Genesis 27
1 Now Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, and he could not see: and he called Esau, his elder son, and said to him: My son? And he answered: Here I am.
And it came to pass when Isaac had become old, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, that he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, My son! And he said to him, Here am I.
2 And his father said to him: Thou seest that I am old, and know not the day of my death.
And he said, Behold now, I am become old; I know not the day of my death.
3 Take thy arms, thy quiver, and bow, and go abroad: and when thou hast taken some thing by hunting,
And now, I pray thee, take thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field and hunt me venison,
4 Make me savoury meat thereof, as thou knowest I like, and bring it, that I may eat: and my soul may bless thee before I die.
and prepare me a savoury dish such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, in order that my soul may bless thee before I die.
5 And when Rebecca had heard this, and he was gone into the field to fulfill his father’s commandment,
And Rebecca heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt venison, to bring it.
6 She said to her son Jacob: I heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying to him:
And Rebecca spoke to Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak to Esau thy brother, saying,
7 Bring me of thy hunting, and make me meats that I may eat, and bless thee in the sight of the Lord, before I die.
Bring me venison, and prepare me a savoury dish, that I may eat, and bless thee before Jehovah, before my death.
8 Now, therefore, my son, follow my counsel:
And now, my son, hearken to my voice in that which I command thee.
9 And go 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:
Go, I pray thee, to the flock, and fetch me thence two good kids of the goats. And I will make of them a savoury dish for thy father, such as he loves.
10 Which when thou hast brought in, and he hath eaten, he may bless thee before he die.
And thou shalt bring [it] to thy father, that he may eat, in order that he may bless thee before his death.
11 And he answered her: Thou knowest that Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am smooth.
And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
12 If my father shall feel me, and perceive it, I fear lest he will think I would have mocked him, and I shall bring upon me a curse instead of a blessing.
My father perhaps will feel me, and I shall be in his sight as one who mocks [him], and I shall bring a curse on me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said to him: Upon me be this curse, my son: only hear thou my voice, and go, fetch me the things which I have said.
And his mother said to him, On me [be] thy curse, my son! Only hearken to my voice, and go, fetch [them].
14 He went, and brought, and gave them to his mother. She dressed meats, such as she knew his father liked.
And he went, and fetched and brought [them] to his mother. And his mother prepared a savoury dish such as his father loved.
15 And she put on him very good garments of Esau, which she had at home with her:
And Rebecca took the clothes of her elder son Esau, the costly ones which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son;
16 And the little skins of the kids she put about his hands, and covered the bare of his neck.
and she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck;
17 And she gave him the savoury meat, and delivered him bread that she had baked.
and she gave the savoury dishes and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 Which when he had carried in, he said: My father? But he answered: I hear. Who art thou, my son?
And he came to his father, and said, My father! And he said, Here am I: who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said: I am Esau thy firstborn: I have done as thou didst command me: arise, sit, and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, thy firstborn. I have done according as thou didst say to me. Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, in order that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said to his son: How couldst thou find it so quickly, my son? He answered: It was the will of God, that what I sought came quickly in my way.
And Isaac said to his son, How is it that thou hast found [it] so quickly, my son? And he said, Because Jehovah thy God put [it] in my way.
21 And Isaac said: Come hither, that I may feel thee, my son, and may prove whether thou be my son Esau, or not.
And Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be really my son Esau or not.
22 He came near to his father, and when he had felt him, Isaac said: The voice indeed is the voice of Jacob; but the hands are the hands of Esau.
And Jacob drew near to Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he knew him not, because his hairy hands made him like to the elder. Then blessing him,
And he did not discern him, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands; and he blessed him.
24 He said: Art thou my son Esau? He answered: I am.
And he said, Art thou really my son Esau? And he said, It is I.
25 Then he said: Bring me the meats of thy hunting, my son, that my soul may bless thee. And when they were brought, and he had eaten, he offered him wine also, which after he had drunk,
And he said, Bring [it] near to me, that I may eat of my son's venison, in order that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 He said to him: Come near me, and give me a kiss, my son.
And his father Isaac said to him, Come near, now, and kiss me, my son.
27 He came near, and kissed him. And immediately as he smelled the fragrant smell of his garments, blessing him, he said: Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed.
And he came near, and kissed him. And he smelt the smell of his clothes, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Jehovah hath blessed.
28 God give thee the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, abundance of corn and wine.
And God give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and new wine.
29 And let peoples serve thee, and tribes worship thee: be thou lord of thy brethren, and let thy mother’s children bow down before thee. Cursed be he that curseth thee: and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings.
Let peoples serve thee, And races bow down to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be they that curse thee, And blessed be they that bless thee.
30 Isaac had scarce ended his words, when Jacob being now gone out abroad, Esau came,
And it came to pass when Isaac had ended blessing Jacob, and when Jacob was only just gone out from Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came from his hunting.
31 And brought in to his father meats made of what he had taken in hunting, saying: Arise, my father, and eat of thy son’s venison; that thy soul may bless me.
And he also had prepared savoury dishes, and he brought [them] in to his father, and said to his father, Let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, in order that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac said to him: Why! who art thou? He answered: I am thy firstborn son Esau.
And Isaac his father said to him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau.
33 Isaac was struck with fear, and astonished exceedingly: and wondering beyond what can be believed, said Who is he then that even now brought me venison that he had taken, and I ate of all before thou camest? and I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed.
Then Isaac trembled with exceeding great trembling, and said, Who was he, then, that hunted venison and brought [it] to me? And I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him; also blessed he shall be.
34 Esau having heard his father’s words, roared out with a great cry: and being in a great consternation, said: Bless me also, my father.
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said to his father, Bless me — me also, my father!
35 And he said: Thy brother came deceitfully and got thy blessing.
And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and has taken away thy blessing.
36 But he said again: Rightly is his name called Jacob; for he hath supplanted me lo this second time: my first birthright he took away before, and now this second time he hath stolen away my blessing. And again he said to his father: Hast thou not reserved me also a blessing?
And he said, Is it not therefore he was named Jacob, for he has supplanted me now twice? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 Isaac answered: I have appointed him thy lord, and have made all his brethren his servants: I have established him with corn and wine, and after this, what shall I do more for thee, my son?
And Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold, I have made him lord over thee, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants, and with corn and new wine have I supplied him — and what can I do now for thee, my son?
38 And Esau said to him: Hast thou only one blessing, father? I beseech thee bless me also. And when he wept with a loud cry,
And Esau said to his father, Hast thou then but one blessing, my father? bless me — me also, my father! And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Isaac being moved, said to him: In the fat of the earth, and in the dew of heaven from above,
And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above;
40 Shall thy blessing be. Thou shalt live by the sword and shalt serve thy brother: and the time shall come, when thou shalt shake off and loose his yoke from thy neck.
And by thy sword shalt thou live; And thou shalt serve thy brother; And it shall come to pass when thou rovest about, That thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
41 Esau therefore always hated Jacob for the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him: and he said in his heart: The days will come of the mourning of my father, and I will kill my brother Jacob.
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand, and I will slay my brother Jacob.
42 These things were told to Rebecca: and she sent and called Jacob her son, and said to him: Behold Esau thy brother threateneth to kill thee.
And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebecca. And she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, comforts himself that he will kill thee.
43 Now therefore, my son, hear my voice: arise and flee to Laban my brother to Haran:
And now, my son, hearken to my voice, and arise, flee to Laban my brother, to Haran;
44 And thou shalt dwell with him a few days, till the wrath of thy brother be assuaged,
and abide with him some days, until thy brother's fury turn away —
45 And his indignation cease, and he forget the things thou hast done to him: afterwards I will send, and bring thee from thence hither. Why shall I be deprived of both my sons in one day?
until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget what thou hast done to him; then I will send and fetch thee thence. Why should I be bereaved even of you both in one day?
46 And Rebecca said to Isaac: I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the stock of this land, I choose not to live.
And Rebecca said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good should my life do me?
