Genesis 25:19-34

¹⁹Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac; ²⁰and 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. ²¹Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children; and the Lord answered him, and his wife Rebekah conceived. ²²But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why am I in this condition?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. ²³And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb;

And two peoples will be separated from your body;

And one people will be stronger than the other;

And the older will serve the younger.”

²⁴When her days leading to the delivery were at an end, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵Now the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. ²⁶Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

²⁷When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a civilized man, living in tents. ²⁸Now Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹When Jacob had cooked a stew one day, Esau came in from the field and he was exhausted; ³⁰and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a mouthful of that red stuff there, for I am exhausted.” Therefore he was called Edom by name. ³¹But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” ³²Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” ³³And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore an oath to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. So Esau despised his birthright.