Did God hate Esau?

Romans 9:13
As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 

Look at what happens to the two boys; Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of soup. Yes, Jacob tricked him (sort of), but the great blessing of God belonged to Esau, and he traded it away for a bit of comfort.

The Greek word Paul uses in Romans 9:13 is:

μισέω

which is

miseó.

Found on www.bible.cc, we read this:

3404 miséō – properly, to detest (on a comparative basis); hence, denounce; to love someone or something less than someone (something) else, i.e. to renounce one choice in favor of another.

That does, indeed, translate as hate, but perhaps it should more properly be "esteemed less than."

So it's not actual hatred, but a comparative thing. The Hebrew text that Paul is quoting is Malachi 1:3, where the Hebrew word has the same meaning... to detest.

שָׂנֵא

which is "sane"