The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XXVII.

[verse 1] Ysaac forsothe was olde, and his eyen wexen derk, and he myȝte not se. And he clepide Esau, his moor sone, and seide to hym, My sone! The which answeryde, I am nyȝ. [verse 2] To whom the fader, Thow seest, he seith, that Y am wexun [wexid E.] olde, and vnknowe the day of my deeth. [verse 3] Take

thin armes [armour B. arweȝ E.] , quyuer and bowe [a bowe E.] , and go forth oute; and whan thow hast with [verse 4] huntyng eny thing takun, make to me therof sowil, as thow knowe [knowst D. knew BFH.] me to wiln, and brynge to me [Om. BDEFH.] that I ete, that my soule blis to thee or I dye. [verse 5] The which whan Rebecca hadde herd, and he was goon a wey in to the feeld, that he ful|fille [verse 6] the heest of the fader, she seide to hir sone Jacob, I herde thi fader spekynge with Esau, thi brother, and seiynge to [verse 7] hym, Brynge to me of thin huntyng, and maak metis, that I ete, and Y shal blisse to thee bifore the Lord or I dye. [verse 8] Now thanne assente to my counseyls, my sone, [verse 9] and goynge to the flok, brynge to me two the best kyddis, that I make of hem meet [metis BDEH.] to thi fader, the which he eet [verse 10] gladly; the whiche whan thow bryngist yn, and he etith, he blisse to thee or than he die. [verse 11] To whom he answeride, Thow hast know that Esau my brother is a [verse 12] man ful of heer, and I soft; if my fader groop and [me and BDEF.] fele, Y drede lest he wene me wiln to bigile hym, and brynge on me malysoun for benysoun. [verse 13] To whom the moder, In me be, she seith, this mali|soun, my sone; oonli here my vois, and goynge forth brynge to that Y seide. [verse 14] He ȝede a wey, and brouȝte to, and ȝaue to his modir. She greithide meetis, as [verse 15] she knewe the fader of hym wiln [to wiln A pr. m.] , and with the clothis of Esau ful good, the whiche anentis hyr she hadde at hoom, she clothid hym. [verse 16] And she dide about his hondis litel skynnes of kiddis, and she [verse 17] forcoueride the nakid of the nak; and ȝaue sowil, and took the looues that she hadde sothun. [verse 18] The whiche thingis brouȝt to, seide, Fader myn! And he answeryde, [verse 19] I here; who art thow, sone myn? And Jacob seide, Y am Esau, thi first getun.

Y haue do to thee as thow hast co|maundide me; aryse, sit, and eet of myn huntyng, that thi soule blisse to me. [verse 20] Eft Ysaac to his sone, How, he seith, so soone fynde thow myȝtist, sone myne? The which answeride, The wil of God was, that soone it shulde com to me that I wolde. [verse 21] And Ysaac seide, Come nerre hider, that I towche thee, sone myn, and proue whethir thow be my sone Esau, or noon. [verse 22] He com nerre to the fader; and, hym gropid, seide [seyth D.] Ysaac, The vois for|sothe is the vois of Jacob, but the hondis ben the hondis of Esau. [verse 23] And he knewe hym not, for the heery hondis expressiden the liknes of the moor. Thanne blyssynge [verse 24] to hym, seide, Thow art my sone Esau? He answeride, I am. [verse 25] And he, Brynge forth, he seide [seith E.] , to me meetis of thin hunt|ing, sone myn, that my soule blisse to thee. The which offryd, whan he hadde eet, also and wyyn he offride, the which [verse 26] drunkun, seide to hym, Come nerre to me, and ȝyue to me a cosse, sone myn. [verse 27] He com nerre, and cossyde hym; and anoon that he felide the good smel of his clothis, blissynge to hym seith, Loo! the smel of my sone as the smel of a ful feeld, to the which the Lord blisside. [verse 28] God ȝyue to thee of the dew of heuen, and of [Om. D.] fatnes [the fatnes BDEFH.] of the erthe, plente of [verse 29] wheet, and of wyyn, and of oyle; and to thee seruen puplis, and lowten thee lynagis; be thow the lord of thi bri|theren, and the sonys of thi moder be thei bowid bifore thee; who shal curse to thee, be he cursid [acursid A pr. m. F.] , and who shal blis to thee, with blissyngis be he fulfillid. [verse 30] Vnneth Ysaac had fulfillid the word, and [verse 31] Jacob goon out, Esau com, and sothen meetis of the huntyng broute yn to the fader, seiynge, Aryse, fader myn, and eet of the huntyng of thi sone, that thi soule

blisse to me. [verse 32] And Ysaac seide, Who for|sothe art thow? The which answeride, Y am thi first getun sone Esau. [verse 33] Isaac wexe adred in a hidows stonying, and more than it may be leuyd wondrynge, seith, Who is thanne he that now riȝt brouȝte to me huntyng takun, and Y ete of al bifore that thow com, and Y blisside hym? and he shal be blissid. [verse 34] Esau, the wordis of the fader herd, roride with a greet crye, and stonyed seide, Also blis and to me, fader myn. [verse 35] The which seide, Thi brothir com gilyngliche, and took thi blissyng. [verse 36] And he ekyde to, Justli is the name of hym clepid Jacob; he forsothe hath subplauntid me loo! anothir sithe; the riȝtis of my fyrst geting biforn he took a wey, and now secounde he hath vnder rauyshide my benysoun. And eftsonys to the fader, And whethir thow hast not reseruyd, he seith, to me [verse 37] thi blissyng? Ysaac answeryde, Thi lord I haue ordeynyde him, and alle his bri|theren I haue vndir ȝockid to the seruyce of hym; with wheet, and wyne, and oyle I haue stablid hym; and to thee, sone myn, after these [this D.] ouer what shal Y doon? [verse 38] To whom Esau seide, Whether oonlich o blissyng thow hast fader? And to me Y preie thee that thow blis; and with a greet ȝowlyng he wepte. [verse 39] Ysaac moued, seide to hym, In the fatnes of the erthe, [verse 40] and in the dewe of heuene fro aboue shal be thi blissyng; thow shalt lyue in swerd, and to thi brother thow shalt serue, and tyme shal come whanne thow shalt shaak out, and lowse the ȝok of hym of thi nollys. [verse 41] Than Esau euermore hatide Jacob for the blissyng that the fader blisside to hym, and seide in his herte, The dayes of weil|yng of my fader shal come, and I shal slee Jacob, my brother. [verse 42] Thes thingis weren tolde to Rebecca, the which send|ynge and clepynge hire [his A.] sone Jacob, seide to hym, Loo! Esau, thi brother, thretith

[verse 43] that he slee thee; now thanne, sone, here my vois, and arysynge fle to Laban, my [verse 44] brother, in Aran; and thow shalt dwelle with hym a fewe dayes, to the tyme that [verse 45] the woodnes of thi brother reste, and the indignacioun of hym ceesse, and he for|ȝeete the thingis that thow hast doon to [in to BDEFH.] hym. Afterward Y shal sende and lede thee fro thens hydir. Whi shal Y be [verse 46] priued of [Om. BDEF pr. m. H.] eithir sone in o day? And Re|becca seide to Ysaac, It noieth [anoyith BDEFH.] me of my lijf for the dowȝtrys of Heth; if Jacob shal taak a wijf of the lynage of this loond, Y nyl not lyue.