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29 One day, Jacob was cooking a meal. Esau came back from the country. He was very hungry. 30 He said to Jacob ‘Quick, let me have some of that red food! I am very hungry.’ (That is why he was also called Edom.)[a] 31 Jacob said, ‘You must first sell me your birthright.’[b]

32 Esau said, ‘Look, I am so hungry that I will die. Then my birthright will not help me at all!’

33 Jacob said, ‘First, make a serious promise to me.’ So Esau promised to sell his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and the soup made from grains. Esau ate the food and he drank. Then he got up and he left.

In that way, Esau showed that he did not think that his birthright was important.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 25:30 Edom means red.
  2. 25:31 In the Old Testament, the oldest son had the birthright. This means that he would be the leader of his family when his father died. And he would get two parts of the things that had belonged to his father.
  3. 25:34 Now Jacob had the birthright. Jacob was the younger son. Jacob would receive God's promise that he had made with Abraham. This promise was also for Isaac. When Isaac died, it would pass to Jacob. This is what God had told Rebekah. See verse 23.