Genesis 26

1 There was a famine in the country—not the one that happened before in Abraham's time, but a later one. So Isaac moved to Gerar in the territory of Abimelech, king of the Philistines.

And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which had been in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and told him, “Don't go to Egypt—live in the country that I tell you to.

And Jehovah appeared to him and said, Go not down to Egypt: dwell in the land that I shall tell thee of.

3 Stay here in this country. I will be with you and I will bless you, because I'm going to give you and your descendants all these lands. I will keep the solemn promise that I swore to Abraham your father.

Sojourn in this land; and I will be with thee and bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries; and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father.

4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your descendants,

And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and unto thy seed will I give all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves —

5 because Abraham did what I told him, and kept my requirements, my commands, my regulations, and my laws.”

because that Abraham hearkened to my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

And Isaac dwelt at Gerar.

7 When the men there asked him about his wife, he told them, “She's my sister,” because he was afraid. He said to himself, “If I say she's my wife, the men here will kill me to get Rebekah, because she's so beautiful.”

And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, She is my sister; for he feared to say, my wife, [saying to himself, ] Lest the men of the place slay me on account of Rebecca — because she was fair in countenance.

8 But later on, after he'd been there a while, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, happened to look out the window and saw Isaac lovingly fondling his wife Rebekah.

And it came to pass when he had been there some time, that Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked out of the window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was dallying with Rebecca his wife.

9 Abimelech sent for Isaac and complained. “From what I saw she's clearly your wife!” he said. “Why on earth did you say, ‘She's my sister’?” “Because I thought I'd be killed because of her,” Isaac replied.

Then Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, she is certainly thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? and Isaac said to him, Because I said, Lest I die on account of her.

10 “Why would you do this to us?” Abimelech asked. “One of the men here might have slept with your wife, and you would have made us all guilty!”

And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done to us? But a little and one of the people might have lain with thy wife, and thou wouldest have brought a trespass on us.

11 Abimelech issued orders to all the people, warning them, “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be executed.”

And Abimelech charged all the people, saying, He that touches this man or his wife shall certainly be put to death.

12 Isaac sowed grain that year, and the Lord blessed him with a harvest that was a hundred times what he planted.

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

13 He became a rich man, and his wealth steadily increased until he was very rich.

And the man became great, and he became continually greater, until he was very great.

14 He owned many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, as well as many slaves. He had so much that the Philistines became jealous of him.

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

15 So the Philistines used dirt to block up all the wells his father Abraham's servants had dug.

And all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them and filled them with earth.

16 Then Abimelech told Isaac, “You have to leave our country, because you've become much too powerful for us.”

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

17 So Isaac moved away and set up his tents in the Gerar Valley where he settled down.

And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his camp in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 He unblocked the wells that had been dug in his father Abraham's time—the ones the Philistines had blocked after the death of Abraham. He gave them the same names his father had.

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

19 Isaac's servants also dug a new well in the valley and found spring water.

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

20 But the herdsmen from Gerar argued with Isaac's herdsmen, claiming, “That's our water!” So Isaac named the well, “Argument,” because they argued with him.

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

21 He had another well dug, and they argued over that one too. He named the well, “Opposition.”

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

22 So they moved on from there and he had another well dug. This time there was no argument so he named the well, “Freedom,” saying, “Now the Lord has given us freedom to expand and be successful in this land.”

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

23 From there he moved on to Beersheba.

And he went up thence to Beer-sheba.

24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and give you many 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 Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord. He also set up his tent, and his servants dug a well there.

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

26 Sometime later Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac, along with Ahuzzath his advisor, and Phicol the commander of his army.

And Abimelech, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol the captain of his host, went to him from Gerar.

27 “Why have you come to see me?” Isaac asked them. “Previously you hated me and told me to leave!”

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

28 “Now we realize that the Lord is with you,” they replied. “So we agreed that we should make a sworn agreement with you.

And they said, We saw certainly that Jehovah is with thee; and we said, Let there be then an oath between us — between us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee,

29 You'll promise not to harm us in the same way we've never hurt you. You'll agree that we've always treated you well, and when we asked you to leave we did so kindly. Now look at how the Lord is blessing you!”

that thou wilt do us no wrong, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done to thee nothing but good, and have let thee go in peace; thou art now blessed of Jehovah.

30 So Isaac had a special meal prepared to celebrate the agreement. They ate and drank,

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

31 and got up early in the morning and they each swore oaths to one other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left in peace.

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

32 It was that very day when Isaac's servants who'd been digging a well came and told him, “We've found water!”

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

33 So Isaac named the well, “Oath,” and that's why the name of the town is “Well of the Oath” (Beersheba) to this day.

And he called it Shebah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day.

34 When Esau was 40, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite.

And Esau was forty years old, when he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basmath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah a great deal of grief.

And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebecca.