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JANUARY 13
and was gathered to his people. (They dwelt
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January 13 from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of
Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in
the presence of all his brethren.
19 This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s
Genesis 25:1–26:35
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son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty
Abraham again took a wife, and her years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the
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25 name was Keturah. And she bore him daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan
Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now
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Shuah. Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife,
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the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, because she was barren; and the LORD grant-
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and Leummim. And the sons of Midian were ed his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. 22 But the children struggled together within
All these were the children of Keturah. her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like
And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. this? ” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
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6 23
But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the con- And the LORD said to her:
cubines which Abraham had; and while he “Two nations are in your womb,
was still living he sent them eastward, away Two peoples shall be separated from
from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.
This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s
7 your body;
life which he lived: one hundred and seventy- One people shall be stronger than the
other,
five years. Then Abraham breathed his last And the older shall serve the
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and died in a good old age, an old man and full younger.”
of years, and was gathered to his people. And
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his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the
cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in
the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the
Hittite, the field which Abraham purchased
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from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was 25:23 the older shall serve the younger.
buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to This was contrary to the custom in patriarchal
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pass, after the death of Abraham, that God times when the elder son enjoyed the privi-
blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer leges of precedence in the household and at
Lahai Roi. the father’s death received a double share of
the inheritance and became the recognized
head of the family (see Ex.22:29;Num 8:14–17;
Deut. 21:17). Grave offenses could annul such
primogeniture rights (see Gen. 35:22; 49:3,4;
25:8 gathered to his people. A euphemism 1 Chr.5:1); or the birthright could be sacrificed
for death, but also an expression of personal or legally transferred to another in the family,
continuance beyond death, which denoted a as in this case (vv. 29–34). In this case, God
reunion with previously departed friends (ca. declared otherwise since His sovereign elec-
1990 B.C.). tive purposes did not necessarily have to fol-
low custom (see Rom. 9:10–14, esp. v. 12).
Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael,
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Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sa- 24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to
rah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. And give birth, indeed there were twins in her
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these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, womb. And the first came out red. He was
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by their names, according to their genera- like a hairy garment all over; so they called his
tions: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then name Esau. Afterward his brother came out,
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Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his
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Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years
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Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael old when she bore them.
and these were their names, by their towns 27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful
and their settlements, twelve princes accord- hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild
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ing to their nations. These were the years of man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau
the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty- because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved
seven years; and he breathed his last and died, Jacob.
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