This is how I see the story of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25 and 26):
They are two very different twins who seem to fight a lot. Esau goes hunting and he is starving when he gets back. He asks Jacob for some stew. Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?" So Esau accepts the trade and it says "he despised his birthright."
1) When Esau says he is about to die, is this figuratively (from hunger) or literally he thinks he is close to dying from old age?
Then it gets kinda weird because Isaac's wife, Rebekah, tells her son, Jacob, to trick Isaac into thinking he is Esau and give the blessing to him. Jacob is hesitant and says "I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." But then she says, "Let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say." Jacob then lies and tricks his father into believe he is Esau so Isaac blesses him.
2) Isn't Rebekah promoting lying, deception, and disrespecting elders?
3) What is the difference between birthright and blessing? They sound similar.
4) If they are similar, why didn't Jacob just tell his father that Esau willingly gave up his birthright?
5) Are Isaac's words/blessings/curses really powerful enough to change the course of Jacob/Esau's life?
Sorry for all the questions but this whole passage seems really confusing to me.