God called Abraham and promised him that through his family the whole world would be blessed. After this, God blessed the sons of Abraham and their children, but God chose Isaac (Ishaq) to carry on these promises. In the first book of the Torah of Prophet Moses, Genesis, we read these words:
From there he [Isaac] went up to Beersheba. That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. Genesis 26.23-25
Isaac had two sons, Jacob (Yaqub) and Esau. These two sons were very different people and different in their place in the family. Esau was the first born son, and he became the father of the ancient Edomite people. However it was Jacob who was able to get the blessing of his father. The name Jacob meant one who “takes the place of another,” and so Jacob was true to his name. Jacob’s mother Rebekah helped Jacob to trick Isaac. Isaac’s eyes were weak, and so Jacob dressed in animal skins to feel like Esau, who was very hairy. By making Isaac think that he was Esau, Jacob was able to get Isaac to bless him instead of Esau:
Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau…. Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied.… So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.” Genesis 27.1-29
When Esau returned from hunting and learned what Jacob had done, he was so angry he wanted to kill his brother.