A-Z: Famous stories from the Bible: Jacob cheats Esau

Definition

When Isaac had grown old and was almost blind, he wanted to bestow his blessing on Esau, his eldest son, before he died. (This was the traditional way of recognising the eldest son as the one who would inherit his father’s position when he died.) So Isaac summoned Esau and instructed him to hunt for game and prepare it for him to eat, after which he would give Esau the traditional blessing.

While Esau was out hunting, Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, who had overheard the conversation, told Jacob, the younger twin to Esau, to prepare two goats from their flock for Isaac’s meal so that they could cheat Esau out of his inheritance. (Jacob was her favourite.) She also suggested Jacob wear Esau’s clothes and put a goatskin on his neck and arms so that Isaac would be fooled into thinking it was Esau, who was much hairier than Jacob.

Jacob tricks Isaac; Bible image available through Creative Commons Jacob served up the roasted goat to his father, and although Isaac was suspicious, he ate the delicious meal and gave Jacob the family blessing.

No sooner had Jacob left his father than Esau arrived, prepared the game he had hunted and presented it to his father. As soon as Isaac heard Esau speak, he knew he had been tricked, as Jacob’s voice was quite different to Esau’s. He shook violently at the realisation of what he had done, but, despite Esau’s pleas, could not undo his blessing, simply confirming that Esau was now subservient to his younger twin.

Esau was furious towards Jacob for robbing him of his birth-right. From that day on he planned how he would kill him and Isaac wisely sent Jacob away.

The story illustrates:

Jacob was a cheat and a liar, but God still had plans for him
It is not only good people who can further God’s purposes
Christians believe that God never gives up on humankind, however badly they behave.

Bible References

Genesis 27:1-41

English Standard Version
King James Version

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. 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, 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. 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, ⁷Bring 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. 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. ¹¹But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. ¹²Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing. ¹³His mother said to him, Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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! ²⁸May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 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! 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! ³⁵But he said, Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing. ³⁶Esau said, Is he not rightly named Jacob? 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? 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? 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. ³⁹Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. 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. 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. 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 Haran ⁴⁴and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away&emdash; 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. 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?

¹And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. ²And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: ³Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; ⁴And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. ⁵And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. ⁶And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, ⁷Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. ⁸Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. ⁹Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth: ¹⁰And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. ¹¹And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: ¹²My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. ¹³And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. ¹⁴And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved. ¹⁵And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: ¹⁶And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: ¹⁷And she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. ¹⁸And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? ¹⁹And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. ²⁰And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. ²¹And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. ²²And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. ²³And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. ²⁴And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. ²⁵And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank. ²⁶And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. ²⁷And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: ²⁸Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: ²⁹Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. ³⁰And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹And he also had made savory meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. ³²And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. ³³And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. ³⁴And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. ³⁵And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. ³⁶And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? ³⁷And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? ³⁸And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. ³⁹And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; ⁴⁰And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. ⁴¹And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. ⁴²And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. ⁴³Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; ⁴⁴And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; ⁴⁵Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? ⁴⁶And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

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