Jacob

===Birth===
Jacob and his twin brother, Esau, were born to [[Isaac]] and [[Rebecca]] after 20 years of marriage, when Isaac was 60 years of age.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Genesis|25:20|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Genesis|25:26|HE}}</ref> Rebecca was uncomfortable during her pregnancy and went to inquire of God why she was suffering. She received the prophecy that [[twin]]s were fighting in her womb and would continue to fight all their lives, even after they became two separate nations. The prophecy also said that "the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger"  [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2025:23&version=KJV (Genesis 25:25 KJV)].

When the time came for Rebecca to give birth, the firstborn, Esau, came out covered with red hair, as if he were wearing a hairy garment, and his heel was grasped by the hand of Jacob, the secondborn. According to Genesis 25, Isaac and Rebecca named the first son Esau ({{lang-he|עשו}}).<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Genesis|25:25|HE}}</ref> The second son they named Jacob (Hebrew: יעקב, Ya'aqob or Ya'aqov, meaning "heel-catcher", "supplanter", "leg-puller", "he who follows upon the heels of one", from {{lang-he|link=no|עקב}}, ''{{'}}aqab'' or ''{{'}}aqav'', "seize by the heel", "circumvent", "restrain", a wordplay upon {{lang-he|עקבה|link=no}}, ''{{'}}iqqebah'' or ''{{'}}iqqbah'', "heel").<ref>''Strong's Concordance'' 3290, 6117.</ref>

The boys displayed very different natures as they matured: "... and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents".<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Genesis|25:27|HE}}</ref> Moreover, the attitudes of their parents toward them also differed: "And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebecca loved Jacob."<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Genesis|25:28|HE}}</ref>
[[File:JacobBirthright.jpg|thumb|left|Jacob offering a bowl of [[stew]] to Esau for his birthright, 18th-century painting by [[Zacarias Gonzalez Velazquez]]]]