Genesis 27

CHAPTER 27

1Forsooth Isaac waxed eld [or old], and his eyes dimmed, and he might not see. And he called Esau, his more or older son, and said to him, My son! Which answered, I am present.

2To whom the father said, Thou seest that I have waxed eld, and I know not the day of my death#27:2 Isaac would still be alive more than 20 years after this event(!)..

3Take thine arms, an arrow case, and a bow, and go out; and when thou hast taken anything by hunting,

4make me a stew thereof, as thou knowest that I will or desire, and bring it to me that I eat, that my soul bless thee before that I die.

5And when Rebecca had heard this thing, and he had gone forth into the field that he fulfill the behest of his father,

6she said to her son Jacob, I heard thy father speaking with Esau, thy brother, and saying to him,

7Bring thou to me of thine hunting, and make thou meats, that I eat, and that I bless thee before the Lord before that I die.

8Now therefore, my son, assent to my counsels,

9and go to the flock, and bring to me twain [or two] of the best kids, that I make meats of those to thy father, which he shall eat gladly;

10and that when thou hast brought in those meats, and he hath eaten, he bless thee before that he die.

11To whom Jacob answered, Thou knowest that Esau my brother is an hairy man, and I am smooth;

12if my father shall touch or draw me to him, and feel me, I dread lest he guess that I would scorn him, and he bring in cursing on me for blessing.

13To whom his mother said, My son, this cursing be in me; only hear thou my voice, and go, and bring that that I said.

14He went, and brought it, and gave it to his mother. She made ready meats, as she knew that his father would have,

15and she clothed Jacob in [the] full good clothes of Esau, which she had at home with herself.

16And she wrapped his hands about with little skins of goat kids, and covered the nakedness of his neck;

17and she gave to him the stew, and betook him [the] loaves, which she had baked.

18And when these were brought in, he said, My father! And he answered, I am here; who art thou, my son?

19And Jacob said, I am Esau, thy first begotten son. I have done to thee as thou commandedest to me; rise thou up, and sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul bless me.

20Again Isaac said to his son, My son, how mightest thou find this venison so soon? Which answered, It was God’s will, that this thing that I would, should come soon to me.

21And Isaac said, My son, come thou hither, that I touch thee, and that I prove whether thou be my son Esau, or nay.

22Jacob nighed to his father; and when Isaac had feeled him, he said, Soothly the voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands be the hands of Esau.

23And Isaac knew not Jacob, for the hairy hands showed the likeness of the elder son. Therefore Isaac blessed Jacob,

24and said again, Art thou my son Esau? Jacob answered, I am.

25And Isaac said, My son, bring thou to me meats of thine hunting, that my soul bless thee. And when Isaac had eaten these meats brought, Jacob brought also wine to Isaac, and when this was drunken,

26Isaac said to him, My son, come thou hither, and give to me a kiss.

27Jacob nighed, and kissed him; and anon as Isaac feeled the odour of his clothes, he blessed him, and said, Lo! the odour of my son as the odour of a plenteous field which the Lord hath blessed.

28God give to thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of [the] earth, abundance [or plenty] of wheat, and of wine, and of oil;

29and peoples serve thee, and lineages worship thee; be thou lord of thy brethren, and the sons of thy mother be bowed before thee; be he cursed that curseth thee, and he that blesseth thee, be he [full-]filled with blessings.

30Scarcely Isaac had filled the word, and when Jacob was gone out, Esau came,

31and brought in meats sodden of the hunting to the father, and said, My father, rise thou, and eat of the hunting of thy son, that thy soul bless me.

32And Isaac said, Who art thou? Which answered, I am Esau, thy first begotten son.

33Isaac dreaded with a great aston-ishing; and he wondered more than it may be believed, and said, Who therefore is he which a while ago brought to me venison taken, and I ate of all things before that thou camest; and I blessed him? and he shall be blessed.

34When the words of the father were heard, Esau roared with a great cry, and was astonied, and said, My father, bless thou also me.

35Which said, Thy brother came prudently [or beguilingly], and took thy blessing.

36And Esau added, Justly his name is called Jacob, for lo! he [hath] supplanted me another time; before he took away my first begotten things, and now the second time, he [hath] ravished privily my blessing. And again he said to the father, Whether thou hast not reserved a blessing also to me?

37Isaac answered, I have made him thy lord, and I have made subject all his brethren to his servage; I have stablished him in wheat, and wine, and oil; and so, my son, what shall I do to thee after these things?

38To whom Esau said, Father, whether thou hast only one blessing? I beseech thee, that also thou bless me. And when Esau wept with great yelling,

39Isaac was stirred, and said to him, Thy blessing shall not be in the fatness of [the] earth, and in the dew of heaven from above;

40thou shalt live by sword, and thou shalt serve thy brother, and time shall come when thou shalt shake away, and unbind his yoke from [off] thy nolls.

41Therefore Esau hated evermore Jacob for the blessing by which the father had blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning of my father shall come, and I shall slay Jacob, my brother.

42These things were told to Rebecca, and she sent, and called her son Jacob, and said to him, Lo! Esau, thy brother, menaceth [or threateneth] to slay thee;

43now therefore, my son, hear thou my voice, and rise thou up, and flee to Laban, my brother, into Haran;

44and thou shalt dwell with him a few days, till the strong vengeance of thy brother rest, and his indignation cease,

45and till he forget those things which thou hast done against him. Afterward I shall send, and I shall bring thee from thence hither. Why shall I be made sonless of ever either son in one day?

46And Rebecca said to Isaac, It annoyeth or vexeth me of my life for the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the kindred of this land, I will not live.

Berĕshith (Genesis) 27

1And it came to be, when Yitsḥaq was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called Ěsaw his elder son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.”

2And he said, “See now, I am old, I do not know the day of my death.

3“Now then, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt wild game for me.

4“And make me a tasty dish, such as I love, and bring it to me to eat, in order that my being does bless you before I die.”

5And Riḇqah heard when Yitsḥaq spoke to Ěsaw his son. And Ěsaw went to the field to hunt wild game and to bring it.

6And Riḇqah spoke to Ya‛aqoḇ her son, saying, “See, I heard your father speak to Ěsaw your brother, saying,

7Bring me wild game and make me a tasty dish to eat, and bless you in the presence of יהוה before my death.’

8“And now my son, listen to my voice according to what I command you.

9Please go to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, and I make a tasty dish from them for your father, such as he loves.

10And you shall take it to your father, and he shall eat it, so that he might bless you before his death.

11And Ya‛aqoḇ said to Riḇqah his mother, “See, Ěsaw my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.

12What if my father touches me? Then I shall be like a deceiver in his eyes, and shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.

13But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”

14And he went and fetched them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made a tasty dish, such as his father loved.

15And Riḇqah took the best garments of her elder son Ěsaw, which were with her in the house, and put them on Ya‛aqoḇ her younger son.

16And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.

17Then she gave the tasty dish and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Ya‛aqoḇ.

18And he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19And Ya‛aqoḇ said to his father, “I am Ěsaw your first-born, I have done as you said to me. Please rise, sit and eat of my wild game, so that your being might bless me.”

20But Yitsḥaq said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because יהוה your Elohim brought it to me.”

21Then Yitsḥaq said to Ya‛aqoḇ, “Please come near, so that I feel you, my son, whether you truly are my son Ěsaw or not.”

22And Ya‛aqoḇ went near to Yitsḥaq his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Ya‛aqoḇ, but the hands are the hands of Ěsaw.”

23And he did not recognise him, for his hands were hairy like his brother Ěsaw’s hands, and he blessed him.

24And he said, “Are you truly my son Ěsaw?” And he said, “I am.”

25And he said, “Bring it near to me, and let me eat of my son’s wild game, so that my being might bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate. And he brought him wine, and he drank.

26And his father Yitsḥaq said to him, “Please come near and kiss me, my son.”

27And he came near and kissed him. And he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which יהוה has blessed.

28And Elohim give you of the dew of the heavens, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.

29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brothers, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those cursing you, and blessed be those blessing you!”

30And it came to be, as soon as Yitsḥaq had finished blessing Ya‛aqoḇ, and Ya‛aqoḇ had hardly left the presence of Yitsḥaq his father, that Ěsaw his brother came in from his hunting.

31And he too had made a tasty dish and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father rise and eat of his son’s wild game, so that your being might bless me.”

32And his father Yitsḥaq said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your first-born, Ěsaw.”

33Then Yitsḥaq trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who was it then who hunted wild game and brought it to me? And I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him. Yes, he is blessed.”

34When Ěsaw heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, me too, O my father!”

35And he said, “Your brother came with deceit and took your blessing.”

36And Ěsaw said, “Was his name, then, called Ya‛aqoḇ? For he has caught me by the heel these two times. He took my birthright, and see, now he has taken my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37Then Yitsḥaq answered and said to Ěsaw, “See, I have made him your master, and all his brothers I have given to him as servants. And I have sustained him with grain and wine. And what, then, shall I do for you, my son?”

38And Ěsaw said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, me too, O my father!” And Ěsaw lifted up his voice and wept.

39And Yitsḥaq his father answered and said to him, “See, your dwelling is of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of the heavens from above.

40And by your sword you are to live, and serve your brother. And it shall be, when you grow restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

41And Ěsaw hated Ya‛aqoḇ because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Ěsaw said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father draw near, then I am going to kill my brother Ya‛aqoḇ.”

42And the words of Ěsaw her older son were reported to Riḇqah, and she sent and called Ya‛aqoḇ her younger son, and said to him, “See, your brother Ěsaw comforts himself concerning you, to kill you.

43“And now, my son, listen to my voice, and rise, flee to my brother Laḇan in Ḥaran.

44And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s wrath turns away,”

45until your brother’s displeasure turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. And I shall send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

46And Riḇqah said to Yitsḥaq, “I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Ḥĕth. If Ya‛aqoḇ takes a wife from the daughters of Ḥĕth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what is my life to me?”

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Genesis 27

Berĕshith (Genesis) 27