Page:The Holy Bible faithfvlly translated into English ovt of the authentical Latin, diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greek, & other Editions in diuers languages.pdf/101

 

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CHAP. XXVII.

 

Iacob by his mothers counsel getteth his fathers blessing in place of Esau. 42. And by her is aduised (for auoiding Esaus wrath, who threatned to kil him) to flie to his vncle Laban, in Haran of Mesopotamia.

 

The Epistle on Saturday the second weeke in Lent.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. ²To whom his father: Thou seest, quoth he, that I am old, and know not the day of my death. ³Take thy instruments, thy quiuer, and bow, and goe abroad: and when thou hast taken any thing by hunting, ⁴make me broth therof, as thou knowest I like, and bring that I may eate, and my soule may blesse thee before I dye. ⁵Which when Rebecca had heard, and he was gone into the field to fulfil his fathers commandement, ⁶she said to her sonne Iacob: I heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying to him: ⁷Bring me of thy hunting, and make me meats that I may eate, and blesse thee in the sight of our Lord before I dye. ⁸Now therfore, my sonne, assent to my counsel: ⁹and goe 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: ¹⁰which when thou hast brought in, and he hath eaten, he may blesse thee before he dye. ¹¹To whom he answered: Thou knowest that Esau my brother is hairie man, and I am smooth: ¹²if my father shal feele me, and perceaue it, ^[1] I feare lest he wil thinke I would haue deluded him, and I shal bring vpon me a curse for a blessing. ¹³To whom his mother said: This curse, my sonne, light vpon me, only heare thou my voice, and goe, fetch me the things which I haue said. ¹⁴He went, and brought, and gaue them to his mother. She dressed meats, euen as she knew his father liked. ¹⁵And she did on him the garments of Esau verie good, which she had at home with her: ¹⁶and the litle skinnes of the kids she put about his hands, and couered the bare of his neck. ¹⁷And she gaue him the broth, and deliuered him bread that she had baked. ¹⁸Which when he had caried in, he said: My father? But he answered: I heare. Who art thou my sonne? ¹⁹And Iacob said: ″ 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. ²⁰And againe Isaac to his sonne: How couldest thou, said he, find it so quickly, my sonne? Who answered: ^[2] It was the wil of God that that which I would came quickly in my way: ²¹And Isaac said: Come hither, that I may feele thee my sonne, and

1. Iacob secure in conscience that the right of first-birth belonged to him yet feared to giue occasion of offence to his father.
2. It was truly Gods wil, but not in that sense as Isaac vnderstood it.