Genesis 25

₁Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. ₂She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. ₃Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. ₄The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

₅Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. ₆But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

₇Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. ₈Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. ₉His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, ₁₀the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. ₁₁After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

₁₂This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

₁₇Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. ₁₈His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go towards Ashur. And they lived in hostility towards all the tribes related to them.

₁₉This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, ₂₀and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

₂₁Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, 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 enquire of the Lord.

₂₃The Lord said to her,

₂₄When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. ₂₅The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. ₂₆After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

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

₂₉Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ₃₀He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ (That is why he was also called Edom.)

₃₁Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’

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

₃₃But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

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

So Esau despised his birthright.