Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 25:19-34 - New International Version (2024)

Jacob and Esau

¹⁹This is the account^(A) of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, ²⁰and Isaac was forty years old^(B) when he married Rebekah^(C) daughter of Bethuel^(D) the Aramean from Paddan Aram^[a](E) and sister of Laban^(F) the Aramean.^(G)

²¹Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.^(H) The Lord answered his prayer,^(I) and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. ²²The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.^(J)

²³The Lord said to her,

“Two nations^(K) are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.^(L)”

²⁴When the time came for her to give birth,^(M) there were twin boys in her womb.^{(N) 25}The first to come out was red,^(O) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;^(P) so they named him Esau.^{[b](Q) 26}After this, his brother came out,^(R) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;^(S) so he was named Jacob.^[c](T) Isaac was sixty years old^(U) when Rebekah gave birth to them.

²⁷The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,^(V) a man of the open country,^(W) while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. ²⁸Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,^(X) loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.^(Y)

²⁹Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,^(Z) Esau came in from the open country,^(AA) famished. ³⁰He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!^(AB) I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.^[d])^(AC)

³¹Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.^(AD)”

³²“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

³³But Jacob said, “Swear^(AE) to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright^(AF) to Jacob.

³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.^(AG) He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Footnotes

1. Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
2. Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
3. Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
4. Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.

Cross references

1. Genesis 25:19 : S Ge 2:4
2. Genesis 25:20 : ver 26; Ge 26:34; 35:28
3. Genesis 25:20 : S Ge 24:67
4. Genesis 25:20 : S Ge 22:22
5. Genesis 25:20 : Ge 28:2, 5, 6; 30:20; 31:18; 33:18; 35:9, 26; 46:15; 48:7
6. Genesis 25:20 : S Ge 24:29
7. Genesis 25:20 : Ge 31:20, 24; Dt 26:5
8. Genesis 25:21 : S Ge 11:30
9. Genesis 25:21 : Ge 30:17, 22; 1Sa 1:17, 23; 1Ch 5:20; 2Ch 33:13; Ezr 8:23; Ps 127:3
10. Genesis 25:22 : Ex 18:15; 28:30; 33:7; Lev 24:12; Nu 9:6-8; 27:5, 21; Dt 17:9; Jdg 18:5; 1Sa 9:9; 10:22; 14:36; 22:10; 1Ki 22:8; 2Ki 3:11; 22:13; Isa 30:2; Jer 21:2; 37:7, 17; Eze 14:7; 20:1, 3
11. Genesis 25:23 : S Ge 17:4
12. Genesis 25:23 : S Ge 9:25; 48:14, 19; Ro 9:11-12*
13. Genesis 25:24 : Lk 1:57; 2:6
14. Genesis 25:24 : Ge 38:27
15. Genesis 25:25 : 1Sa 16:12
16. Genesis 25:25 : Ge 27:11
17. Genesis 25:25 : Ge 27:1, 15
18. Genesis 25:26 : Ge 38:29
19. Genesis 25:26 : Hos 12:3
20. Genesis 25:26 : Ge 27:36; 32:27; Dt 23:7; Jos 24:4; Ob 1:10, 12
21. Genesis 25:26 : S ver 7,S 20
22. Genesis 25:27 : S Ge 10:9
23. Genesis 25:27 : ver 29; Ge 27:3, 5
24. Genesis 25:28 : Ge 27:3, 4, 9, 14, 19
25. Genesis 25:28 : Ge 27:6; 37:3
26. Genesis 25:29 : 2Ki 4:38-40
27. Genesis 25:29 : S ver 27
28. Genesis 25:30 : ver 34
29. Genesis 25:30 : Ge 32:3; 36:1, 8, 8-9, 19; Nu 20:14; Dt 23:7; Ps 137:7; Jer 25:21; 40:11; 49:7
30. Genesis 25:31 : Dt 21:16-17; 1Ch 5:1-2
31. Genesis 25:33 : S Ge 21:23; S 47:31
32. Genesis 25:33 : Ge 27:36; Heb 12:16
33. Genesis 25:34 : ver 30