1   And Isaac was old, and his eyes were dimme, and he could not see: and he called Esau his elder sonne, and said to him: my sonne? Who answered Here I am.

2   To whom his father: Thou seest, quoth he, that I am old, and know not the day of my death.

3   Take thy instruments, thy quiuer, and bowe, and goe abrode: and when thou hast taken any thing by hunting,

4   make me broth therof, as thou knowest I like, and bring that I may eate: and my soule may blesse thee before I dye.

5   Which when Rebecca had heard, and he was gone into the field to fulfil his fathers commandement,

6   she said to her sonne Iacob: I heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying to him: ^note

7   Bring me of thy hunting, and make me meates that I may eate, and blesse thee in the sight of our Lord before I dye.

8   Now therfore my sonne, assent to my counsel:

9   and go thy way to the flocke, bring me two kiddes of the best, that I may make of them meat for thy father, such as he gladly eateth:

10   which when thou hast brought in, and he hath eaten, he may blesse thee before he dye.

11   To whom he answered: Thou knowest that Esau my brother is an hearie man, and I am smooth:

12   if my father shal feele me, and perceaue it, ^note I feare lest he wil thinke I would

Isaac. haue deluded him, and I shal bring vpon me a curse for a blessing.

13   To whom his mother said: This curse, my sonne, light vpon me: only heare thou my voice, and go, fetch me the things which I haue said.

14   He went, and brought, and gaue them to his mother. She dressed meats, euen as she knew his father liked.

15   And she did on him the garments of Esau verie good, which she had at home with her:

16   and the litle skinnes of the kidds she put about his hands, and couered the bare of his necke.

17   And she gaue him the broth, and deliuered him bread that she had baked.

18   Which when he had caried in, he said: My father? But he answered: I heare. Who art thou my sonne?

19   And Iacob said:09Q0069 I am thy first begotten Esau: I haue done as thou didest command me: arise, sit, and eate of my hunting, that thy soule may blesse me.

20   And againe Isaac to his sonne: How couldest thou, said he, find it so quickly, my sonne? Who answered: ^note It was the wil of God that that which I would came quickly in my way:

21   And Isaac said: Come hither, that I may feele thee my sonne, and may proue whether thou be my sonne Esau, or no.

22   He came nere to his father, and when he had felt him, Isaac said: The voice verely, is the voice of Iacob: but the hands, are the hands of Esau.

23   And he09Q0070 knew him not, because his hearie hands had made him like vnto the elder. Blessing him therfore,

24   he said: Art thou my sonne Esau? He answered: I am.

25   But he said: Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my sonne, that my soule may blesse thee. Which when they were brought and he had eaten, he offred him wine also, which after he had drunke,

26   he said to him: Come nere me, and geue me a kisse, my sonne.

27   He came nere, and kissed him. And immediatly as he felt the fragrant sauoure of his garments, blessing him, he said: Behold the sauoure of my sonne is as the sauoure of a plentiful field, which our Lord hath blessed.

28   God geue thee of the deaw of heauen, and of the fatnes of the earth abundance of corne and wine.

29   And let peoples serue thee, and tribes adore thee: be thou lord of thy brethren, and thy mothers children bowe they before thee. He that shal curse thee, be he cursed: and he that shal blesse thee, be he replenished with blessings.

30   Isaac had scarce ended his wordes, and Iacob now gone forth abroad, but Esau came,

31   and brought in to his father meates made

Isaac. of his hunting, saying: Arise my father, and eate of thy sonnes hunting: that thy soule may blesse me.

32   And Isaac said to him: Why! who arth thou? Who answered: I am thy first begotten sonne Esau.

33   Isaac was amazed and astonied exceadingly: and marueling more then a man can beleue, said: Who is he then that euen now brought me venison that he had taken, and I did eate of al thinges before thou camest? and I haue blessed him, ^note and he shal be blessed.

34   Esau hauing heard his fathers wordes, roared out with a great crye: and being dismaied, said: Blesse me also, my father.

35   Who said: Thy brother came deceiptfully and tooke thy blessing.

36   But he said again: Rightly is his name called Iacob: for he hath supplanted me loe the second time: my first-birth-right he tooke before, and now the second time he hath stollen my blessing. And againe to his father he said: Hast thou not reserued me also a blessing?

37   Isaac answered: I haue appointed him thy Lord, and al his brethren I haue made subiect to his seruice: with corne and wine I haue established him, and for thee, my sonne, what shal I doe more after this?

38   To whom Esau said: Hast thou one only blessing, father? I besech thee blesse me also. And when he wept that he howled againe,

39   Isaac being moued, said to him: In ^note the fat of the earth, and in the deaw of heauen from aboue

40   shal thy blessing be. Thou shalt liue by the sworde, and shalt serue thy brother: and ^note the time shal come, when thou shalt shake of, and loose his yoake from thy necke.

41   Esau therfore alwaies hated Iacob for the blessing wherwith his father had blessed him: and he said in his hart: The daies wil come of the mourning of my father, and I wil kil Iacob my brother.

42   These things were told to Rebecca: who sending & calling Iacob her sonne, said to him: Behold Esau thy brother threatneth to kil thee.

43   Now therfore, my sonne, heare my voice, and get thee vp and flye to Laban my brother into Haran:

44   and thou shalt dwel with him a few daies, til the furie of thy brother be asswaged,

45   and his indignation cease, and he forget those things, which thou hast done to him: afterward I wil send, and bring thee from thence hither. Why shal I be depriued of both sonnes in one day?

46   And Rebecca said to Isaac: I am wearie of my life for the daughters of Heth: if Iacob take a wife of the stocke of this land, I list not liue.

Isaac.

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