The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Iacob stealeth the blyssynge from Esau by his mothers counsell. Isaac is sad. Esau is comforted. The hatred of Esau toward•• Iacob.

CAPI. XXVII.

ANd it came to passe that when Isaac [unspec A] waxed olde and his eyes were dym (soo that he coulde not se.) He called Esau his eldest sonne, and sayde vnto hym: my son Whiche sayde to hym: here am I.

And he sayde, beholde, I am nowe olde, & knowe not the daye of my death, and nowe therfore take thy weapens, thy quyuer, & thy bowe, & get the to the feldes, that thou mayst take me some venyson, and make me meate suche as I loue, and bryng it me, that I may eate, and that my soule maye blesse the before that I dye. But Rebecca herde when Isaac spake to Esau his sonne. And Esau wente in to the feelde to catche Uenyson, and to brynge it.

✚ And Rebecca sayd vnto Iacob her son, sayenge? Beholde I haue herde thy father talkynge with Esau thy brother and sayeng: bryng me venyson, and make me meate, that I maye eate and blesse the before the Lorde / afore my death. Nowe therfore my son heare [unspec B] my voyce in that whiche I commaunde the: get the to the flocke, and brynge me thence two good kyddes: that I maye make meate of them for thy father, suche as he loueth. And thou shalte brynge it to thy father, that he ••••aye eate: and that he maye blesse the be∣fore his death.

Then sayd Iacob to Rebecca his mother: beholde, Esau my brother is a rough man, & I am smothe. My father shall peraduenture fele me / & I shall seme vnto hym as though I went aboute to begyle hym, and so shal he brynge a curse vpon me, and not a blessynge: and his mother sayde vnto hym: Upō me be thy curse my son, onely heare my voyce, and go and fetche me them.

And Iacob went and fet them, and brought them to his mother. And his mother made meate such as she knewe his father loued. And Rebecca fet goodlye raymente of her el∣dest sonne Esau, whiche were in the house [unspec C] with her, & put them vpon Iacob her yongest sonne / and she put the kyd skynnes vpon his handes, and vpon the smothe of his necke. And she put the meate and bread whiche she had prepared, in the hande of her son Iacob.

Wher••he came to his father, he sayde: my father? And he answered: here am I, who art thou my sonne? And Iacob sayd vnto his fa¦ther: I am Esau thy eldest son, I haue done accordynge as thou baddest me, vp and syt, and eate of my venyson, that thy soule maye blesse me. And Isaac sayde vnto his sonne, howe commeth it that thou haste founde it so quyckly my sonne? He answered: The Lorde thy God brought it to my hande.

Then sayd Isaac vnto Iacob / come nere and ••et me fele the my sonne, whether thou be my sonne Esau or not. Then went Iacob to Isaac his father, and he felte hym, and sayd: the voyce is Iacobs voyce, but the handes / are the handes of Esau.

And so he knewe hym not, bycause his [unspec D] handes were rough, as his brother Esaus handes: and so he blessed hym. And he asked hym, arte thou my sonne Esau? And he sayd, I am. Then sayde he, brynge me / and let me eate of my sonn{is} venyson, that my soule may blesse the. And he brought hym and he eate. And he brought hym wyne also & he dranke. And his father Isaac sayde vnto hym, come

nere / and kysse me my son. And he went vnto hym and kyssed hym. And he smelled the sa∣uour of his rayment, & * 1.1 blessed hym, & sayd Se, the smell of my sonne is as the smell of a felde whiche the Lorde hath blessed, God gyue the of the dewe of heuen, and of the fat∣nesse of the earth, and plentye of corne, and wyne. People be thy seruauntes, and nacy∣ons bowe vnto the. Be Lorde ouer thy bre∣thren, and thy mothers chyldren stoupe vnto the. Cursed be he that curseth the, and blessed be he that blesseth the.

It happened that as soone as Isaac had made an ende of blessynge, and Iacob was [unspec E] scarce goone out from the presence of Isaac his father. Then came Esau his brother frō his huntynge, and had made also meate, and brought it vnto his father / and sayde vnto his father, let my father aryse and eate of his sonnes venysō / that thy soule may blesse me. Then his father Isaac sayd vnto hym, who arte thou? he answered, I am thy eldest son Esau. And Isaac was greatly astonyed out of measure, and sayd, which is he / & where is he then that hath hunted venyson, & brought it me? and I haue eaten of all before thou ca∣mest, and haue blessed hym, and he shall be blessed. When Esau herde the wordes of his father, he cryed out greatly & bytterly / aboue measure, and sayde vnto his father, blesse me also my father.

Who answered: thy brother came with subtilte, and hath taken awaye thy blessyng. [unspec F] And he sayd agayne: He maye well be called Iacob, for he hath vndermyned me nowe two tymes, fyrst he toke away my byrthryght and se / now hath he taken away my blessyng also. And he sayde, haste thou kepte neuer a blessynge for me?

Isaac answered and sayde vnto Esau: be holde I haue made hym thy Lorde / and all his mothers chyldren haue I made his ser∣uauntes. Moreouer with corne & wyne haue I stablysshed hym / what can I do vnto the nowe my sonne? And Esau sayde vnto his father, haste thou but that one blessynge my father? blesse me also my father, so lyfted vp Esau his voyce and * 1.2 wept. Then Isaac his father answered and sayd vnto hym, behold, thy owellynge place shall be the fatnesse of the earth / & of the dew of heuen frō aboue. ⊢

And with thy swerde shalt thou lyue, and shalte be thy brothers seruaunt.

And it wyll come to passe, that when thou shalte get the maystryē, thou shalt loose his yocke from of thy necke. And Esau * 1.3 hated Iacob, bycause of the blessynge that his Fa∣ther blessed hym with all. And Esau sayde in [unspec G] his herte. The dayes of my fathers sorowe are at hande, and I wyll sley my brother Ia∣cob. And these wordes of Esau her eldest son were tolde to Rebecca. And she sent and cal∣led Iacob her yongest sonne, and sayd vnto hym, beholde thy brother Esau threatneth to kyll the / nowe therfore my sonne heare my voyce, make the redy to flee to Laban my bro¦ther at Haran, and tarye with hym a whyle * 1.4 vntyll thy brothers fearsnesse be swaged, & vntyll thy brothers wrathe turne away frō the, and he for get the thynges whiche thou hast done to hym. Then wyll I sende and fet the away from thence.

Why shulde I be desolate of you bothe in one daye? And Rebecca spake to Isaac, I am wery of my lyfe, for feare of the dough∣ters of Heth. Yf Iacob take a wyfe of the donghters of Heth, suche one as these are, or of the doughters of the land, what good shal my lyfe do me?

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ec••le, ili. b. Hebru. xi. d
• * 1.2

  Hebre. xiie
• * 1.3

  Eb••i. i. e
• * 1.4

  Gene. 33. ••••