29 YACOB GETS THE BIRTHRIGHT
Yacob by deceit obtains his Brother's Blessing. Yacob fearing his Brother's anger, flees to the House of Eber, where he remains for Fourteen Years. Esau again marries a Woman of the Land. Yacob returns to his Father, but being still threatened by Esau, is advised by his Mother to go to her Brother Laban, in Haran. Yacob goes to Haran, being Commanded by his Father not to Marry any of the Daughters of Canaan. Yacob is Waylaid on the Road, by the Son of Esau, and is Robbed of all he Possessed.
1 And Isaac the son of Abraham became old and advanced in days, and his eyes became heavy through age; they were dim and could not see.
2 At that time Isaac called unto Esau his son, saying, Get I pray you your weapons, your quiver and your bow, rise up and go forth into the field and get me some venison, and make me savory meat and bring it to me, that I may eat in order that I may bless you before my death, as I have now become old and gray-headed.
3 And Esau did so; and he took his weapon and went forth into the field to hunt for venison, as usual, to bring to his father as he had ordered him, so that he might bless him.
4 And Rebecca heard all the words that Isaac had spoken unto Esau, and she hastened and called her son Yacob, saying, Thus did your father speak unto your brother Esau, and thus did I hear, now therefore hasten you and make that which I shall tell you.
5 Rise up and go, I pray you, to the flock and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get the savory meat for your father, and you shalt bring the savory meat that he may eat before your brother shall have come from the chase, in order that your father may bless you.
6 And Yacob hastened and did as his mother had commanded him, and he made the savory meat and brought it before his father before Esau had come from his chase.
7 And Isaac said unto Yacob, Who are you, my son? And he said, I am your first born Esau, I have done as you did order me, now therefore rise up I pray you, and eat of my hunt, in order that your soul may bless me as you did speak unto me.
8 And Isaac rose up and he ate and he drank, and his heart was comforted, and he blessed Yacob and Yacob went away from his father; and as soon as Isaac had blessed Yacob and he had gone away from him, behold Esau came from his hunt from the field, and he also made savory meat and brought it to his father to eat thereof and to bless him.
9 And Isaac said unto Esau, And who was he that has taken venison and brought it me before you came and whom I did bless? And Esau knew that his brother Yacob had done this, and the anger of Esau was kindled against his brother Yacob that he had acted thus toward him.
10 And Esau said, Is he not rightly called Yacob? for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing; and Esau wept greatly; and when Isaac heard the voice of his son Esau weeping, Isaac said unto Esau, What can I do, my son, your brother came with subtlety and took away your blessing; and Esau hated his brother Yacob on account of the blessing that his father had given him, and his anger was greatly roused against him.
11 And Yacob was very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up and fled to the house of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his brother, and Yacob was sixty-three years old when he went forth from the land of Canaan from Hebron, and Yacob was concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he there continued to learn the ways of YAHWEH and his commandments.
12 And when Esau saw that Yacob had fled and escaped from him, and that Yacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there; and Esau saw there a woman from among the daughters of Heth whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he took her for a wife in addition to his first wife, and Esau called her name Adah, saying the blessing had in that time passed from him.
13 And Esau dwelt in the land of Seir six months without seeing his father and mother, and afterward Esau took his wives and rose up and returned to the land of Canaan, and Esau placed his two wives in his father's house in Hebron.
14 And the wives of Esau vexed and provoked Isaac and Rebecca with their works, for they walked not in the ways of YAHWEH, but served their father's gods of wood and stone as their father had taught them, and they were more wicked than their father.
15 And they went according to the evil desires of their hearts, and they sacrificed and burnt incense to the Baalim, and Isaac and Rebecca became weary of them.
16 And Rebecca said, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Yacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good then is life unto me?
17 And in those days Adah the wife of Esau conceived and bare him a son, and Esau called the name of the son that was born unto him Eliphaz, and Esau was sixty-five years old when she bare him.
18 And Ishmael the son of Abraham died in those days, in the sixty-forth year of the life of Yacob, and all the days that Ishmael lived were one hundred and thirty-seven years and he died.
19 And when Isaac heard that Ishmael was dead he mourned for him, and Isaac lamented over him many days.
20 And at the end of fourteen years of Yacob's residing in the house of Eber, Yacob desired to see his father and mother, and Yacob came to the house of his father and mother to Hebron, and Esau had in those days forgotten what Yacob had done to him in having taken the blessing from him in those days.
21 And when Esau saw Yacob coming to his father and mother he remembered what Yacob had done to him, and he was greatly incensed against him and he sought to slay him.
22 And Isaac the son of Abraham was old and advanced in days, and Esau said, Now my father's time is drawing nigh that he must die, and when he shall die I will slay my brother Yacob.
23 And this was told to Rebecca, and she hastened and sent and called for Yacob her son, and she said unto him, Arise, go and flee to Haran to my brother Laban, and remain there for some time, until your brother's anger be turned from you and then shalt you come back.
24 And Isaac called unto Yacob and said unto him, Take not a wife from the daughters of Canaan, for thus did our father Abraham command us according to the word of YAHWEH which he had commanded him, saying, Unto your seed will I give this land; if your children keep my covenant that I have made with you, then will I also perform to your children that which I have spoken unto you and I will not forsake them.
25 Now therefore my son hearken to my voice, to all that I shall command you, and refrain from taking a wife from among the daughters of Canaan; arise, go to Haran to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take unto you a wife from there from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.
26 Therefore take heed lest you should forget YAHWEH your Elohim and all his ways in the land to which you got, and should get connected with the people of the land and pursue vanity and forsake YAHWEH your Elohim.
27 But when you come to the land serve there YAHWEH, do not turn to the right or to the left from the way which I commanded you and which you did learn.
28 And may the Almighty YAHWEH grant you favor in the sight of the people of the earth, that you may take there a wife according to your choice; one who is good and upright in the ways of YAHWEH.
29 And may YAHWEH give unto you and your seed the blessing of your father Abraham, and make you fruitful and multiply you, and may you become a multitude of people in the land whither you go, and may YAHWEH cause you to return to this land, the land of your father's dwelling, with children and with great riches, with joy and with pleasure.
30 And Isaac finished commanding Yacob and blessing him, and he gave him many gifts, together with silver and gold, and he sent him away; and Yacob hearkened to his father and mother; he kissed them and arose and went to Padan-aram; and Yacob was seventy-seven years old when he went out from the land of Canaan from Beersheba.
31 And when Yacob went away to go to Haran Esau called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten, take your sword in your hand and pursue Yacob and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with your sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back.
32 And Eliphaz the son of Esau was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.
33 And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took ten of his mother's brothers with him and pursued Yacob.
34 And he closely followed Yacob, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite to the city of Shechem.
35 And Yacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Yacob stood still in the place in which he was going, in order to know what this was, for he did not know the thing; and Eliphaz drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Yacob; and Yacob said unto them, What is to do with you that you have come hither, and what means it that you pursue with your swords.
36 And Eliphaz came near to Yacob and he answered and said unto him, Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me; and when Yacob saw that Esau had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Yacob then approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him,
37 Behold all that I have and which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto you and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted unto you a righteousness.
38 And YAHWEH caused Yacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Yacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Yacob together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.
39 And Eliphaz and his men went away from him and they returned to Esau to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to them with Yacob, and they gave him all that they had taken from Yacob.
40 And Esau was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Yacob to death.
41 And they answered and said unto Esau, Because Yacob supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and brought it unto you; and Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Yacob and he put them by in his house.
42 At that time when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Yacob, and had commanded him, saying, You shalt not take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan, and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the sight of Isaac and Rebecca,
43 Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.