Genesis 25:19-34

19These are the family records of Isaac son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac.

20Isaac was forty years old when he took as his wife Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord was receptive to his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

22But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two peoples will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.

24When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.

25The first one came out red-looking, covered with hair like a fur coat, and they named him Esau.

26After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel with his hand. So he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

27When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter, an outdoorsman, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.

28Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted.

30He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” That is why he was also named Edom.

31Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32“Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”

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

34Then Jacob gave bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.