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.
Forsothe Isaac wexe eld, and hise iyen dasewiden, and he miyte not se. And he clepide Esau, his more sone, and seide to hym, My sone! Which answerde, Y am present.
2 And his father said to him: Thou seest that I am old, and know not the day of my death.
To whom the fadir seide, Thou seest that Y haue woxun eld, and Y knowe not the dai of my deeth.
3 Take thy arms, thy quiver, and bow, and go abroad: and when thou hast taken some thing by hunting,
Take thin armeres, `arewe caas, and a bowe, and go out; and whanne thou hast take ony thing bi huntyng,
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.
make to me a seew therof, as thou knowist that Y wole, and brynge that Y ete, and my soule blesse thee bifore that Y die.
5 And when Rebecca had heard this, and he was gone into the field to fulfill his father’s commandment,
And whanne Rebecca hadde herd this thing, and he hadde go in to the feeld to fille the comaundment of the fadir,
6 She said to her son Jacob: I heard thy father talking with Esau thy brother, and saying to him:
sche seide to hir sone Jacob, Y herde thi fadir spekynge with Esau, thi brothir, and seiynge to him, Brynge thou me of thin huntyng,
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.
and make thow metis, that Y ete, and that Y blesse thee bifor the Lord bifor that Y die.
8 Now, therefore, my son, follow my counsel:
Now therfor, my sone, assent to my counsels,
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:
and go to the floc, and brynge to me tweyne the beste kidis, that Y make metis of tho to thi fadir, whiche he etith gladli;
10 Which when thou hast brought in, and he hath eaten, he may bless thee before he die.
and that whanne thow hast brouyt in tho metis, and he hath ete, he blesse thee bifore that he die.
11 And he answered her: Thou knowest that Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am smooth.
To whom Jacob answerde, Thou knowist that Esau my brother is an heeri man, and Y am smethe; if my fadir `touchith and feelith me,
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.
Y drede lest he gesse that Y wolde scorne him, and lest he brynge in cursyng on me for blessyng.
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.
To whom the modir seide, My sone, this cursyng be in me; oonly here thou my vois, and go, and brynge that that Y seide.
14 He went, and brought, and gave them to his mother. She dressed meats, such as she knew his father liked.
He yede, and brouyte, and yaf to his modir. Sche made redi metis, as sche knewe that his fadir wolde,
15 And she put on him very good garments of Esau, which she had at home with her:
and sche clothide Jacob in ful goode clothis of Esau, whiche sche hadde at home anentis hir silf.
16 And the little skins of the kids she put about his hands, and covered the bare of his neck.
And sche `compasside the hondis with litle skynnys of kiddis, and kyuerede the `nakide thingis of the necke;
17 And she gave him the savoury meat, and delivered him bread that she had baked.
and sche yaf seew, and bitook the loouys whiche sche hadde bake.
18 Which when he had carried in, he said: My father? But he answered: I hear. Who art thou, my son?
And whanne these weren brouyt in, he seide, My fadir! And he answerde, Y here; who art thou, my sone?
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 seide, Y am Esau, thi first gendrid sone. Y haue do to thee as thou comaundist to me; rise thou, sitte, and ete of myn huntyng, that thi soule blesse 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.
Eft Ysaac seide to his sone, My sone, hou miytist thou fynde so soone? Which answerde, It was Goddis wille, that this that Y wolde schulde come soone to me.
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 seide, My sone, come thou hidir, that Y touche thee, and that Y preue wher thou art my sone Esau, ethir nay.
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.
He neiyede to the fadir; and whanne he hadde feelid hym, Isaac seide, Sotheli the vois is the vois of Jacob, but the hondis ben the hondis of Esau.
23 And he knew him not, because his hairy hands made him like to the elder. Then blessing him,
And Isaac knew not Jacob, for the heery hondis expressiden the licnesse of the more sone.
24 He said: Art thou my son Esau? He answered: I am.
Therfor Isaac blesside him, and seide, Art thou my sone Esau? Jacob answerde, Y am.
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 Isaac seide, My sone, brynge thou to me metis of thin huntyng, that my soule blesse thee. And whanne Isaac hadde ete these metis brouyt, Jacob brouyte also wyn to Isaac, and whanne this was drunkun,
26 He said to him: Come near me, and give me a kiss, my son.
Isaac seide to him, My sone, come thou hidir, and yyue to me a cos.
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.
Jacob neiyede, and kisside hym; and anoon as Isaac feelide the odour of hise clothis, he blesside him, and seide, Lo! the odour of my sone as the odour of a `feeld ful which the Lord hath blessid.
28 God give thee the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, abundance of corn and wine.
God yyue to thee of the dewe of heuene, and of the fatnesse of erthe, aboundaunce of whete, and of wyn, and of oile;
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.
and puplis serue thee, and lynagis worschipe thee; be thou lord of thi britheren, and the sones of thi modir be bowid bifor thee; be he cursid that cursith thee, and he that blessith thee, be fillid with blessyngis.
30 Isaac had scarce ended his words, when Jacob being now gone out abroad, Esau came,
Vnnethis Isaac hadde fillid the word, and whanne Jacob was gon out,
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.
Esau cam, and brouyte in metis sodun of the huntyng to the fadir, and seide, My fadir, rise thou, and ete of the huntyng of thi sone, that thi soule blesse me.
32 And Isaac said to him: Why! who art thou? He answered: I am thy firstborn son Esau.
And Isaac seide, Who forsothe art thou? Which answerde, Y am Esau, thi firste gendrid sone.
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.
Isaac dredde bi a greet astonying; and he wondride more, than it mai be bileued, and seide, Who therfor is he which a while ago brouyte to me huntyng takun, and Y eet of alle thingis bifor that thou camest; and Y blesside him? and he schal be blessid.
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.
Whanne the wordis of the fadir weren herd, Esau rorid with a greet cry, and was astonyed, and seide, My fadir, blesse thou also me.
35 And he said: Thy brother came deceitfully and got thy blessing.
Which seide, Thy brother cam prudentli, and took thi blessyng.
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 Esau addide, Justli his name is clepid Jacob, for lo! he supplauntide me another tyme; bifor he took awei `my firste gendride thingis, and now the secounde tyme he rauyschide priueli my blessyng. And eft he seide to the fadir, Wher thou hast not reserued a blessyng also to 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?
Ysaac answeride, Y haue maad him thi lord, and Y haue maad suget alle hise britheren to his seruage; Y haue stablischid him in whete, and wyn, and oile; and, my sone, what schal Y do to thee aftir these thingis?
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,
To whom Esau saide, Fadir, wher thou hast oneli o blessyng? Y biseche that also thou blesse me. And whanne Esau wepte with greet yellyng,
39 Isaac being moved, said to him: In the fat of the earth, and in the dew of heaven from above,
Isaac was stirid, and seide to hym, Thi blessyng schal be in the fatnesse of erthe, and in the dew of heuene fro aboue;
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.
thou schalt lyue bi swerd, and thou schalt serue thi brothir, and tyme schal come whanne thou schalt shake awei, and vnbynde his yok fro thi nollis.
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.
Therfor Esau hatide euer Jacob for the blessyng bi which the fadir hadde blessid hym; and Esau seide in his herte, The daies of morenyng of my fadir schulen come, and Y schal sle Jacob, my brothir.
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.
These thingis weren teld to Rebecca, and sche sente, and clepide hir sone Jacob, and seide to hym, Lo! Esau, thi brothir, manaasith to sle thee;
43 Now therefore, my son, hear my voice: arise and flee to Laban my brother to Haran:
now therfor, my sone, here thou my vois, and rise thou, and fle to Laban, my brother, in Aran;
44 And thou shalt dwell with him a few days, till the wrath of thy brother be assuaged,
and thou schalt dwelle with hym a fewe daies, til the woodnesse of thi brother reste,
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?
and his indignacioun ceesse, and til he foryite tho thingis whiche thou hast don ayens hym. Aftirward Y schal sende, and Y schal brynge thee fro thennus hidir. Whi schal Y be maad soneles of euer eithir sone in o dai?
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 seide to Isaac, It anoieth me of my lijf for the douytris of Heth; if Jacob takith a wijf of the kynrede of this lond, Y nyle lyue.
