Genesis 26

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

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.

2 And God appeared to him, and said, "Do not go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.

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

3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For to you, and to your descendants, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

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.

4 I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the sky, and will give to your descendants all these lands, and by your descendants will all the nations of the earth be blessed,

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,

5 because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

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

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.

So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

7 The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "My wife," lest, he thought, "the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to look at."

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.”

8 It happened, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and look, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife.

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.

9 Abimelech called Isaac, and said, "Look, surely she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister?'" Isaac said to him, "Because I thought, 'Lest I die because of her.'"

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.

10 Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us."

“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!”

11 Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death."

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

12 Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. And God blessed him.

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

13 The man became wealthy, and prospered more and more until he became very wealthy.

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

14 He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.

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.

15 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 earth.

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

16 Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go from us, for you are much mightier than we."

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

17 Isaac departed from there, camped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.

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

18 Isaac dug again the wells which the servants of his father Abraham had dug. 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.

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.

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

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

20 The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." He called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

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.

21 They dug another well, and they argued over that, also. He called its name Sitnah.

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

22 He left that place, and dug another well. They did not argue over that one. He called it Rehoboth. He said, "For now God has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."

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.”

23 He went up from there to Beersheba.

From there he moved on to Beersheba.

24 And God appeared to him the same night, and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your descendants for my servant Abraham's sake."

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.”

25 He built an altar there, and called on the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. There Isaac's servants dug a well.

Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord. He also set up his tent, and his servants dug a well there.

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

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

27 Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and have sent me away from you?"

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

28 They said, "We saw plainly that God was with you. We said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you,

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

29 that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace.' You are now the blessed of God."

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!”

30 He made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

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

31 They rose up some time in the morning, and swore an oath to each other. Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

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.

32 It happened 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."

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

33 He called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

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

34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hethite.

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

35 They brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

They caused Isaac and Rebekah a great deal of grief.