Daily Bread

⁴¹ Esau held a grudge^(A) against Jacob^(B) because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning^(C) for my father are near; then I will kill^(D) my brother Jacob.”^(E)

⁴² When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau^(F) had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.^{(G) 43} Now then, my son, do what I say:^(H) Flee at once to my brother Laban^(I) in Harran.^{(J) 44} Stay with him for a while^(K) until your brother’s fury subsides. ⁴⁵ When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him,^(L) I’ll send word for you to come back from there.^(M) Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

⁴⁶ Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite^(N) women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land,^(O) from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”^(P)

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^(Q) him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.^{(R) 2} Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[a](S) to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel.^(T) Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.^{(U) 3} May God Almighty^[b](V) bless^(W) you and make you fruitful^(X) and increase your numbers^(Y) until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham,^(Z) so that you may take possession of the land^(AA) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(AB) the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way,^(AC) and he went to Paddan Aram,^(AD) to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean,^(AE) the brother of Rebekah,^(AF) who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”^{(AG) 7} and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women^(AH) were to his father Isaac;^{(AI) 9} so he went to Ishmael^(AJ) and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth^(AK) and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.^(AL)