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the circumcision. This name means "heard by God," as God heard the supplication of Abraham and gave him a son. He begot this one from a handmaid with whom Sarah had him lie. For since she was then without offspring of her own, she asked her husband to lie with her own handmaid named Hagar, an Egyptian 1.27 by race, and when that one bore Ishmael, Sarah claimed the child as her own. But having borne Isaac, out of jealousy she decreed the exile of Hagar with her son. And when Isaac was grown up, according to the Hebrew Josephus—for he says that Isaac was twenty-five years old then—God put Abraham to the test, and calling him, commanded him to offer his son as a sacrifice, and taking his only-begotten, beloved son to one of the mountains, to offer him as a whole burnt offering. And Abraham did not refuse, but having taken the boy and brought him up to the mountain commanded to him, he shares with him the divine oracle, and exhorts him to bear the consecration nobly, as God commanded. And he is persuaded and willingly offers himself for consecration, saying that it is not just to oppose the will of God and his father. Thus these things are recounted by Josephus. Then Abraham is commanded to spare his son, and a ram is provided spontaneously for a whole burnt offering in his place. After these things, Sarah died, being one hundred and twenty-seven years old, and Abraham took another wife, named Keturah, from whom six sons were born to him. And for Isaac, when he was about forty years old, his father betrothed Rebecca from Mesopotamia, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. Then he died, having lived one hundred and seventy-five years; and Isaac, having married Rebecca, begets twin sons from her. Of whom, on the elder, thick hair grew over his whole body, whence he was also called Esau because of his hairiness; but the hand of the younger held the heel of his brother, as he came forth from his mother's womb, for which reason he was also named Jacob; for the name means "supplanter" according to the Hebrews. 1.28 After these things Isaac grew old and was blinded in his sight. And he calls Esau—for he was partial to him because of the birthright—and commands him to hunt and prepare a meal for him, "so that," he says, "having eaten, I may bless you before I die." And Esau went out to hunt, but Rebecca, loving Jacob more, and calling him, told him what his father had commanded Esau, and urged him to hasten to the flock and bring her two tender kids, so that from them she might prepare for the old man such dishes as she knew he loved, and that having eaten he might bless him. And he does according to his mother's commands. And when the dishes were already prepared, she wraps the boy's arms in the skins of the kids, and gives him the meal to take to his father. But Isaac, perceiving by the voice that it was Jacob approaching, calls him very near and touches his hands. And since God had in every way judged Esau unworthy of a blessing, it seemed to Isaac that his firstborn son stood before him—he was deceived perhaps by the thickness of the hair—and having eaten, he blessed Jacob. And Esau also returned and brought a meal to his father and asked for the blessing. But he recognized the trick and said, "Your brother came and took your blessing." And as he was lamenting and demanding to be blessed, for not even one blessing was with him, Isaac, being urged, was moved to bless him, but because it did not seem to the divine spirit sounding in him that Esau should receive a blessing, since he was not worthy of it, the voice was formed for Isaac into a curse instead of a blessing. On account of 1.29 these things, Esau was hostile toward his brother. And he, fearing his brother, goes away to Mesopotamia by his mother's counsel. And as he was going away, he is deemed worthy in his sleep of the celebrated vision of the ladder, of which one end was fixed on the earth and the other to heaven, and he is initiated into future things by the Almighty, and the place in which he saw the vision he called Bethel; and it means "divine hearth" according to the Greeks. And having arrived at Haran, he was brought to Laban, the brother of his mother Rebecca, and he received hospitality from him and is entrusted with the care of the flocks. And two

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τὴν περιτομήν. σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ονομα τοῦτο θεόκλυτον, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἱκεσίας ̓Αβραὰμ εἰσακούσαντος καὶ παῖδα δόντος αὐτῷ. ἐγείνατο δὲ τοῦτον ἐκ παιδίσκης ην Σάρρα αὐτῷ συγκατέκλινεν. ἰδίας γὰρ ἀμοιροῦσα τότε γονῆς, οἰκείᾳ παιδίσκῃ Αγαρ ὠνομασμένῃ, Αἰγυπτίᾳ 1.27 τὸ γένος, μιγῆναι τὸν ανδρα ᾐτήσατο, καὶ τεκούσης ἐκείνης τὸν ̓Ισμαήλ, ᾠκειώσατο τὸ παιδίον ἡ Σάρρα. τεκοῦσα δὲ τὸν ̓Ισαάκ, τῆς Αγαρ σὺν τῷ υἱῷ φυγὴν κατὰ ζηλοτυπίαν κατεψηφίσατο. ἀνδρωθέντος δὲ ̓Ισαὰκ κατὰ τὸν ̔Εβραῖον ̓Ιώσηπον, εικοσι γὰρ καὶ πέντε ἐνιαυτῶν φησιν ειναι τὸν ̓Ισαὰκ τότε, πεῖραν ὁ θεὸς ἐπάγει τῷ ̓Αβραάμ, καὶ καλέσας αὐτὸν θῦμα κελεύει προσαγαγεῖν τὸν υἱόν, καὶ εἰς εν τῶν ὀρέων ἀπαγαγόντα τὸν μονογενῆ τὸν ἀγαπητὸν ὁλοκαυτῶσαι. καὶ οὐκ ἀντεῖπεν ὁ ̓Αβραάμ, ἀλλὰ τὸν παῖδα προσειληφὼς καὶ εἰς τὸ ἐπιταχθὲν αὐτῷ ορος ἀναγαγών, τὸν θεῖον αὐτῷ κοινοῦται χρησμόν, καὶ γενναίως οισειν τὴν καθιέρωσιν παραινεῖ, κελεύοντος τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ δὲ πείθεται καὶ ἑκὼν ἑαυτὸν παρέχει πρὸς καθιέρωσιν, μὴ δίκαιον φήσας ειναι θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἀντιτείνειν θελήματι. ουτω ταῦτα τῷ ̓Ιωσήπῳ ἱστόρηται. ειτα φείσασθαι τοῦ υἱοῦ κελεύεται ̓Αβραάμ, καὶ κριὸς αὐτομάτως εἰς ὁλοκαύτωσιν ἀντιδίδοται. μετὰ ταῦτα θνήσκει μὲν Σάρρα ἐτῶν ουσα ἑκατὸν εικοσι πρὸς ἑπτά, ὁ δ' ̓Αβραὰμ ἑτέραν ἠγάγετο κεκλημένην Χεττούραν, ἐξ ης υἱεῖς αὐτῷ φύονται εξ. τῷ ̓Ισαὰκ δὲ περὶ τεσσαρακοστὸν ετος γεγονότι μνηστεύεται ὁ πατὴρ ̔Ρεβέκκαν ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας, θυγατέρα Βαθουὴλ υἱοῦ Ναχὼρ ἀδελφοῦ ̓Αβραάμ. επειτα τελευτᾷ μὲν ετη ζήσας ἑκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ πέντε· γήμας δὲ τὴν ̔Ρεβέκκαν ὁ ̓Ισαὰκ διδύμους ἐκ ταύτης παῖδας γεννᾷ. ων τῷ μὲν πρεσβυτέρῳ καθ' ολου τοῦ σώματος δασεῖα ἐφύετο θρίξ, οθεν καὶ ̔Ησαῦ ἐκλήθη διὰ τὴν τρίχωσιν· τῷ δὲ νεωτέρῳ ἡ χεὶρ ειχετο τῆς πτέρνης τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, τῆς μητρικῆς προεκθορόντος γαστρός, διὸ καὶ ̓Ιακὼβ ὠνομάσθη· πτερνιστὴν δὲ τὸ ονομα καθ' ̔Εβραίους δηλοῖ. 1.28 Γηρᾷ ἐπὶ τούτοις ̓Ισαὰκ καὶ τὰς οψεις πεπήρωται. καὶ τὸν ̔Ησαῦ προσκαλεῖται, προσέκειτο γὰρ ἐκείνῳ διὰ τὰ πρωτοτόκια, καὶ θηρᾶσαι κελεύει καὶ ἑτοιμάσαι δεῖπνον αὐτῷ, "ινα" φησί "φαγὼν εὐλογήσω σε πρὸ τοῦ με ἀποθανεῖν." καὶ ̔Ησαῦ μὲν ἐξῄει πρὸς θήραν, ἡ δὲ ̔Ρεβέκκα φιλοῦσα μᾶλλον τὸν ̓Ιακώβ, καὶ τοῦτον καλέσασα, ειπεν α ὁ πατὴρ ἐπέταξε τῷ ̔Ησαῦ, καὶ σπεῦσαι παρεκελεύσατο πρὸς τὸ ποίμνιον καὶ δύο κομίσαι ἁπαλοὺς ἐρίφους αὐτῇ, ὡς αν ἐκ τούτων ἐδέσματα ἑτοιμάσῃ τῷ γέροντι οια φιλεῖν ἐκεῖνον ἐπίσταται, καὶ φαγὼν εὐλογήσῃ αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ ποιεῖ κατὰ τὰς μητρικὰς ἐντολάς. ηδη δὲ παρεσκευασμένων τῶν ἐδεσμάτων, τοὺς βραχίονας τοῦ παιδὸς περιελίσσει ταῖς τῶν ἐρίφων δοραῖς, καὶ δίδωσι τὸ δεῖπνον ἀπαγαγεῖν τῷ πατρί. ̓Ισαὰκ δὲ τῇ φωνῇ τὸν ̓Ιακὼβ ειναι τὸν προσιόντα αἰσθόμενος, εγγιστα προσκαλεῖται αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἐπαφᾶται. τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ πάντως τὸν ̔Ησαῦ εὐλογίας ἀνάξιον κρίναντος, εδοξεν ̓Ισαὰκ τὸν πρωτότοκον αὐτῷ παρεστάναι υἱόν, ἠπάτητο δὲ τάχα διὰ τὸ βαθὺ τῆς τριχός, καὶ φαγὼν εὐλόγησε τὸν ̓Ιακώβ. ἐπανῆλθε δὲ καὶ ̔Ησαῦ καὶ εἰσήγαγε δεῖπνον τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ῃτει τὴν εὐλογίαν. ὁ δὲ εγνω τὸ σόφισμα καί "ἐλθών" εφη "ὁ ἀδελφός σου ελαβε τὴν εὐλογίαν σου." τοῦ δ' ὀλοφυρομένου καὶ ἀξιοῦντος εὐλογηθῆναι, μηδὲ γὰρ μίαν ειναι παρ' αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν, παρακληθεὶς ̓Ισαὰκ ωρμησε μὲν εὐλογῆσαι, οτι δὲ μὴ τῷ ἐνηχοῦντι ἐκεῖνον ἐδόκει θείῳ πνεύματι εὐλογίας τυχεῖν τὸν ̔Ησαῦ, ἐπεὶ μηδ' αξιος ην αὐτῆς, εἰς ἀρὰν ἀντ' εὐλογίας ἐτυποῦτο αὐτῷ τῷ ̓Ισαὰκ ἡ φωνή. δυσμενῶς ειχε διὰ 1.29 ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὁ ̔Ησαῦ. ὁ δὲ τὸν ἀδελφὸν δεδοικώς, συμβουλῇ τῆς μητρὸς εἰς Μεσοποταμίαν ἀπέρχεται. ἀπιὼν δὲ ἀξιοῦται καθ' υπνους τοῦ ᾀδομένου θεάματος τῆς κλίμακος, ης τῶν ακρων τὸ μὲν τῇ γῇ, τὸ δὲ τῷ οὐρανῷ προσερήρειστο, καὶ μυεῖται τὰ μέλλοντα ἐκ τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐν ῳ τὸ οραμα ειδε Βαιθὴλ προσηγόρευσε· δηλοῖ δὲ θείαν ἑστίαν καθ' Ελληνας. καταντήσας δὲ εἰς Χαρρὰν κατήχθη πρὸς Λάβαν τὸν τῆς μητρὸς τῆς ̔Ρεβέκκας ὁμαίμονα, καὶ ξενίας παρ' ἐκείνου τετύχηκε καὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν ποιμνίων πιστεύεται. δύο δὲ