וְאֵ֛לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֥ת יִצְחָ֖ק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָ֑ם אַבְרָהָ֖ם הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־יִצְחָֽק׃

And this is the legacy, the events in the life, of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac.

וַיְהִ֤י יִצְחָק֙ בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּקַחְתּ֣וֹ אֶת־רִבְקָ֗ה בַּת־בְּתוּאֵל֙ הָֽאֲרַמִּ֔י מִפַּדַּ֖ן אֲרָ֑ם אֲח֛וֹת לָבָ֥ן הָאֲרַמִּ֖י ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca, daughter of Betuel the Aramean, from Padan Aram, who was the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. Padan means field; there is a similar word in Arabic.

וַיֶּעְתַּ֨ר יִצְחָ֤ק לַֽיהוָה֙ לְנֹ֣כַח אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י עֲקָרָ֖ה הִ֑וא וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר לוֹ֙ יְהוָ֔ה וַתַּ֖הַר רִבְקָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃

Isaac entreated and prayed fervently to the Lord on behalf of his wife while standing opposite her, because he understood from the fact that she had not given birth in the many years since they were married (see verse 26) that she was barren. The Lord acceded to his entreaty, and Rebecca his wife conceived.

וַיִּתְרֹֽצֲצ֤וּ הַבָּנִים֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִם־כֵּ֔ן לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה אָנֹ֑כִי וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְרֹ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃

During her pregnancy the children were agitated within her. It will soon become clear that she was bearing fraternal twins. Sensing that something was abnormal and cause for concern, she said: If so, if the pregnancy is so difficult, why am I like this, why do I want it? Alternatively, this means: If my suffering is so great, what is the point of living? And she went to inquire of the Lord. At the time, there were distinguished individuals who accepted the faith of Abraham and his family, such as Malkitzedek king of Shalem (see 14:18–20). Rebecca sought prophetic instruction from such a man.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י גיים [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃

The Lord said to her: Two peoples, or national leaders (see, e.g., 17:16), are in your womb, and two nations shall be separated from your innards. From the moment they are born it will be clear that they are very different from one another. One nation will prevail over the other nation, as the struggle between them, which you sense within your womb, will continue after they are born. And the elder shall serve the younger. Even in the case of twins, one is born before the other and is the elder.

וַיִּמְלְא֥וּ יָמֶ֖יהָ לָלֶ֑דֶת וְהִנֵּ֥ה תוֹמִ֖ם בְּבִטְנָֽהּ׃

Her days to give birth were complete, and behold, there were twins in her womb.

וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו׃

The first emerged with red skin, redder than that of an average person. And he was covered, all of him like a cloak of hair, as he was very hairy. And they called his name Esau, perhaps due to his hair [ se’ar ], or because he appeared mature, like an object that is fully fashioned [ asui ].

וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב וְיִצְחָ֛ק בֶּן־שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּלֶ֥דֶת אֹתָֽם׃

And thereafter his brother emerged. Their birth, like her pregnancy, was unusual, as his hand was grasping Esau’s heel [ akev ]; and he called his name Jacob [ Ya’akov ]. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. Since he married Rebecca at the age of forty, evidently they had lived twenty years as a childless couple.

וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י עֵשָׂ֗ו אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ צַ֖יִד אִ֣ישׁ שָׂדֶ֑ה וְיַעֲקֹב֙ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֔ם יֹשֵׁ֖ב אֹהָלִֽים׃

The lads grew, and the prophecy that they would follow different paths indeed came to pass. Alongside their joint family obligations in housekeeping and agriculture, their diverse natures began to show: Esau was a man who knew hunting, an adventurer who was dissatisfied with domestic tasks and ventured out to hunt animals, a man of the large field, of the open plains. And Jacob was a guileless man, uninterested in the ruses of hunting, in ambushes and setting traps. He led a sedentary lifestyle, living in tents. Alternatively, the verse could mean that he was a shepherd, expert in tending flocks, as can be seen from later events in his life.

וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב יִצְחָ֛ק אֶת־עֵשָׂ֖ו כִּי־צַ֣יִד בְּפִ֑יו וְרִבְקָ֖ה אֹהֶ֥בֶת אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹֽב׃

And Isaac loved Esau because of the game in his mouth, and Rebecca loved Jacob. It is possible that Rebecca’s preference for Jacob was due to the fact that he lived at home, in close proximity to her.

וַיָּ֥זֶד יַעֲקֹ֖ב נָזִ֑יד וַיָּבֹ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו מִן־הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וְה֥וּא עָיֵֽף׃

One day Jacob, who was home much of the time, stewed a stew. Esau came from the field, probably after an unsuccessful hunting expedition, and he was weary, exhausted and thirsty.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֗ב הַלְעִיטֵ֤נִי נָא֙ מִן־הָאָדֹ֤ם הָאָדֹם֙ הַזֶּ֔ה כִּ֥י עָיֵ֖ף אָנֹ֑כִי עַל־כֵּ֥ן קָרָֽא־שְׁמ֖וֹ אֱדֽוֹם׃

Esau said to Jacob: Feed me please from that red, red [ adom ha’adom ] dish. Esau did not know what red food was in the pot. He said: Please feed me, as I am so weary that it is too hard for me to bring a spoon to my own mouth. In this connection the verse notes: Therefore his name is called Edom. This incident, in which Esau connected himself to a red [ adom ] dish, stuck to him for the rest of his life and to his descendants for many later generations, to the point that Edom became his alternate designation.

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִכְרָ֥ה כַיּ֛וֹם אֶת־בְּכֹֽרָתְךָ֖ לִֽי׃

Jacob said: Just as you have a request from me, I too have something to ask of you. Sell me your birthright this day, meaning now.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר עֵשָׂ֔ו הִנֵּ֛ה אָנֹכִ֥י הוֹלֵ֖ךְ לָמ֑וּת וְלָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה לִ֖י בְּכֹרָֽה׃

And Esau said: Behold, I am going to die; I am so tired that I feel that I am about to collapse. For what do I need a birthright? Even if some sort of financial benefit will accrue from the birthright, it will be actualized only in the distant future, and Esau the hunter is not a calculating individual who makes long-term plans.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֗ב הִשָּׁ֤בְעָה לִּי֙ כַּיּ֔וֹם וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע ל֑וֹ וַיִּמְכֹּ֥ר אֶת־בְּכֹרָת֖וֹ לְיַעֲקֹֽב׃

Jacob said: I am not satisfied with a simple declaration that you don’t care about the birthright. Rather, take an oath to me this day that you are transferring it to me. He took an oath to him that the birthright would belong to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob. It is possible that the stew was given in payment for the birthright. However, it can be argued that as part of the family meal, the stew was not Jacob’s to sell to his brother. If so, perhaps Esau sold the birthright for a substantial sum, which Jacob handed over immediately or promised to give at a later time.

וְיַעֲקֹ֞ב נָתַ֣ן לְעֵשָׂ֗ו לֶ֚חֶם וּנְזִ֣יד עֲדָשִׁ֔ים וַיֹּ֣אכַל וַיֵּ֔שְׁתְּ וַיָּ֖קָם וַיֵּלַ֑ךְ וַיִּ֥בֶז עֵשָׂ֖ו אֶת־הַבְּכֹרָֽה׃ (ס)

And Jacob gave Esau bread and a stew of lentils. Jacob fed Esau, in accordance with the custom to eat a meal at the conclusion of an acquisition. By serving a meal, Jacob exhibited the seriousness of the purchase of the birthright for him. He, Esau, ate and he drank, and after he recovered and realized that he was not going to die, he arose, and he went, and Esau scorned the birthright. He remembered the sale, but he considered the entire incident ridiculous, pointless, and meaningless.

וַיְהִ֤י רָעָב֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ מִלְּבַד֙ הָרָעָ֣ב הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיָ֖ה בִּימֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ יִצְחָ֛ק אֶל־אֲבִימֶּ֥לֶךְ מֶֽלֶךְ־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים גְּרָֽרָה׃

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was during the days of Abraham. Isaac, who was a shepherd living in the south of the land of Canaan, went to Avimelekh king of the Philistines, to Gerar. Avimelekh was one of the local rulers of the Philistines, and perhaps he was king over all the Philistines at the time.

וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אַל־תֵּרֵ֣ד מִצְרָ֑יְמָה שְׁכֹ֣ן בָּאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

The Lord appeared to him, and said: Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land that I will tell you. Like the other forefathers, Isaac too merited a divine revelation.

גּ֚וּר בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶֽהְיֶ֥ה עִמְּךָ֖ וַאֲבָרְכֶ֑ךָּ כִּֽי־לְךָ֣ וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֗ אֶתֵּן֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָֽאֲרָצֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔ל וַהֲקִֽמֹתִי֙ אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם אָבִֽיךָ׃

Reside in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you; for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will keep the oath that I took to Abraham your father. You belong to this land, and it belongs to you and your descendants, and therefore you must stay here and live here.

וְהִרְבֵּיתִ֤י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְזַרְעֲךָ֔ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הָאֲרָצֹ֖ת הָאֵ֑ל וְהִתְבָּרֲכ֣וּ בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃

And I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens, and I will give to your descendants all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through your descendants.

עֵ֕קֶב אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָהָ֖ם בְּקֹלִ֑י וַיִּשְׁמֹר֙ מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י מִצְוֺתַ֖י חֻקּוֹתַ֥י וְתוֹרֹתָֽי׃

However, your right to the land is not due exclusively to your own merit; rather, it originated because Abraham heeded My voice, and kept My commission, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.