may proue whether thou be my sonne Esau, or no. 22He came neer to his father, and when he had felt him, Isaac said: The voice verily, is the voice of Iacob: but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23And he ″ knew him not, because his hairie hands had made him like vnto the elder. Blessing him therfore, 24he said: Art thou my sonne Esau? He answered: I am. 25But he said: Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my sonne, that my soule may blesse thee. Which when they were brought and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which after he had drunke, 26he said to him: Come neer me, and giue me a kisse, my sonne. 27He came neer, and kissed him. And immediately as he felt the fragrant sauour of his garments, blessing him, he said: Behold the sauour of my sonne is as the sauour of a plentiful field, which our Lord hath blessed. 28God giue thee of the deaw of heauen, & of the fatnes of the earth abundance of corne and wine. 29And let peoples serue thee, and tribes adore thee: be thou Lord of thy brethren, and thy mothers children bow they before thee. He that shal curse thee, be he cursed: and he that shal blesse thee, be he replenished with blessings. 30Isaac had scarce ended his wordes, and Iacob now gone forth abroad, but Esau came, 31and brought in to his father meats made of his hunting, saying: Arise my father, and eate of thy sonnes hunting: that thy soule may blesse me. 32And Isaac said to him: Why! who art thou? Who answered: I am thy first begotten sonne Esau. 33Isaac was amazed and astonished exceedingly, and marueling more then a man can belieue, said: Who is he then that euen now brought me venison that he had taken, and I did eate of al things before thou camest, and I haue blessed him, [1] and he shal be blessed. 34Esau hauing heard his fathers words, roared out with a great cry; and being dismaied, said: Blesse me also, my father. 35Who said: Thy brother came deceitfully and tooke thy blessing. 36But he said again: Rightly is his name called Iacob; for he hath supplanted me loe the second time: my first-birth-right he tooke before, and now the second time he hath stollen my blessing. And againe to his father he said: Hast thou not reserued me also a blessing? 37Isaac answered: I haue appointed him thy Lord, and al his brethren I haue made subiect to his seruice: with corne and wine I haue established him, and for thee, my sonne, what shal I doe more after this? 38To whom Esau said: Hast thou one only blessing, father? I beseech thee blesse me also. And when he wept that he howled againe, 39Isaac being moued, said to him: In [2] the fat of the earth, and in the deaw of heauen from aboue 40shal thy blessing be. Thou shalt liue by the sword, and shalt serue thy brother: and [3] the time shal come, when thou shalt shake off and loose his yoak from thy neck. 41Esau therfore alwaies hated Iacob for the blessing wherwith his father had blessed him: and he said in his hart: The daies wil come of the mourning of my father, and I wil kil Iacob my brother. 42These things were told to Rebecca:
- ↑ Isaac now knowing it to be Gods wil, ratified that he had done.
- ↑ wordlings blessing consisteth in transitorie wealth.
- ↑ The Idumeans being subdued by King David (2. Reg. 8.) reuolted from King Ioram, & had a King of their owne (4. Reg. 3.) they were againe subdued by Hircanus (teste Iosepho. li. 13. Antiq.) but againe Herod an Idumean reigned in Iewrie Math. 2. Luc. 1.
