of wheat, wine, and oil, and the people
serve thee, and the tribes worship thee. Be thou lord of thy brethren,
and the sons of thy mother shall bow down and kneel to thee. Whosomever
curseth thee, be he accursed, and who that blesseth thee, with blessings
be he fulfilled.
Unnethe [hardly] had Isaac fulfilled these words and Jacob gone out,
when that Esau came with his meat that he had gotten with hunting,
entered in, and offered to his father saying: Arise, father mine, and
eat of the venison that thy son hath ordained for thee, that thy soul
may bless me. Isaac said to him: Who art thou? To whom he answered, I am
thy first begotten son Esau. Isaac then was greatly abashed and
astonied, and marvelled more than can be thought credible. And then he
was in a trance, as the master of histories saith, in which he had
knowledge that God would that Jacob should have the blessing. And said
to Esau: Who then was he that right now a little tofore thy coming
brought to me venison? And I have eaten of all that he brought to me ere
thou camest. I have blessed him, and he shall be blessed. When Esau
heard these words of his father, he cried with a great cry, and was sore
astonied and said: Father, I pray thee bless me also. To whom he said:
Thy brother germain is come fraudulently, and hath received thy
blessing. Then said Esau: Certainly and justly may his name be called
well Jacob, for on another time tofore this he supplanted me of my
patrimony, and now secondly he hath undernome from me my blessing. And
yet then he said to his father: Hast thou not reserved to me one
blessing? Isaac answered: I have ordained him to be thy lord, I have
subdued all his brethren to his servitude. I have stablished him in
wheat, wine and oil. And after this what shall I do to thee, my son? To
whom Esau said: Hast thou not, father, yet one blessing? I beseech thee
to bless me. Then with a great sighing and weeping Isaac moved said to
him: In the fatness of the earth and in the dew of heaven shall be thy
blessing, thou shalt live in thy sword, and shalt serve thy brother.
Then was Esau woebegone, and hated Jacob for supplanting him of his
blessing that his father had blessed him with, and said in his heart:
The days of sorrow shall come to my father, for I shall slay my brother
Jacob. This was told to Rebekah, which anon sent for Jacob her son, and
said to him: Lo! Esau thy brother threateneth to slay thee, therefore
now my son hear my voice and do as
|