94 The Brothers.

 

its sake. So time went on; Esau married
two wives (for people were allowed in those
days to take more than one wife), and his
wives were not good people, and caused his
father and mother great grief. At last Isaac
had become quite an old man, and his eyes
were dim so that he could not see, and he
thought the time had come for him to give
his eldest son the precious blessing before his
death.

“These blessings were not like ours, only
prayers for our children’s happiness; but
whatever the fathers foretold in those bless-
ings, the Lord gave to their sons.

“Tsaac did not seem to know anything
about the bargain Esau and .Jacob had made
together; he only called Esau, and said,
‘Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of
my death: now therefore take, I pray thee, thy
weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to
the field, and take me some venison ; and make
me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it
to me, that I may eat ; that my soul may bless
thee before I die.’

“So Esau went out to hunt the deer for his
father, while Rebekah, who had overheard
them, called her son Jacob, and told him what
they were going to do.