Jacob and Esau

Genesis 25:19-34

25 ¹⁹ This is the story of Isaac. Abraham had a son named Isaac. ²⁰ When Isaac was 40 years old, he married Rebekah. Rebekah was from Paddan Aram. She was Bethuel’s daughter and the sister of Laban the Aramean. ²¹Isaac’s wife could not have children. So Isaac prayed to the Lord for her. The Lord heard Isaac’s prayer, and he allowed Rebekah to become pregnant.

²² While Rebekah was pregnant, the babies inside her struggled with one another. She prayed to the Lord and said, “What is happening to me?” ²³The Lord said to her, 

“The leaders of two nations are in your body. Two nations will come from you, and they will be divided. One of them will be stronger, and the older will serve the younger.” 

²⁴ When the right time came, Rebekah gave birth to twins. ²⁵ The first baby was red. His skin was like a hairy robe. So he was named Esau.^e 26When the second baby was born, he was holding tightly to Esau’s heel. So that baby was named Jacob.^f Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born.

²⁷ The boys grew up. Esau became a skilled hunter, who loved to be out in the fields. But Jacob was a quiet man, who stayed at home. ²⁸ Isaac loved Esau. He liked to eat the animals Esau killed. But Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ One day Esau came back from hunting. He was tired and weak from hunger. Jacob was boiling a pot of beans. ³⁰ So Esau said to Jacob, “I am weak with hunger. Let me have some of that red soup.” (That is why people call him “Red.”^g)

³¹ But Jacob said, “You must sell me your rights as the firstborn son.^h”

³² Esau said, “I am almost dead with hunger, so what good are these rights to me now?”

³³ But Jacob said, “First, promise me that you will give them to me.” So Esau made an oath to him and sold his rights as the firstborn son to Jacob.³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil^j soup. Esau ate the food, had something to drink, and then left. So Esau showed that he did not care about his rights as the firstborn son.

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e 25:25 Esau This name is like the word meaning “hairy.”

f 25:26 Jacob This name is like the Hebrew word meaning “heel.” It also means “the one who follows” or “tricky.”

g 25:30 Red Literally, “Edom,” a name that means “red.”

h 25:31 rights as the firstborn son Usually, after the father died, the firstborn son got half of the father’s property and became the new head of the family. Also in verse 34.

j 25:34 lentil A type of bean.