy that Jacob would be lord over his brother Esau (v29), historically the Edomites were subject to Israel for fairly short periods (about 150 years from King David to King Jehoram) and for about another 100 years during the Hasmonean period. In verse 40, Isaac prophesied over Esau, "You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck." At least a partial fulfilment of this may be seen in Edom's rebellion against Israelite rule during the reign of King Jehoram.
From an end-time perspective, God's judgment of Edom is mentioned more in the bible than the judgment of any other nation (Psalm 137:7-9, Isaiah 11:14, 21:11-12, 34:5-17, 63:1-6, Jeremiah 9:25-26, 25:17-26, 49:7-12, Lamentations 4:21-22, Ezekiel 25:12-14, 35:1-15, Joel 3:19, Amos 1:11-12, 9:11-12, Obadiah, Malachi 1:4, or Search by Place: Edom). Many of these passages clearly fit an end-time context rather than an historical one. For example, in Isaiah 63:1-6, Jesus is pictured coming from his judgment of Edom, his clothes splattered with the blood of those whom he has slaughtered. He later arrives at the battle of Armageddon in the same blood-stained clothes (Revelation 19:13-15). Edom covered much of Arabia, which is referred to figuratively as Babylon in Isaiah 21, and as 'daughter Babylon' in Psalm 137. Revelation 17-18 interprets this as 'Mystery Babylon' and the 'Great Prostitute' who rides upon the end-time beast empire. Speaking about the coming 'Day of the Lord', Obadiah (v15-21) prophesies that the descendants of Jacob will become like a fire, and the descendants of Esau will become like stubble that will be burned up by the fire. The end result is that restored Israel will rule over Edom's mountain (i.e. kingdom), with the Lord (i.e. Jesus) reigning as King.
Consequently, Edom must be understood as a nation or people-group that continues today and will feature prominently in end-time events. Geographically, Edom covered a region that includes what is now southern Jordan and north-western Saudi Arabia. Today we would call the Edomites Arabs, although Arab should be understood as a more general term. In the bible, the desert people of Arabia are first described as Arabs in 2 Chronicles 17:11 when they brought sheep and goats as tribute to King Jehoshaphat of Judah in the 9th century BC. The word 'Arab' means literally 'mixed' and may be a more generic term used to describe the mixed peoples of Arabia. That said, 2 Chronicles 21:16 refers to "the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites", so Arab was not an all-inclusive term for the residents of the Arabian Peninsula. Today the term Arab is used to describe anyone whose native language is Arabic, and due to the spread of Islam and widespread Arabization of the Middle East and North Africa, it has become a much more general term. My assumption is that end time prophecies about Edom still relate to the same geographic area that was referred to as Edom in the Old Testament period (i.e. what is now southern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia).
In the 7th century AD, Islam arose out of Arabia, rapidly spreading westward across North Africa and eastward across the Near East and Central Asia. Jerusalem was besieged, and surrendered in 637 AD. By that time Jerusalem was a Christian city, not a Jewish one, and the Roman-Byzantine empire had prohibited Jews from living there for the previous 500 years or so. For most of the next twelve hundred years, Middle Eastern Jews and Christians lived as subjugated peoples under Islamic domination, in accordance with the Pact of Umar, and Islamic Sharia law. As such, Jews and Christians were allowed to live and follow their own religion as long as they paid the 'jizya' tax and obeyed various rules that demonstrated their inferior status as subjugated people living under Islamic rule. In the 19th century, western colonial expansion liberated many Middle Eastern Jews and Christians, freeing them to live as equals amongst Muslims. After the re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, most Middle Eastern Jews were expelled from their countries and emigrated to Israel.
So historically, it might be said that the descendants of Jacob have had to serve the descendants of Esau, more than the other way round.
Psalm 137:7-9 gives a similar account of Edom's reaction to the fall of Jerusalem, "Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!” O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who repays you for what you dished out to us! How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies and smashes them on a rock!" This coming judgment that the psalmist proclaims may have been partly fulfilled in history. In about 500 BC, the Nabatean Arabs conquered northern Edom (the region of Seir), and the surviving Edomites were absorbed into southern Judea, which became known as Idumea during the Greek and Roman period. The Hasmonean Jews forced the Idumeans to be circumcised and follow Judaism. When the Romans conquered the Hasmonean kingdom of Israel, they placed Herod, who was an Idumean, as king over Israel, and he ruled from 37 BC until shortly after the birth of Jesus. He became known as Herod the Great, and greatly expanded the second temple.
Considering the fulfilment of Isaac's prophecy that Jacob would be lord over his brother Esau (v29), historically the Edomites were subject to Israel for fairly short periods (about 150 years from King David to King Jehoram) and for about another 100 years during the Hasmonean period. In verse 40, Isaac prophesied over Esau, "You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck." At least a partial fulfilment of this may be seen in Edom's rebellion against Israelite rule during the reign of King Jehoram.
From an end-time perspective, God's judgment of Edom is mentioned more in the bible than the judgment of any other nation (Psalm 137:7-9, Isaiah 11:14, 21:11-12, 34:5-17, 63:1-6, Jeremiah 9:25-26, 25:17-26, 49:7-12, Lamentations 4:21-22, Ezekiel 25:12-14, 35:1-15, Joel 3:19, Amos 1:11-12, 9:11-12, Obadiah, Malachi 1:4, or Search by Place: Edom). Many of these passages clearly fit an end-time context rather than an historical one. For example, in Isaiah 63:1-6, Jesus is pictured coming from his judgment of Edom, his clothes splattered with the blood of those whom he has slaughtered. He later arrives at the battle of Armageddon in the same blood-stained clothes (Revelation 19:13-15). Edom covered much of Arabia, which is referred to figuratively as Babylon in Isaiah 21, and as 'daughter Babylon' in Psalm 137. Revelation 17-18 interprets this as 'Mystery Babylon' and the 'Great Prostitute' who rides upon the end-time beast empire. Speaking about the coming 'Day of the Lord', Obadiah (v15-21) prophesies that the descendants of Jacob will become like a fire, and the descendants of Esau will become like stubble that will be burned up by the fire. The end result is that restored Israel will rule over Edom's mountain (i.e. kingdom), with the Lord (i.e. Jesus) reigning as King.
Consequently, Edom must be understood as a nation or people-group that continues today and will feature prominently in end-time events. Geographically, Edom covered a region that includes what is now southern Jordan and north-western Saudi Arabia. Today we would call the Edomites Arabs, although Arab should be understood as a more general term. In the bible, the desert people of Arabia are first described as Arabs in 2 Chronicles 17:11 when they brought sheep and goats as tribute to King Jehoshaphat of Judah in the 9th century BC. The word 'Arab' means literally 'mixed' and may be a more generic term used to describe the mixed peoples of Arabia. That said, 2 Chronicles 21:16 refers to "the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites", so Arab was not an all-inclusive term for the residents of the Arabian Peninsula. Today the term Arab is used to describe anyone whose native language is Arabic, and due to the spread of Islam and widespread Arabization of the Middle East and North Africa, it has become a much more general term. My assumption is that end time prophecies about Edom still relate to the same geographic area that was referred to as Edom in the Old Testament period (i.e. what is now southern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia).
In the 7th century AD, Islam arose out of Arabia, rapidly spreading westward across North Africa and eastward across the Near East and Central Asia. Jerusalem was besieged, and surrendered in 637 AD. By that time Jerusalem was a Christian city, not a Jewish one, and the Roman-Byzantine empire had prohibited Jews from living there for the previous 500 years or so. For most of the next twelve hundred years, Middle Eastern Jews and Christians lived as subjugated peoples under Islamic domination, in accordance with the Pact of Umar, and Islamic Sharia law. As such, Jews and Christians were allowed to live and follow their own religion as long as they paid the 'jizya' tax and obeyed various rules that demonstrated their inferior status as subjugated people living under Islamic rule. In the 19th century, western colonial expansion liberated many Middle Eastern Jews and Christians, freeing them to live as equals amongst Muslims. After the re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, most Middle Eastern Jews were expelled from their countries and emigrated to Israel.
So historically, it might be said that the descendants of Jacob have had to serve the descendants of Esau, more than the other way round.
Saudi Arabia's flag displays a sword, together with the Islamic statement of faith in Arabic, which might be understood as a modern day illustration of the fulfilment of verse 40, "You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck.” Perhaps it was through the rise of Islam that Esau ultimately lived by the sword, and tore off the yoke of Judeo-Christian domination.
Tags
Places: Israel, Edom, Jordan, Saudi Arabia
Symbols: Sword
Tags: Abrahamic covenant, Mystery Babylon
Symbols: Sword
Tags: Abrahamic covenant, Mystery Babylon
Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing
27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau replied. 2 Isaac said, “Since I am so old, I could die at any time. 3 Therefore, take your weapons—your quiver and your bow—and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game for me. 4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then I will eat it so that I may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now then, my son, do exactly what I tell you! 9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 10 Then you will take it to your father. Thus he will eat it and bless you before he dies.”
11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, my son! Just obey me! Go and get them for me!”
14 So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother. She prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it. 15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” 20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world did you find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” 22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.” 23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. 24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob replied. 25 Isaac said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. Then I will bless you.” So Jacob brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,
“Yes, my son smells
like the scent of an open field
which the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you
the dew of the sky
and the richness of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
You will be lord over your brothers,
and the sons of your mother will bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau said to him, “My father, get up and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 32 His father Isaac asked, “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” he replied, “Esau!” 33 Isaac began to shake violently and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. He will indeed be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 35 But Isaac replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away your blessing.” 36 Esau exclaimed, “Jacob is the right name for him! He has tripped me up two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”
37 Isaac replied to Esau, “Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” Then Esau wept loudly.
39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
40 You will live by your sword
but you will serve your brother.
When you grow restless,
you will tear off his yoke
from your neck.”
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. Esau said privately, “The time of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill my brother Jacob!”
42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, she quickly summoned her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say. Run away immediately to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Live with him for a little while until your brother’s rage subsides. 45 Stay there until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!”
27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau replied. 2 Isaac said, “Since I am so old, I could die at any time. 3 Therefore, take your weapons—your quiver and your bow—and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game for me. 4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then I will eat it so that I may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now then, my son, do exactly what I tell you! 9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 10 Then you will take it to your father. Thus he will eat it and bless you before he dies.”
11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, my son! Just obey me! Go and get them for me!”
14 So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother. She prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it. 15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” 20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world did you find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” 22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.” 23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. 24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob replied. 25 Isaac said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. Then I will bless you.” So Jacob brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,
“Yes, my son smells
like the scent of an open field
which the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you
the dew of the sky
and the richness of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
You will be lord over your brothers,
and the sons of your mother will bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau said to him, “My father, get up and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 32 His father Isaac asked, “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” he replied, “Esau!” 33 Isaac began to shake violently and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. He will indeed be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 35 But Isaac replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away your blessing.” 36 Esau exclaimed, “Jacob is the right name for him! He has tripped me up two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”
37 Isaac replied to Esau, “Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” Then Esau wept loudly.
39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
40 You will live by your sword
but you will serve your brother.
When you grow restless,
you will tear off his yoke
from your neck.”
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. Esau said privately, “The time of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill my brother Jacob!”
42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, she quickly summoned her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say. Run away immediately to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Live with him for a little while until your brother’s rage subsides. 45 Stay there until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!”
(NET)
