Jakob snyder sin far og får den førstefødtes velsignelse
1Da Isak var blevet gammel og ikke længere kunne se, kaldte han en dag sin ældste søn, Esau, til sig. „Min søn!” sagde han. „Ja, hvad er der, far?” svarede Esau.2„Jeg er nu en gammel mand og kan dø når som helst.3Tag din bue og dine pile og gå ud og skyd mig et stykke vildt.4Tilbered så en lækker ret mad—sådan som jeg kan lide den. Bring den så her, så jeg kan nyde den og give dig min velsignelse, inden jeg dør.”5Nu stod Rebekka imidlertid og lyttede, da Isak talte til Esau. Så da Esau gik ud for at skyde noget vildt til sin far,6kaldte hun på Jakob og sagde: „Jeg hørte din far sige til din bror:7‚Skyd mig et stykke vildt og tilbered det, så jeg kan spise det. Bagefter vil jeg give dig Herrens velsignelse, inden jeg dør.’8Men hør nu godt efter, Jakob, og gør nøjagtig, som jeg siger:9Gå ud og hent mig to af de bedste gedekid fra flokken, så skal jeg lave en lækker ret mad, sådan som din far kan lide den.10Derefter skal du servere maden for din far, så han kan nyde den og give dig velsignelsen, inden han dør.”11„Jamen mor,” indvendte Jakob. „Esaus hud er jo lige så lodden, som min er glat.12Hvad nu, hvis far føler på mig? Så opdager han, at jeg bedrager ham, og så får jeg en forbandelse i stedet for en velsignelse.”13Men hans mor svarede: „Forbandelsen tager jeg på mig! Bare gør, som jeg siger. Gå nu ud og hent de gedekid!”14Så gik Jakob ud og hentede kiddene og gav hende dem, hvorefter hun tilberedte en lækker ret mad, sådan som hans far kunne lide den.15Dernæst tog hun Esaus bedste tøj og gav Jakob det på.16Hans glatte arme og hals dækkede hun med skindet fra gedekiddene.17Så rakte hun ham den lækre mad og det brød, hun havde bagt.18Han gik så ind med det og sagde: „Værsgo, far!” „Tak!” sagde Isak. „Hvem er det, der taler?”19„Det er Esau, din ældste søn!” svarede Jakob. „Jeg har gjort, som du sagde! Sæt dig nu op og spis vildtet, så du kan give mig din velsignelse!”20„Hvordan bar du dig ad med at klare det så hurtigt, min søn?” „Herren, din Gud, sendte byttet lige i armene på mig!” svarede Jakob.21„Kom nærmere,” sagde Isak, „så jeg kan røre ved dig og mærke, om det virkelig er dig, Esau!”22Så gik Jakob hen til sin far, og Isak følte på ham. „Det er Jakobs stemme, men Esaus arme,” sagde han undrende.23Han genkendte ikke Jakob på grund af de behårede arme, som jo måtte være Esaus. Inden Isak velsignede ham,24spurgte han igen: „Det er Esau, ikke?” „Jo, selvfølgelig!” svarede Jakob.25„Giv mig da maden, så jeg kan spise den og velsigne dig.” Jakob rakte ham maden og vinen, og han spiste og drak.26Bagefter sagde Isak: „Kom hen og kys mig på kinden, min dreng!”27Da Jakob kom hen for at kysse sin far på kinden, kunne Isak mærke duften af Esaus tøj, og han velsignede ham med ordene: „Duften af min søn er som duften af den jord, Herren har velsignet.28Gud vil velsigne din afgrøde med væde fra himlen og næring fra jorden. Du får korn og vin i overflod.29Folkeslag skal tjene dig og ærbødigt bøje sig for dig. Du og din slægt skal herske over din bror og hans slægt. Forbandet være enhver, der forbander dig—og velsignet være enhver, der velsigner dig.”30Da Isak var færdig med at velsigne ham, og Jakob lige var gået, kom Esau hjem fra jagten.31Han tilberedte en lækker ret mad og bragte den ind til sin far: „Her er jeg, Far. Sæt dig nu op og spis mit vildt, så du kan give mig din velsignelse!”32„Hvad!” udbrød Isak forvirret. „Hvem er du?” „Esau—din ældste søn!”33Da blev Isak bestyrtet og rystede voldsomt over hele kroppen. „Jamen, hvem var det da, som bragte mig vildt før du kom? Jeg har allerede spist, og nu har han fået velsignelsen!”34Ved de ord udstødte Esau et jamrende skrig og råbte: „Giv dog også mig en velsignelse, far!”35„Det kan jeg ikke, Esau. Din bror snød mig og stjal din velsignelse!”36„Ikke så underligt, at han hedder Jakob! Nu har han bedraget mig to gange!” sagde Esau bittert. „Først tog han min førstefødselsret, og nu har han stjålet min velsignelse! Har du dog ikke en velsignelse til mig også?”37„Nej, for jeg har gjort ham til hersker over dig,” sagde Isak. „Din slægt har jeg gjort til tjenere for hans slægt, og jeg har lovet ham overflod af korn og vin. Hvad har jeg tilbage at give dig, min søn?”38„Har du kun den ene velsignelse, Far? Velsign dog også mig!” Esau brast i gråd.39Men Isak svarede: „Din boplads bliver langt fra den frugtbare jord og fra himlens væde.40Med dit sværd skal du skaffe dig føden, og du skal tjene din bror, indtil du ryster hans åg af dig.”
Jakob flygter til sin morbror i Paddan-Aram
41Esau bar nag til Jakob, fordi han havde stjålet hans velsignelse, og han sagde til sig selv: „Om kort tid dør far. Så slår jeg Jakob ihjel!”42Da Rebekka fik nys om, hvad hendes ældste søn havde i sinde, kaldte hun straks Jakob til sig og fortalte ham om Esaus hensigter. „Esau vil hævne sig og skaffe dig af vejen,” sagde hun.43„Gør nu, som jeg siger: Flygt til din onkel Laban i Karan44og bliv der, til din brors vrede er kølnet af,45og han har glemt, hvad du har gjort imod ham. Når han ikke er vred længere, sender jeg bud til dig, så du kan komme tilbage. Jeg vil ikke kunne bære at miste jer begge på en gang.”[1]46Til Isak sagde Rebekka: „Jeg er inderligt træt af de hittitiske kvinder! Jeg vil hellere dø end opleve, at Jakob gifter sig med en af dem.”
1When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” (1.Mos 48,10; 1.Sam 3,2)2He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death.3Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, (1.Mos 25,27)4and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” (1.Mos 10,25; 1.Mos 48,9; 1.Mos 48,15; 1.Mos 49,28; 5.Mos 33,1)5Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it,6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau,7‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. (1.Mos 27,13)9Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves.10And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” (1.Mos 27,4)11But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. (1.Mos 25,25)12Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” (1.Mos 27,21; 5.Mos 27,18)13His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.” (1.Sam 25,24; 2.Sam 14,9; Matt 27,25)14So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved.15Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. (1.Mos 27,27)16And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.17And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.18So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”20But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.”21Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” (1.Mos 27,12)22So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”23And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. (1.Mos 27,16; Heb 11,20)24He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.”25Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. (1.Mos 27,10)26Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.”27So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed! (1.Mos 27,23; Hos 14,6)28May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. (1.Mos 49,25; 5.Mos 7,13; 5.Mos 33,13; 5.Mos 33,28; 2.Sam 1,21; Joel 2,19; Zak 8,12)29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” (1.Mos 12,3; 1.Mos 49,8; 4.Mos 24,9; 2.Sam 8,14)30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting.31He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.”32His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”33Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”34As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” (Heb 12,17)35But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.”36Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob?[1] For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” (1.Mos 25,26; 1.Mos 25,33)37Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” (1.Mos 27,28; 1.Mos 27,29; 2.Sam 8,14)38Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. (1.Mos 27,34)39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from[2] the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from[3] the dew of heaven on high. (1.Mos 27,28; 1.Mos 36,6)40By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.” (1.Mos 25,23; 2.Sam 8,14; 2.Kong 8,20; Ob 1,18)41Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” (1.Mos 37,4; 1.Mos 50,3; 1.Mos 50,10; Amos 1,11; Ob 1,10)42But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.43Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran44and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away—45until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women.[4] If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?” (1.Mos 24,3; 1.Mos 26,34; 1.Mos 28,8)