Genesis 25:25-27
English Standard Version
25 The first came out red, (A)all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with (B)his hand holding Esau's heel, so (C)his name was called Jacob.[a] Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was (D)a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, (E)dwelling in tents.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 25:26 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
Genesis 25:25-27
Good News Translation
25 The first one was reddish, and his skin was like a hairy robe, so he was named Esau.[a] 26 The second one was born holding on tightly to the heel of Esau, so he was named Jacob.[b] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man who loved the outdoors, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 25:25 This name is taken to refer to Seir, the territory later inhabited by Esau's descendants; Seir sounds like the Hebrew for “hairy.”
- Genesis 25:26 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “heel.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

