Jacob's Stolen Blessing

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his eldest son Esau to hunt game and prepare savory food so that he might bless him before he died. Rebekah overheard this conversation and instructed her son Jacob to bring two kids of the goats from the flock so she could prepare food for Isaac (Genesis 27:5-9). Jacob expressed concern to his mother that his father might feel his skin, noting that Esau was a hairy man while he was a smooth man, fearing he would bring a curse upon himself rather than a blessing. Rebekah took the blame upon herself and placed Esau's best garments on Jacob, covering his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the skins of the kids of the goats (Genesis 27:11-16).

Jacob went to Isaac, claiming to be Esau and offering the food. Isaac questioned how the game was found so quickly, and the text does not say how he reacted to Jacob's claim that the Lord God brought it to him. Isaac noted that the voice was the voice of Jacob, but the hands were the hands of Esau. After feeling the goat skins on Jacob's hands, Isaac ate the food and drank wine. He then told Jacob to come near and kiss him, smelling the smell of Esau's clothing and proceeding to bless him with the dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth, and dominion over his brothers (Genesis 27:22-29).

As soon as Isaac finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left, Esau returned from his hunting and prepared food for his father. When Isaac realized he had been deceived, he trembled exceedingly. Esau cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, asking for a blessing for himself as well. Isaac stated that Jacob had taken the blessing away by subtlety (Genesis 27:33-35). Because Isaac had made Jacob a lord over Esau, he gave Esau a secondary blessing stating he would live by the sword and eventually break Jacob's yoke from his neck. Consequently, Esau hated Jacob and planned to kill him after the days of mourning for their father, leading Rebekah to send Jacob away to Haran.