Daily Reading for Saturday, July 6th, 2013

Reading 1, Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29

¹ When Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he summoned his elder son Esau. 'Son!' he said, and Esau replied, 'Here I am.'

² He then said, 'Look, I am old and do not know when I may die.

³ Now take your weapons, your quiver and bow; go out into the country and hunt me some game.

⁴ Make me the kind of appetising dish I like and bring it to me to eat and I shall give you my special blessing before I die.'

⁵ Rebekah was listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau. So when Esau went into the country to hunt game for his father,

¹⁵ Rebekah took her elder son Esau's best clothes, which she had at home, and dressed her younger son Jacob in them,

¹⁶ covering his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skins of the kids.

¹⁷ She then handed the special dish and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

¹⁸ He went to his father and said, 'Father!' 'Yes?' he replied. 'Which of my sons are you?'

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of the game I have brought and then give me your soul's blessing.'

²⁰ Isaac said to his son, 'Son, how did you succeed so quickly?' He replied, 'Because Yahweh your God made things go well for me.'

²¹ Isaac said to Jacob, 'Come closer, son, so that I can feel you and be sure whether you really are my son Esau or not.'

²² Jacob went closer to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, 'The voice is Jacob's voice but the arms are the arms of Esau!'

²³ He did not recognise him since his arms were hairy like his brother Esau's, and so he blessed him.

²⁴ He said, 'Are you really my son Esau?' And he replied, 'I am.'

²⁵ Isaac said, 'Serve it to me, so that I can eat my son's game and give you my special blessing.' He served it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank.

²⁶ His father Isaac said to him, 'Come closer, and kiss me, son.'

²⁷ He went closer and kissed his father, who sniffed the smell of his clothes. Then he blessed him, saying: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a fertile field which Yahweh has blessed.

²⁸ May God give you dew from heaven, and the richness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine!

²⁹ Let peoples serve you and nations bow low before you! Be master of your brothers; let your mother's other sons bow low before you! Accursed be whoever curses you and blessed be whoever blesses you!