ToldotGenerations

1Reading 1 Genesis 25:19–26:5Chapter page with footnotes →

Jacob and Esau

^25:19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begot Isaac. ²⁰And Isaac was a son of forty years when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to himself for a wife.

²¹And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD let himself be entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

²²And the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is so, why am I thus?" And she went to inquire of the LORD. ²³And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your bowels; and one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger."

²⁴And her days to be delivered were fulfilled, and behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁵And the first came out ruddy, all of him like a hairy mantle; and they called his name Esau. ²⁶And after that his brother came out, and his hand holding the heel of Esau; and his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was a son of sixty years when she bore them.

²⁷And the boys grew; and Esau was a man knowing hunting, a man of the field; and Jacob was a complete man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸And Isaac loved Esau, because game was in his mouth; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Esau Sells His Birthright

²⁹And Jacob boiled pottage; and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint. ³⁰And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me gulp, I pray, of the red, this red, for I am faint." Therefore his name was called Edom.

³¹And Jacob said, "Sell to me this day your birthright."

³²And Esau said, "Behold, I am going to die; and what is this birthright to me?"

³³And Jacob said, "Swear to me this day"; and he swore to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴And Jacob gave to Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he ate and drank, and rose up and went his way. And Esau despised the birthright.

God’s Promise to Isaac

^26:1And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

²And the LORD appeared to him, and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall say to you. ³Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴And I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your seed all these lands; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, ⁵because that Abraham hearkened to my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my Torah."

2Reading 2 Genesis 26:6–12Chapter page with footnotes →

Isaac Deceives Abimelech

^26:6And Isaac dwelt in Gerar. ⁷And the men of the place asked about his wife; and he said, "She is my sister," for he feared to say "my wife," lest the men of the place kill me on account of Rebekah, because she was fair of appearance.

⁸And it came to pass, when the days were long for him there, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through the window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. ⁹And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, "Behold, surely she is your wife; and how did you say, 'She is my sister'?" And Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'Lest I die on account of her.'"

¹⁰And Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." ¹¹And Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, "He that touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."

Isaac’s Prosperity

¹²And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in that year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.

3Reading 3 Genesis 26:13–22Chapter page with footnotes →

^26:13And the man became great, and went on, going and growing, ad(עד) he became exceedingly great. ¹⁴And he had possession of flocks and possession of herds, and a great body of servants; and the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵And all the wells which the servants of his father had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them, and filled them with dust.

¹⁶And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go from us, for you have become much mightier than we."

¹⁷And Isaac went from there, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. ¹⁸And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he called them names according to the names which his father had called them.

¹⁹And the servants of Isaac dug in the valley, and found there a well of living water. ²⁰And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, "The water is ours." And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

²¹And they dug another well, and they strove over it also; and he called its name Sitnah.

²²And he removed from there, and dug another well; and over it they did not strive; and he called its name Rehoboth, and said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

4Reading 4 Genesis 26:23–29Chapter page with footnotes →

^26:23And he went up from there to Beer-sheba. ²⁴And the LORD appeared to him in that night, and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father; do not fear, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your seed for the sake of Abraham my servant."

²⁵And he built there an altar, and called on the name of the LORD, and pitched there his tent; and there the servants of Isaac dug a well.

Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech

²⁶And Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his host.

²⁷And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, seeing you hate me and have sent me away from you?"

²⁸And they said, "We have surely seen that the LORD has been with you; and we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you,' ²⁹that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you only good, and have sent you away in peace; you are now the blessed of the LORD."

5Reading 5 Genesis 26:30–27:27Chapter page with footnotes →

^26:30And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. ³¹And they rose early in the morning, and swore, a man to his brother; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

³²And it came to pass on that day, that the servants of Isaac came and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water." ³³And he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.

Esau’s Wives

³⁴And Esau was a son of forty years, and he took a wife: Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵And they were a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.

Isaac Blesses Jacob

^27:1And it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, "My son"; and he said to him, "Here am I."

²And he said, "Behold now, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. ³And now take up please your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt for me game; ⁴and make for me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, in order that my soul may bless you before I die."

⁵And Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game, to bring it. ⁶And Rebekah said to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard your father speaking to Esau your brother, saying, ⁷'Bring me game, and make for me savory food, that I may eat, and I will bless you before the LORD before my death.'

⁸And now, my son, obey my voice, according to that which I command you. ⁹Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two good kids of the goats, and I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves; ¹⁰and you shall bring it to your father, and he shall eat, in order that he may bless you before his death."

¹¹And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. ¹²Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall be in his eyes as a mocker; and I shall bring upon me a curse, and not a blessing."

¹³And his mother said to him, "Upon me be your curse, my son; only obey my voice, and go, take them for me."

¹⁴And he went, and took, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. ¹⁵And Rebekah took the choice garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and clothed Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶And the skins of the kids of the goats she put upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. ¹⁷And she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, into the hand of Jacob her son.

¹⁸And he came to his father, and said, "My father"; and he said, "Here am I; who are you, my son?"

¹⁹And Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done according as you spoke to me. Arise please, sit and eat of my game, in order that your soul may bless me."

²⁰And Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have hastened to find it, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God caused it to happen before me."

²¹And Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near please, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are this my son Esau or not."

²²And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." ²³And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy, as the hands of Esau his brother; so he blessed him.

²⁴And he said, "Are you this my son Esau?" And he said, "I am."

²⁵And he said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of the game of my son, so that my soul may bless you." And he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

²⁶And Isaac his father said to him, "Come near now, and kiss me, my son."

²⁷And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.

6Reading 6 Genesis 27:28–28:4Chapter page with footnotes →

^27:28And may God give you of the dew of the heavens, and of the fatness of the earth, and abundance of grain and new wine.

²⁹May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed."

Esau’s Lost Hope

³⁰And it came to pass, when Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹And he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of the game of his son, in order that your soul may bless me."

³²And Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

³³And Isaac trembled a very great trembling, and said, "Who then is he that hunted game, and brought it to me, and I ate of all before you came, and I blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed."

³⁴When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, me also, my father."

³⁵And he said, "Your brother came with deceit, and has taken your blessing."

³⁶And he said, "Is it not that his name is called Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took my birthright; and behold, now he has taken my blessing." And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?"

³⁷And Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him; and for you then, what shall I do, my son?"

³⁸And Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, me also, my father." And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

³⁹And Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling, and of the dew of the heavens from above.

⁴⁰And by your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; and it shall be, when you grow restless, that you shall break his yoke from off your neck."

⁴¹And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, "Let the days of mourning for my father draw near, then I will kill Jacob my brother."

⁴²And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, Esau your brother is comforting himself concerning you, to kill you. ⁴³And now, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee to Laban my brother, to Haran; ⁴⁴and stay with him a few days, ad(עד) your brother's fury turns away; ⁴⁵until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets that which you have done to him; then I will send, and take you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

⁴⁶And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I loathe my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, why is life to me?"

Jacob’s Departure

^28:1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and commanded him, and said to him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ²Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take for yourself from there a wife of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. ³And God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may become an assembly of peoples; ⁴and may He give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham."

7Reading 7 Genesis 28:5–9Chapter page with footnotes →

^28:5And Isaac sent Jacob away; and he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Esau Marries Mahalath

⁶And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take for himself from there a wife, and that as he blessed him he commanded upon him, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan"; ⁷and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and went to Paddan-aram;

⁸and Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father; ⁹and Esau went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, in addition to his wives, to himself for a wife.

PMalachi 1:1–2:7Chapter page with footnotes →

The LORD’s Love for Israel

^1:1The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by the hand of Malachi.

²I have loved you, says the LORD. And you say, "In what have you loved us?" Was not Esau a brother to Jacob? declares the LORD; yet I loved Jacob, ³and Esau I hated, and I made his mountains a desolation, and his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.

⁴For Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places." Thus says the LORD of hosts: They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD has indignation forever. ⁵And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, "The LORD is great beyond the border of Israel."

The Polluted Offerings

⁶A son honors a father, and a servant his master. And if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. And you say, "In what have we despised your name?"

⁷You offer upon my altar polluted bread, and you say, "In what have we polluted you?" In your saying, "The table of the LORD, it is contemptible."

⁸And when you offer the blind to sacrifice, is there no evil? And when you offer the lame and the sick, is there no evil? Present it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or will he lift up your face? says the LORD of hosts.

⁹And now, entreat now the face of God that he may be gracious to us. This has been from your hand; will he lift up faces from any of you? says the LORD of hosts.

¹⁰Who even among you would shut the doors, that you might not kindle my altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and an offering I will not accept from your hand.

¹¹For from the rising of the sun even to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered, presented to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. ¹²But you profane it, in your saying, "The table of my Lord is polluted, and its fruit, its food, is contemptible."

¹³And you say, "Behold, what a weariness!" and you have snuffed at it, says the LORD of hosts; and you have brought what was taken by violence, and the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering; should I accept it from your hand? says the LORD.

¹⁴And cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices a blemished thing to my Lord; for I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is feared among the nations.

A Warning to the Priests

^2:1And now, to you is this commandment, O priests.

²If you will not hear, and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send upon you the curse, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

³Behold, I rebuke the seed for you, and I will scatter dung upon your faces, the dung of your feasts; and one shall carry you away to it.

⁴And you shall know that I have sent to you this commandment, that my covenant might be with Levi, says the LORD of hosts. ⁵My covenant was with him, of life and peace, and I gave them to him as fear, and he feared me, and before my name he stood in awe.

⁶The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found in his lips; in peace and in uprightness he walked with me, and he turned many back from iniquity. ⁷For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and they should seek Torah from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

ARomans 9:6–13Chapter page with footnotes →

The Purpose of God according to Election

^9:6But it is not as though the word of God has failed, for not all who are from Israel are Israel, ⁷nor because they are seed of Abraham are they all children; but "In Isaac your seed shall be called." ⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as seed. ⁹For this is a word of promise: "At this appointed time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son."

¹⁰And not only that, but also Rebecca, when she had conceived by one man — our father Isaac — ¹¹for the children not yet having been born and having done nothing good or evil — so that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not from works but from the One who calls — ¹²it was said to her: "The greater shall serve the lesser," ¹³just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."