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¹ And it came to passe, that whe Isahac waxed olde, & his eyes were dimme, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest sonne, & saide vnto hym, my sonne? And he sayde vnto hym: here am I.² And he sayde: Beholde, I am nowe olde, and knowe not the daye of my death.³ Nowe therefore take I pray thee thy weapons, thy quyuer and thy bowe, and get thee to the fielde, that thou mayest take me some venison.⁴ And make me well tastyng meates, such as I loue, and bryng it to me, that I may eate, that my soule may blesse thee before that I dye.⁵ But Rebecca hearde when Isahac spake to Esau his sonne: And Esau wet into the fielde to hunt venison, and to bryng it.

⁶ And Rebecca spake vnto Iacob her sonne, saying: Beholde, I haue hearde thy father talkyng with Esau thy brother, and saying:⁷ Bring me venison, and make me daintie meate, that I may eate, and blesse thee before the Lorde, afore my death.⁸ Nowe therfore my sonne heare my voyce in that which I comaunde thee.⁹ Get thee to the flocke, and bryng me thence two good kyddes fro the goates, and I wyll make of them pleasaunt meates for thy father, such as he loueth.¹⁰ And thou shalt bryng it to thy father that he may eate, and that he may blesse thee before his death.¹¹ Then said Iacob to Rebecca his mother: Beholde, Esau my brother is a heary man, and I am smoothe:¹² My father shall peraduenture feele mee, and I shall seeme vnto hym as though I went about to begyle hym, and so shall I bryng a curse vpon me, and not a blessyng.¹³ And his mother sayde vnto him, Upon me be the curse my sonne: only heare my voyce, and go and fetche me them.¹⁴ And [Iacob] went, and fet them, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made pleasaunt meate, such as she knewe his father loued.¹⁵ And Rebecca fet goodly rayment of her eldest sonne Esau, whiche were in the house with her, and put them vpon Iacob her younger sonne:¹⁶ And she put the skynnes of the kiddes vpon his handes, and vpon the smoothe of his necke.¹⁷ And she put that pleasaunt meate and bread, whiche she had prepared, in the hande of her sonne Iacob.

¹⁸ When he came to his father, he sayde: my father? And he aunswered, here am I: who art thou, my sonne?¹⁹ And Iacob sayde vnto his father: I am Esau thy eldest sonne, I haue done accordyng as thou baddest me: aryse I pray thee, syt, and eate of my venison, that thy soule may blesse me.²⁰ And Isahac said vnto his sonne: how commeth it that thou hast founde it so quickly my sonne? He aunswered: the lorde thy God brought it to my handes.²¹ Then sayde Isahac vnto Iacob: Come neare, and I wyll feele thee my sonne, whether thou be my very sonne Esau, or not.²² Then went Iacob to Isahac his father, and he felt hym, and sayde: The voyce is Iacobs voyce, but the handes are the handes of Esau.²³ And he knewe him not, because his handes were heary as his brother Esaus handes: and so he blessed hym.²⁴ And he asked him: art thou my sonne Esau? And he sayde: that I am.²⁵ Then sayde he: Bryng me, & let me eate of my sonnes venison, that my soule may blesse thee. And he brought hym, and he ate: and he brought hym wine also, and he dranke.²⁶ And his father Isahac said vnto him: Come neare, and kysse me, my sonne.²⁷ And he went vnto him, & kyssed him, and he smelled the sauour of his rayment, and blessed hym, & saide: See, the smell of my sonne, is as the smell of a fielde which the Lorde hath blessed.²⁸ God geue thee of the deawe of heauen, and of the fatnesse of the earth, and plentie of corne and wine.²⁹ People be thy seruauntes, and nations bowe to thee: be lorde ouer thy brethren, and thy mothers children stowpe with reuerence vnto thee: cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

³⁰ Assoone as Isahac had made an ende of blessyng Iacob, & Iacob was scarse gone out from the presence of Isahac his father, then came Esau his brother from his huntyng.³¹ And he also had made a pleasaunt meate, and brought it vnto his father, and saide vnto his father: let my father aryse, and eate of his sonnes venison, that thy soule may blesse me.³² Then his father Isahac sayde vnto hym: who art thou? He aunswered: I am thy sonne, thy first borne Esau.³³ And Isahac was greatly astonied out of measure, and sayde: which [is he] and where [is he] then that hath hunted venison and brought it me, and I haue eaten of al before thou camest? and haue blessed hym, yea & he shalbe blessed.³⁴ When Esau hearde the wordes of his father, he cryed aloude & bitterly, aboue measure, and sayde vnto his father: blesse me, I also am [thy sonne] O my father.³⁵ Who aunswered. Thy brother came with subtiltie, and hath taken awaye thy blessyng.³⁶ And he said agayne: Is not he rightly named Iacob? for he hath vndermyned me nowe two tymes. [First] he toke away my birthright: and see, nowe hath he taken away my blessyng also. And he sayde: hast thou kept neuer a blessyng for me?³⁷ Isahac aunswered, and sayde vnto Esau: Beholde, I haue made hym thy Lorde, & all his brethren haue I made his seruauntes: Moreouer, with corne and wine haue I stablished him, what shall I do vnto thee nowe my sonne?³⁸ And Esau sayde vnto his father: hast thou but that one blessyng my father? blesse me, I am also [thy sonne] O my father. So lyfted vp Esau his voyce, and wept.³⁹ Then Isahac his father aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: beholde, thy dwellyng place shalbe the fatnesse of the earth, and of the deawe of heauen from aboue.⁴⁰ And through thy sworde shalt thou liue, and shalt be thy brothers seruaunt: and it shal come to passe, that thou shalt get the maisterie, & thou shalt loose his yoke from of thy necke.

⁴¹ And Esau hated Iacob, because of the blessyng that his father blessed hym withall. And Esau sayde in his heart: The dayes of sorowyng for my father are at hande, then wyll I slaye my brother Iacob.⁴² And these wordes of Esau her elder sonne were tolde to Rebecca: And she sent, & called Iacob her younger sonne, & saide vnto him: Beholde, thy brother Esau as touchyng thee doth comforte hym selfe [full purposyng] to kyll thee.⁴³ Nowe therefore my sonne heare my voyce: make thee redy, and flee to Laban my brother at Haran,⁴⁴ And tary with him awhyle vntyl thy brothers fiercenesse be swaged,⁴⁵ And vntyll thy brothers wrath turne away from thee, & he forget the thinges which thou hast done to hym: then wyll I sende and fet thee away from thence: why should I be desolate of you both in one day?⁴⁶ And Rebecca spake to Isahac: I am weery of my lyfe for the daughters of Heth. Yf Iacob take a wyfe of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the lande, what good shall my lyfe do me?