Genesis 25

¹Abraham married again; his new wife’s name was Keturah. ²She bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. ³Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. ⁴Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were Keturah’s descendants. ⁵Abraham handed over all his property to Isaac. ⁶To the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still alive he sent them away east, to the eastern lands, far from his son Isaac. ⁷Abraham lived 175 years in all. ⁸Then Abraham’s breath failed and he died at a ripe old age, an old man content with his years, and he was gathered to his people. ⁹His sons Isaac and Ishmael laid him in the cave of Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the field that had belonged to Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, ¹⁰which Abraham had bought from the Hittites. So Abraham and his wife Sarah were laid to rest in the same place. ¹¹Once Abraham was dead, God blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac settled near Beer-lahai-roi.

¹²This is the account of the family of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave woman. ¹³Here are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by name and family line: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. ¹⁶These are Ishmael’s sons, and these their names, by their villages and camps: twelve chieftains, each over his own tribe. ¹⁷Ishmael lived 137 years. His breath failed, he died, and he was gathered to his people. ¹⁸Ishmael’s people ranged from Havilah to Shur, which faces Egypt on the road toward Asshur. They made their home in defiance of all their kin.^a

¹⁹This is the account of the family of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac. ²⁰Isaac was forty when he took Rebekah as his wife. She was the daughter of Bethuel and the sister of Laban, Arameans of Paddan-aram. ²¹Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was unable to have children. The LORD granted his request, and Rebekah conceived. ²²The children inside her crushed against each other, and she said, “If it is like this, what is happening to me?” So she went to seek an answer from the LORD.^{b 23}The LORD told her, “Two nations are inside you; two peoples will come from your body and go separate ways. One will be mightier than the other, and the elder will be servant to the younger.” ²⁴Her days of pregnancy came to an end, and there were twins in her womb. ²⁵The first one came out reddish, his whole body covered with hair like a fur cloak, and they named him Esau. ²⁶Next came his brother, his hand clutching Esau’s heel, and he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old at their birth.^{c 27}When the boys were grown, Esau was a skilled hunter, at home in the wild, but Jacob was a steady man who lived among the tents. ²⁸Isaac loved Esau, since he enjoyed the meat Esau hunted, but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹One day Jacob had made a stew, and Esau came in from the open country, worn out. ³⁰“Let me wolf down some of that red stuff, that red stuff there,” Esau said to Jacob, “I am worn out!” That is how he came to be called Edom. ³¹Jacob answered, “First sell me your rights as the firstborn, here and now.” ³²“I am at death’s door,” Esau said. “What use is a birthright to me?” ³³“Swear it to me here and now,” said Jacob. So Esau gave him his oath and sold his rights as the firstborn to Jacob. ³⁴Then Jacob handed Esau bread and stew made of lentils. Esau ate and drank, got up and left. That was how little Esau cared for his birthright.