1
Now Isaac was old , and his eyes were dim, and he could not see : and he called Esau , his elder son , and said to him: My son ? And he answered: Here I am.
2
And his father said to him: Thou seest that I am old, and know not the day of my death.
3
Take thy arms, thy quiver, and bow , and go abroad: and when thou hast taken some thing by hunting ,
4
Make me savoury meat thereof, as thou knowest I like, and bring it, that I may eat : and my soul may bless thee before I die .
5
And when Rebecca had heard this, and he was gone into the field to fulfill his father's commandment,
6
She said to her son Jacob : I heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother , and saying to him:
7
Bring me of thy hunting, and make me meats that I may eat , and bless thee in the sight of the Lord , before I die.
8
Now, therefore, my son , follow my counsel:
9
And go thy way to the flock , bring me two kids 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 bless thee before he die .
11
And he answered her: Thou knowest that Esau my brother is a hairy man , and I am smooth .
12
If my father shall feel me, and perceive it, I fear lest he will think I would have mocked him, and I shall bring upon me a curse instead of a blessing.
13
And his mother said to him: Upon me be this curse , my son : only hear thou my voice , and go , fetch me the things which I have said .
14
He went, and brought, and gave them to his mother . She dressed meats, such as she knew his father liked.
15
And she put on him very good garments of Esau , which she had at home with her:
16
And the little skins of the kids she put about his hands , and covered the bare of his neck .
17
And she gave him the savoury meat , and delivered him bread that she had baked.
18
Which when he had carried in, he said : My father ? But he answered: I hear. Who art thou, my son ?
19
And Jacob said : I am Esau thy firstborn : I have done as thou didst command me: arise , sit , and eat of my venison , that thy soul may bless me.
20
And Isaac said to his son : How couldst thou find it so quickly , my son ?
21
And Isaac said : Come hither, that I may feel thee, my son , and may prove whether thou be my son Esau , or not.
22
He came near to his father , and when he had felt him, Isaac said : The voice indeed is the voice of Jacob ; but the hands are the hands of Esau .
23
He said : Art thou my son Esau ? He answered: I am.
25
Then he said : Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son , that my soul may bless thee. And when they were brought, and he had eaten , he offered him wine also, which after he had drunk ,
26
He said to him: Come near me, and give me a kiss , my son .
27
He came near , and kissed him. And immediately as he smelled the fragrant smell of his garments , blessing him, he said : Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field , which Lord hath blessed .
28
God give thee the dew of heaven , and of the fatness of the earth , abundance of corn and wine.
29
And let peoples serve thee, and tribes worship thee: be thou lord of thy brethren , and let they mother's children bow down before thee. Cursed be he that curseth thee: and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings .
30
Isaac had scarce ended his words, when Jacob being now gone out abroad, Esau came ,
31
And brought in to his father meats made of what he had taken in hunting, saying: Arise, my father , and eat of thy son's venison ; that thy soul may bless me.
32
And Isaac said to him: Why! who art thou? He answered: I am thy firstborn son Esau .
33
Isaac was struck with fear, and astonished exceedingly: and wondering beyond what can be believed, said Who is he then the even now brought me venison that he had taken, and I ate of all before thou camest ? and I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed .
34
Esau having heard his father 's words , roared out with a great cry: and being in a great consternation, said : Bless me also, my father .
35
And he said : Thy brother came deceitfully and got thy blessing.
36
But he said again: Rightly is his name called Jacob ; for he hath supplanted me lo this second time: my first birthright he took away before, and now this second time he hath stolen away my blessing. And again he said to his father: Hast thou not reserved me also a blessing?
37
Isaac answered : I have appointed him thy lord, and have made all his brethren his servants : I have established him with corn and wine, and after this, what shall I do more for thee, my son ?
38
And Esac said to him: Hast thou only one blessing , father ? I beseech thee bless me also. And when he wept with a loud cry,
39
Isaac being moved, said to him: In the fat of the earth , and in the dew of heaven from above,
40
Shall thy blessing be. Thou shalt live by the sword and shalt serve thy brother : and the time shall come, when thou shalt shake off and loose his yoke from thy neck .
41
Esau therefore always hated Jacob for the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him: and he said in his heart : The days will come of the mourning of my father , and I will kill my brother Jacob .
42
These things were told to Rebecca : and she sent and called Jacob her son , and said to him: Behold Esau thy brother threateneth to kill thee.
43
Now therefore, my son , hear my voice : arise and flee to Laban my brother to Haran :
44
And thou shalt dwell with him a few days , till wrath of thy brother be assuaged,
45
And his indignation cease, and he forget the things thou hast done to him: afterwards I will send , and bring thee from thence hither. Why shall I be deprived of both my sons in one day ?
46
And Rebecca said to Isaac : I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth : if Jacob take a wife of the stock of this land , I choose not to live.