Isaac was forty years old when he took as his wife Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Mesopotamia, sister of Laban the Aramean. And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife Rebekah, because she was barren; and the Lord heard him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Her sons began to beat in her womb, and she said:
- If this happens, then why do I need it?
And she went to ask the Lord. The Lord said to her:
- Two tribes are in your womb, and two different nations will come from your womb; one people will become stronger than the other, and the greater will serve the lesser.
And the time came for her to give birth: and behold, twins were in her womb. The first one came out red, all shaggy like leather; and they called his name Esau. Then his brother came out, holding Esau’s heel with his hand; and his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born to Rebekah.
The children grew up, and Esau became a man skilled in hunting, a man of the fields; but Jacob was a meek man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau because his game was to his taste, and Rebekah loved Jacob.
And Jacob cooked food; and Esau came from the field tired. And Esau said to Jacob:
“Give me some red, this red, because I’m tired.”
From this the name was given to him: Edom. But Jacob said to Esau:
- Sell me your birthright now.
Esau said:
“Here, I’m dying, what’s in this birthright for me?”
Jacob said to him:
- Swear to me now.
He swore to him, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil food; and he ate and drank, and rose and walked; and Esau despised his birthright.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru