And Isaac said unto Jacob, "Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not."
And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob"s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
And he knew him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau"s hands: so he blessed him.
And he said, "Art thou my very son Esau?"
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[Ill.u.s.tration]
JACOB"S DREAM By Murillo [End ill.u.s.tration]
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And he said, "I am."
And he said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son"s venison, that my soul may bless thee."
And he brought it near to him, and he ate: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, "Come near now, and kiss me, my son."
And he came near, and kissed him.
And he smelled the smell of his garment, and blessed him, and said,--
"See, the smell of my son Is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed: And G.o.d give thee of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and wine: Let peoples serve thee, And nations bow down to thee: Be lord over thy brethren, And let thy mother"s sons bow down to thee: Cursed be everyone that curseth thee, And blessed be everyone that blesseth thee."
And it came to pa.s.s, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father; and he said unto his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son"s venison, that thy soul may bless me."
And Isaac his father said unto him, "Who art thou?"
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And he said, "I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau." And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, "Who then is he that hath taken venison and brought it to me, and I have eaten of all before thou earnest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed."
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father."
And he said, "Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing."
And he said, "Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing."
And he said, "Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?"
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, "Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what then shall I do for thee, my son?"
And Esau said unto his father, "Hast thou but one blessing, my father?
bless me, even me also, O my father."
And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him:--
"Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be thy dwelling, And of the dew of heaven from above; And by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou shalt serve thy brother; {67} And it shall come to pa.s.s when thou shalt break loose, That thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck."
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."
And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, "Behold, thy brother Esau comforts himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother"s fury turn away; until thy brother"s anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"
JACOB GOES FORTH FROM HOME.
_He Dreams a Dream of of Ladder Reaching to Heaven_.
And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, "Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother"s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother"s brother. And G.o.d Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy family with thee; that thou mayest {68} inherit the land of thy sojournings, which G.o.d gave unto Abraham."
And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob"s and Esau"s mother.
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, "Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan"; and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram.
And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he came upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of G.o.d ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, "I am the Lord, the G.o.d of Abraham thy father, and the G.o.d of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy family; and thy family shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy family shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for {69} I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."
And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not."
And he was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of G.o.d, and this is the gate of heaven."
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If G.o.d will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father"s house in peace, then shall the Lord be my G.o.d, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be G.o.d"s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."
JACOB AND RACHEL.
_How Jacob Served Seven Years for the Woman He Loved_.
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and the stone upon the well"s mouth was great. And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well"s mouth, and watered the sheep, and {70} put the stone again upon the well"s mouth in its place. And Jacob said unto them, "My brethren, whence are ye?" And they said, "Of Haran are we." And he said unto them, "Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?"
And they said, "We know him."
And he said unto them, "Is it well with him?"
And they said, "It is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep."
And he said, "Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them."
And they said, "We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well"s mouth; then we water the sheep."
While he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father"s sheep; for she kept them. And it came to pa.s.s, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother"s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother"s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well"s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother"s brother. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father"s nephew, and that he was Rebekah"s son: and she ran and told her father. And it came to pa.s.s, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister"s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
And Laban said to him, "Surely thou art my bone and my flesh."
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