HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 394
G EN ES IS 2 6
they lived in open hostility toward all their
relatives.*
The Births of Esau and Jacob
19 This is the account of the family of Isaac, the
son of Abraham. 20 When Isaac was forty years
old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the
sister of Laban the Aramean.
21 Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his
wife, because she was unable to have children.
The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah
became pregnant with twins. 22 But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So
she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this
happening to me?” she asked.
23 And the Lord told her, “The sons in your
womb will become two nations. From the very
beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One
nation will be stronger than the other; and your
older son will serve your younger son.”
24 And when the time came to give birth,
Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have
twins! 25 The first one was very red at birth and
covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they
named him Esau.* 26 Then the other twin was
born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So
they named him Jacob.* Isaac was sixty years
old when the twins were born.
Esau Sells His Birthright
27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful
hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob
had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at
home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed
eating the wild game Esau brought home, but
Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 One day when Jacob was cooking some
stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m
• Fear
G E NE S IS 2 6 :7
Isaac was afraid that the men in Gerar
would kill him to get his beautiful wife,
Rebekah. So he told them that Rebekah
was his sister. Where did he learn that
trick? Evidently, Isaac was aware of
the actions of his father, Abraham
(Genesis 12:10-13; 20:1-2). Parents
help shape the future of the world by
the way they shape the lifestyle and
values of their children. Don’t let fear
keep you from doing what is right.
When you demonstrate courage to do
the right thing, then your children are
more likely to be courageous too.
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starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This
is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which
means “red.”)
31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me
your rights as the firstborn son.”
32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau.
“What good is my birthright to me now?”
33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that
your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath,
thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to
his brother, Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil
stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He
showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.
Isaac Deceives Abimelech
A severe famine now struck the land,
as had happened before in Abraham’s
time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do
not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. 3 Live
here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be
with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I
will give all these lands to you and your descendants,* just as I solemnly promised Abraham,
your father. 4 I will cause your descendants to
become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and
I will give them all these lands. And through
your descendants all the nations of the earth
will be blessed. 5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
7 When the men who lived there asked Isaac
about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my
sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.”
He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.” 8 But some time later,
Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out
his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.
9 Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and
exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did
you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
“Because I was afraid someone would kill me
to get her from me,” Isaac replied.
10 “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech
exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have
taken your wife and slept with her, and you
would have made us guilty of great sin.”
11 Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife
will be put to death!”
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Conflict over Water Rights
12 When Isaac planted his crops that year, he
harvested a hundred times more grain than he
planted, for the Lord blessed him. 13 He became
25:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 25:25 Esau
sounds like a Hebrew term that means “hair.” 25:26 Jacob
sounds like the Hebrew words for “heel” and “deceiver.”
26:3 Hebrew seed; also in 26:4, 24.