Genesis 26

1 Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.

And Jehovah appeared to him, and said, Do not go down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.

3 Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee. For to thee, and to thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham thy father.

4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give to thy seed all these lands, and in thy seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,

5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my order, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.

And Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

7 But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”

And the men of the place asked him of his wife. And he said, She is my sister. For he feared to say, My wife, Lest, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she was fair to look upon.

8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was playing with Rebekah his wife.

9 Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.”

And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, she is certainly thy wife, and how did thou say, She is my sister? And Isaac said to him, Because I said, Lest I die because of her.

10 “What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

And Abimelech said, What is this thou have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with thy wife, and thou would have brought guiltiness upon us.

11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

And Abimelech ordered all the people, saying, He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

12 Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,

And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year a hundredfold. And Jehovah blessed him.

13 and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.

And the man became great, and grew more and more until he became very great.

14 He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great household. And the Philistines envied him.

15 So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.

Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with soil.

16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”

And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go from us, for thou are much mightier than we.

17 So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.

And Isaac departed from there, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them.

And Isaac again dug the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.

And Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.

And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

21 Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.

And they dug another well, and they strove for that also. And he called the name of it Sitnah.

22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

And he moved from there, and dug another well, and they did not strive for that. And he called the name of it Rehoboth. And he said, For now Jehovah has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23 From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,

And he went up from there to Beersheba.

24 and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

And Jehovah appeared to him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

25 So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there.

And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

26 Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his army.

27 “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”

And Isaac said to them, Why have ye come to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

28 “We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you

And they said, We saw plainly that Jehovah was with thee. And we said, Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and thee. And let us make a covenant with thee,

29 that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”

that thou will do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done to thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace. Thou are now the blessed of Jehovah.

30 So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

And he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

31 And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

And they rose up promptly in the morning, and swore one to another. And Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him.

And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, We have found water.

33 So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.

And he called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

And when Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35 And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

And they were a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.