Genesis

Toldot 25:19 - 28:9

19 And these are the generations (toldot) of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took (bechachto) Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, as a wife.

21 Isaac prayed (yitar) to Y-hova for his wife because she was barren. And Y-hova granted the plea (yiater) to him and Rebekah his wife conceived (tahar).

22 But the children struggled with violence (yitrotzatzu) inside her and she said, "if so, why this to me?". So she went to inquire of Y-hova. 23 And Y-hova said to her, "two nations (goyim) are in your womb and two peoples from within you shall be separated (yiparedu). One people will be stronger than the other and the older will serve the younger".

24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out ruddy (admoni), all over like a hairy cloak (aderet)  and they named him Esau. 26 And afterwards his brother came out and his hand took hold (ohezet) of Esau's heel (aqeb) and he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 The boys grew up, Esau became a knowing (yodea) hunter (tzayid), a man of the field but Jacob was a guiltless (tam) man dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 And Jacob cooked a stew and Esau came in from the field and he was weary (ayeph). 30 He said to Jacob, "please let me greedily swallow (haliteni) this red stew for I am weary". Upon this he was called Edom.

31 But Jacob said, "sell me your birthright as of this day". 32 And Esav said, "behold (hinneh) I am about to die (muut) , so what is this birthright to me?" 33 And Jacob said, "swear to me as of this day". So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esav bread and lentil stew. And he ate and drank and got up and went his way. Thus Esau despised (yibez) his birthright.

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

2 And Y-hova appeared (vayera) to him and said, "do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land where I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring and I will confirm the oath (shevuah) that I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will multiply your descendants as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all these lands and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in your seed 5 because Abraham obeyed (shama) My voice (kol) and kept (yishmor) My charge (mishmarti), My commandments (chukotai), My statutes (mitzvotai), and My laws (toroti)".

6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7 and the men of that place asked about his wife and he said, "she is my sister", for he was afraid to say "she is my wife lest the men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah because she is beautiful to behold".

8 And it came to pass that when he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked (yashkef) through a window (challon) and saw that there was Isaac jesting (misachek) with Rebekah his wife. 9 Abimelech called to Isaac and said, "behold (hinneh), surely she is your wife! How could you say, 'she is my sister'?". And Isaac said, "because I said lest I die (amuut) on account of her".

10 And Abimelech said, "what is this you have done to us? One of the people may soon have slept with your wife and you would have brought guilt upon us". 11 So Abimelech warned all his people, saying, "whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death".

12 And Isaac sowed in the land and reaped that year a hundredfold. And Y-hova blessed him 13 and the man began to prosper (gadal) and continued to prosper until he became very prosperous. 14 For he had many possessions of flocks and herds and servants so the Philistines envied (qanah) him. 15 And all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham the Philistines stopped up and filled them with earth (aphar). 

16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, "go away (lech) from us for you are much mightier (atsamta) than we are". 17 And Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there. 18 and again Isaac and dug (yachpor) the wells of water which they had dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham had died. And he called them by the names his father had called them.

19 And dug Isaac's servants in the valley and found there a well of water. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled (rib) with Isaac's herdsmen saying, "the water is ours!". So he named the well Esek because they quarreled (hitaseku)  with him. 21 And they dug another well and quarreled (yarivu) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well and they did not quarrel (ravu) over it. So he called its name Rehoboth and said, "now Y-hova has made room (hirhib) for us and we shall be fruitful (yifarinu) in the land".

23 From he went up from there to Beersheba 24 and Y-hova appeared to him that night and said, "I am the G-d of Abraham your father. Do not fear (yira) for I am with you and I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake (avur) of My servant Abraham". 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of Y-hova and he pitched his tent there and Isaac's servants dug a well there.

26 And Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, 'why have you come to me since you hate me and sent me away from you?". 28 But they said, "surely we have seen that Y-hova is with you, so we said there should now be an oath (alah) between two parties, between us and between you. Let us make a covenant (brit) with you 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you and since we have done to you only good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of Y-hova". 30 So he made them a feast and they ate and drank. 31 And they arose early in the morning and swore an oath to each other and then Isaac sent them away (salochem) and they departed (yelachu) from him in peace.

32 And it came to pass on that day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the cause (odot) of the well they had dug and said to him, "we have found water!". 33 So he called it Shibah and upon this the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief (morat) of mind (ruach) to Isaac and Rebekah.

1 And it came to pass when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim (tikhena) so he could not see (rah), that he called Esav his older son and said to him, "my son" and he answered him, "here I am" (hineni). 2 And he said, "behold now I am old and I do not know the day of my death. 3 Therefore please (na) take your weapons, your quiver and your bow and go out into the field and hunt (tsud) food (tsayid) for me. 4 And make me savoury food (matamim) such as I love and bring it to me, that I may eat, so that my soul (nafshi) may bless you before I die".

5 Now Rebekah was listening (soma'at) when Isaac spoke to his son Esav. And Esav went to the field to hunt game and bring it back. 6 And Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "behold, I heard your father speak to Esav your brother, saying 7 'bring me game and make savoury food for me that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of Y-hova before my death'. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey (sema) my voice (kol) according to what I command (tsavah) you. 9 Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats and I will make from them savoury food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall take it to your father that he may eat, that he may bless you before his death".

11 And said Jacob to his mother Rebekah, "look (hen), Esav my brother is a hairy (saiyr) man and I am smooth-skinned (chalak). 12 Perhaps my father will feel me? Then I shall seem to him to be a deceiver (kimtateya) and I shall bring upon myself a curse (qelalah) and not a blessing". 13 But his mother said to him, "let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice and go get them for me".

14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother and his mother made savoury food such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took the clothes of Esav her elder son, the finest (chamudot) that 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 on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she gave the savoury food and the bread which she had prepared into the hand of Jacob her son.

18 So he went 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 (anochi) Esav, your firstborn. I have done just as you told me. Please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me". 20 But Isaac said to his son, "how is it you have so quickly (miharta) found it (limzo), my son?". And he said, "because Y-hova your G-d (El-hecha) brought it to me".

21 And Isaac said to Jacob, "please come near (gesah) so I can feel (va'amushka) you, my son. You really are my son Esav, or not?". 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father and he felt him and said, "the voice (kol) is the voice of Jacob but the hands (yedeh) are the hands of Esav". 23 And Isaac did not recognise (nakar) him because his hands were hairy like Esav his brother; so he blessed him.

24 And he said, "is this you, my son Esav?" And he said, "I am". 25 And he said, "bring it near to me and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you". So he brought it near to him and he ate and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 And Isaac his father said to him, "please come near and kiss (nashak) me, my son". 27 And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his clothing and blessed him and said, "surely the smell (reyach) of my son is like the smell of a field that Y-hova has blessed.

28 Therefore may G-d (El-him) give you of the dew (tal) of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples (ammim) serve you and nations (ummim) bow down to you. Be master (gebir) over your brothers (ach) and let the sons of your mother bow down to you. Those who curse (arar) you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed".

30 And it came to pass as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and had scarcely (yatzo) gone out (yatza) from his father's presence, that Esav his brother came in from his hunting. 31 And he also made some savoury food and brought it to his father and said to his father, "let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me".

32 And Isaac his father said to him, "who are you?". And he said, "I am your firstborn son, Esav". 33 And trembled (yecherad) Isaac, trembling exceedingly (charadah) greatly (gedolah) even to (ad) very much (meod) and said, "who then is the one who hunted game and brought it to me and I ate of it before you came and I have blessed him. Indeed, he will be blessed!"

34 When Esau heard his father's words, he cried (yitzak) a cry (tze'acha) great (gedolah) and bitter (marah) and exceeding (meod) and said to his father, "bless me also (gam) me my father!". 35 And he said, "your brother came with deceit (mirmah) and has taken away (laqach) your blessing".

36 And Esav said, "is he not rightly called the name Jacob? For he has supplanted (vayakebeni) me these two times. He took my birthright away and behold now he has taken away my blessing". And he said, "haven't you reserved (azalta) a blessing for me?". 37 And Isaac answered and said Esau, "indeed I have made him master unto you and all his brothers I have given him as servants. I have sustained him with grain and wine. And for you what shall I do now my son?".

38 And Esav said to his father, "it is one blessing to you my father? Bless me too my father!". And Esau lifted up (yisah) his voice (koloh) and wept. 39 And answered (ya'an) Isaac his father and said to him, "behold, the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of heaven from above. And you shall live by your sword and you shall serve your brother. And it shall come to pass when you become restless (rud) that you shall break (parak) his yoke (ol) from your neck (tsavar).

41 So Esav hated (satam) Jacob because of the blessing which his father blessed him with and Esav said in his heart (belibo), "the days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob". 42 And were told (yugad) to Rebekah the words (dibrei) of Esav her older son so she sent (tishlach) and called (tikrah) Jacob her younger son and said to him, surely Esav your brother comforts (nacham) himself concerning you to kill (harag) you. 43 And therefore my son obey (shema) my voice (bekoli) and arise (qum) and flee to Laban my brother in Haran 44 and stay with him a few (achadim) days (yamim) until your brother's fury (chamat) turns away (shuv) 45 until your brother's anger (af) turns away (shuv) from you and he forgets (shachach) what you have done (asita) to him. Then I will send you and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both of you in one day?"

46 And said Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary (kazti) of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth like these who are the daughters of the land, what good is my life?"

1 And Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and charged (tsavehu) him and said to him, "not shall you take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, father of your mother and take yourself from there a wife of the daughters of Lavan, your mother's brother. 3 And may G-d Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you so that you may be an assembly (kahal) of peoples. 4 And may He give you the blessing of Abraham and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land of your sojournings which G-d gave to Abraham". 5 And Isaac sent Jacob away and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Lavan son of Bethuel the Aramean, brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esav.

6 And Esav saw (rah) that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-Aram to take himself a wife from there, that he blessed him and gave him a charge, saying, "not shall you take a wife from the daughters of Canaan" 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-Aram. 8 And Esav saw that the daughters of Canaan were displeasing (ra) in the eye of Isaac his father 9 and Esav went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, sister of Nebajot, in addition to the wives he already had, to be his wife.