Esau is a man in the Old Testament: the son of Isaac, and the older twin of Jacob. The stories paint him as a hairy hunter, hungry and of the outdoors, while Jacob stays closer to the tents.

Esau is a man in the Old TestamentEsau是聖經舊約裡的一個人物，the son of Isaac是Isaac的兒子，and the older twin of Jacob也是Jacob的雙胞胎哥哥。The stories paint him as a hairy hunter故事把他描寫成一個多毛的獵人，hungry and of the outdoors總是很餓、喜歡待在戶外，while Jacob stays closer to the tents而Jacob則比較常待在帳篷附近。

The line students are meant to know is this: Esau came home starving, and he sold his birthright — the older son’s right to the family property and standing — to Jacob for a “mess of pottage,” that is, a bowl of stew Jacob had cooked. In later English, that scene became a saying: to sell your birthright for a mess of pottage is to throw away something large and lasting for a small, quick comfort.

The line students are meant to know is this學生應該要知道的重點是這樣的：Esau came home starvingEsau餓著肚子回到家，and he sold his birthright然後他把自己的長子繼承權賣掉了——the older son’s right to the family property and standing也就是長子對家產和地位的權利——to Jacob for a “mess of pottage,”賣給了Jacob，換來一碗「mess of pottage」，that is, a bowl of stew Jacob had cooked也就是Jacob煮的一碗湯。In later English後來在英文裡，that scene became a saying這個場景變成了一句成語：to sell your birthright for a mess of pottage為了一碗湯賣掉自己的長子名分，is to throw away something large and lasting for a small, quick comfort意思是為了眼前一點小小的滿足，放棄了長遠而重大的東西。

Though actually the Bible’s Esau is not only that one bargain; Jacob later also takes their father’s blessing by a trick, and the brothers’ story is longer and sadder than the proverb.

Though actually不過其實，the Bible’s Esau is not only that one bargain聖經裡的Esau不是只有那一次交易；Jacob later also takes their father’s blessing by a trick後來Jacob還用計謀騙走了他們父親的祝福，and the brothers’ story is longer and sadder than the proverb這對兄弟的故事，比這句諺語呈現的更長、也更悲傷。

You will meet the name in church, in literature, and in that old phrase more than in daily chat. It is a name, always capitalised.

You will meet the name你會在 in church教會裡、in literature文學作品裡、and in that old phrase還有那句老諺語裡遇到這個名字，more than in daily chat比在日常聊天裡遇到的機會更多。It它 is a name, always capitalised是一個名字，字首永遠要大寫。