| 19 | ¶ These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, | |
| 20 | and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. | |
| 21 | And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. | |
| 22 | The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?"f19 So she went to inquire of the Lord. | |
| 23 |
And the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within youf20 shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger." | |
| 24 | When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. | |
| 25 | The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. | |
| 26 |
Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob.f21 Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. | |
| 27 | ¶ When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. | |
| 28 |
Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. | |
| 29 | ¶ Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. | |
| 30 | And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.f22) | |
| 31 | Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." | |
| 32 | Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" | |
| 33 | Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. | |
| 34 |
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. | |
