Abraham’s Family
25 Abraham married again, and his new wife was Keturah [1 Chr. 1:32]. 2 She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian [C ancestor of the Midianites, the tribe into which Moses married; Ex. 3:1], Ishbak, and Shuah [C ancestor of the tribe of Job’s friend Bildad; Job 2:11]. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan [Is. 21:13; Jer. 49:8; Ezek. 27:20]. Dedan’s descendants were the people of Assyria, Letush, and Leum. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 5 Abraham ·left [gave] everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But ·before Abraham died [L while he was still alive], he did give gifts to the sons of his ·other wives [concubines], then sent them to the East to be away from Isaac [C to prevent rivalry over Abraham’s inheritance].
7 ·Abraham lived to be [L These are the days of the years of the life of Abraham] one hundred seventy-five years old. 8 He ·breathed his last breath [expired] and died at an old age, ·after a long and satisfying life [L an old man and full of years; he was gathered to his people/relatives; C buried in the family plot, though may imply joining his ancestors in the afterlife]. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron east of Mamre. (Ephron was the son of Zohar the Hittite.) 10 So Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah in the same field that he had bought from the Hittites [23:1–20]. 11 After Abraham died, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac was now living at Beer Lahai Roi [16:14].
12 ·This is the family history [L These are the generations; 2:4] of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. (Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant, ·was Ishmael’s mother [L bore him to Abraham].) 13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons in the order they were born: Nebaioth, the ·first son [firstborn], then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were Ishmael’s sons, and these are the names of the ·tribal leaders [L twelve princes/chieftains according to their tribes; 17:20] listed according to their ·settlements [villages] and camps. 17 ·Ishmael lived [L These are the years of the life of Ishmael] one hundred thirty-seven years and then ·breathed his last breath [expired] and died [L and was gathered to his people/relatives; 25:8]. 18 His descendants lived from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt stretching toward Assyria [C the area from the northern Sinai to the border of western Mesopotamia, the area of Arab tribes]. They often ·attacked [or settled among; L fell on] the descendants of his brothers.
Isaac’s Family
19 ·This is the family history [L These are the generations; 2:4] of Isaac. Abraham ·had a son named [or was the father of] Isaac. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he ·married [L took as a wife] Rebekah [ch. 24], ·who came from northwestern Mesopotamia [L the Aramean from Paddan-aram]. She was Bethuel’s daughter and the sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac’s wife ·could not have children [was barren], so Isaac ·prayed to [entreated; interceded with] the Lord for her. The Lord heard Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah ·became pregnant [conceived].
22 While she was pregnant, the ·babies [L children] struggled inside her. She asked, “·Why is this happening to me [L If thus, why this, I—; C the Hebrew is uncertain]?” Then she went to ·get an answer from [L seek; inquire of] the Lord.
23 The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your ·body [L womb],
and two groups of people ·will be taken from you [L are being divided within your body].
One group will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger [Rom. 9:10–13].”
24 When the time came, ·Rebekah gave birth to twins [L there were twins in her womb]. 25 The first baby ·was born [L came out] red. Since his skin was like a hairy robe, he was named Esau [C sounds like “hairy” in Hebrew]. 26 When ·the second baby [L his brother] ·was born [L came out], ·he [L his hand] was ·holding on to [gripping; grabbing] Esau’s heel, so that baby was named Jacob [C sounds like Hebrew for “heel”; grabbing a heel is a Hebrew idiom for tricking someone]. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a ·skilled [experienced] hunter. He ·loved to be out in the fields [L was a man of the fields]. But Jacob was a ·quiet [or mild; or blameless] man ·and stayed among the [L living in] tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because ·he hunted the wild animals that Isaac enjoyed eating [L game was in his (Isaac’s) mouth]. But Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 One day Jacob was ·boiling a pot of vegetable soup [or preparing stew]. Esau came in from hunting in the fields, ·weak from hunger [famished; starving]. 30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Let me ·eat [gulp down] some of that red ·soup [or stuff], because I am ·weak with hunger [famished; starving].” (That is why people call him Edom [C sounds like Hebrew for “red”].)
31 But Jacob said, “·First [L As the day; C an idiom meaning, “First of all…”] ·sell [or exchange with] me your ·rights as the firstborn son [birthright; C the firstborn had special inheritance rights and became the head of the family in the next generation].”
32 Esau said, “I am ·almost dead from hunger [L going to die]. ·If I die, all of my father’s wealth will not help me [L What will my birthright be to me?].”
33 But Jacob said, “First [v. 31], ·promise [swear to] me that you will give it to me.” So Esau ·made a promise to Jacob [L swore to him] and ·sold [exchanged] his ·part of their father’s wealth [L birthright] to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and ·vegetable soup [stew], and he ate and drank, and then left. So Esau ·showed how little he cared about his rights as the firstborn son [L despised/showed contempt toward his birthright; Heb. 12:16–17].