Genesis 25

25 ¹Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah. ²She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. ³Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites, and the Leummites. ⁴Midian's sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah—all sons of Keturah. ⁵Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. ⁶Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, then sent them away from his son Isaac while he was still alive, eastward to the east country.

⁷Abraham lived 175 years in all. ⁸Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good old age, an old man full of years, and joined his people. ⁹His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite's field near Mamre. ¹⁰The field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. ¹¹After the death of Abraham, our Father blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac settled near Beer-lahai-roi.

Ishmael's Generations

¹²This is the family record of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham. ¹³These are the names of Ishmael's sons, by name, in birth order: Nebaioth, Ishmael's firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶These are Ishmael's sons, these their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes according to their tribes. ¹⁷Ishmael lived 137 years, then breathed his last, died, and joined his people. ¹⁸They settled from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt toward Assyria; Ishmael lived in hostility toward all his relatives.

The Line of Isaac

¹⁹This is the family line of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac. ²⁰Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. ^a a v20 Paddan-aram was the upland plain of Aram in Mesopotamia, the homeland of Rebekah's family. ²¹Isaac prayed to our Father for his wife, since she was barren; our Father granted it, and his wife Rebekah conceived. ²²But the children struggled together within her, and she said, "If this is how it is, why is this happening to me?" So she went to ask our Father.

²³And our Father said to her: "Two nations are in your womb; two peoples from within you will be divided: one will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

²⁴When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb! ²⁵The first came out red, his whole body like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. ²⁶Then his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel, so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. ^b b v26 The name Jacob means "he grasps the heel" — and so "he supplants" or "deceives," as his story will show.

²⁷The boys grew up. Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the field; Jacob was quiet, living in tents.

Jacob and Esau

²⁸Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹Jacob was cooking stew when Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. ³⁰Esau said to Jacob, "Let me gulp down this red stew—I'm famished!" That's why he was named Edom. ^c c v30 Edom means "red" — named for the red stew for which Esau traded his birthright.

³¹Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." ^d d v31 A birthright gave the firstborn a double inheritance share and headship of the family.

³²Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; what good is a birthright to me?"

³³Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.

³⁴Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate, drank, got up, and left—Esau despised his birthright.