Genesis 25

Then Abraham got married again, and his wife’s name {was} Keturah.

She had sons with him {whom they named} Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

{Her son} Jokshan had {sons named} Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s descendants became {people groups named} the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites.

{Keturah’s son} Midian had sons {named} Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of those {were} Keturah’s descendants {whom she had with Abraham}. \*

Abraham gave everything that he owned to Isaac.

He also gave {valuable} gifts to the sons that his servant wives had {with him}, but after that he made them move away to the east country {so that they would live} far away from his son Isaac. \*

Abraham lived to be 175 years old.

Then he took his last breath and died at a very old age. After he had lived a long and satisfying life, he joined his ancestors {who had already died}. \*

His sons Isaac and Ishmael put his body in the cave of Machpelah {which was} in the field that had belonged to Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of {the city of} Mamre.

{That is} the {same} field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. That is {the cave} where his sons buried his body next to {the body of} his wife Sarah {whom he had buried there before}.

After Abraham died, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near {the well} Beer Lahai Roi. \*

What follows {is} a record of the descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael, the son Abraham had with Sarah’s Egyptian slave woman Hagar. \*

Here is {a list of} the names of Ishmael’s sons, {given} in the order that they were born: His oldest {son} {was} Nebaioth, followed by Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedermah.

Those were Ishmael’s {twelve} sons, who became the leaders of twelve tribes that were named after them, and each tribe lived in its {own} towns and villages. \*

Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he took his last breath and died, and he joined his ancestors {who had died before him}.

His descendants lived {throughout the area that extended} from {the region of} Havilah to {the wilderness of} Shur that {is} east of {the country of} Egypt as you head {from there} to {the city of} Asshur. They lived as enemies against all their relatives. \*

Here {is} {more of} the history about Abraham’s son Isaac and his descendants: {After} Abraham had Isaac,

Isaac {grew up and} married Rebekah when he was forty years old. {She was} a daughter of Bethuel, {who was} an Aramean from {the region of} Paddan Aram, and her brother was Laban {who was also} an Aramean. \*

However {for many years} Rebekah was not able to become pregnant, so Isaac prayed that God would give her children. God did what Isaac prayed for, so that she became pregnant {with twins}.

But the {two} babies wrestled with each other inside her, so she asked, “Why is this happening to me?” Then she asked God about it. \*

God answered her, “{The ancestors of} two {future} people groups {are} inside you. They will be enemies {starting now} even before they are born. One of them will be more powerful than the other, so that the older {son’s descendants} will serve the younger {son’s descendants}.” \*

Later when it was time {for Rebekah} to give birth, sure enough, {there were} twin boys inside her!

The first {one} who was born was completely covered with thick red hair. So his parents named him Esau, {which means “hairy.”}

Next his brother was born, with his hand grabbing on {tightly} to Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob, {which means “heel-grabber.”} Isaac {was} sixty years old when Esau and Jacob were born. \*

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter and he enjoyed {being} in the open country, but Jacob had a quiet personality and {preferred} to work at home.

Isaac’s favorite son was Esau, because he liked to eat the meat of wild animals {that Esau hunted}, whereas Rebekah’s favorite son was Jacob. \*

{One day} when Jacob was making {some} soup, Esau came home from {hunting out in} the open country and he {felt} weak {and hungry}.

So Esau requested from Jacob, “Please let me have some of that very red soup because I {feel} weak {and hungry}!” That is why Esau’s nickname was Edom, {which means “red.”} \*

But Jacob replied, “First trade your rights as the oldest son to me {for the soup,} {then I will give you some}.”

Esau responded, “Look, I am about to die {from hunger}! So my birthright is of no use to me {right now}.”

Jacob insisted, “{First} make a vow to me today {before God} {that your rights are now mine}!” So Esau vowed to Jacob that he had traded his rights as the oldest son to him {for the soup}.

Then Jacob gave Esau {some of} the lentil soup with {some} bread, and Esau {quickly} ate the meal and left. In that way, Esau treated his birthright {carelessly} as if it had no value. \*