Genesis 26

1 Some time later there was a severe (famine/scarcity of food) there. That was different from the famine that occurred when Abraham was alive. So Isaac went [southeast] to Gerar [town, to talk] to Abimelech, the king of the Philistine people-group. [What happened was this: Isaac considered going to Egypt],

١ وَحَدَثَ فِي الأَرْضِ جُوعٌ غَيْرُ الْجُوعِ الأَوَّلِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِي أَيَّامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، فَارْتَحَلَ إِسْحاقُ إِلَى مَدِينَةِ جَرَارَ حَيْثُ أَبِيمَالِكُ مَلِكُ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ.

2 but Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt! Live in the land where I will tell you to go!

٢ فَظَهَرَ لَهُ الرَّبُّ قَائِلاً: «لا تَمْضِ إِلَى مِصْرَ، بَلُ امْكُثْ فِي الأَرْضِ الَّتِي أُعَيِّنُهَا لَكَ.

3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will help you and bless you, because it is to you and your descendants that I will give all these lands, and I will do what I solemnly promised to your father.

٣ أَقِمْ فِي هَذِهِ الأَرْضِ فَأَكُونَ مَعَكَ وَأُبَارِكَكَ، لأَنَّنِي أُعْطِي لَكَ وَلِذُرِّيَّتِكَ جَمِيعَ هَذِهِ الأَرْضِ وَفَاءً بِقَسَمِي الَّذِي أَقْسَمْتُ لإِبْرَاهِيمَ أَبِيكَ.

4 I will cause your descendants to be as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all these lands, and I will cause your descendants to be a blessing to the people of [MTY] all nations on the earth.

٤ وَأُكَثِّرُ ذُرِّيَّتَكَ كَنُجُومِ السَّمَاءِ وَأَهِبُهَا جَمِيعَ هَذِهِ الْبِلادِ. وَتَتَبَارَكُ فِي نَسْلِكَ جَمِيعُ أُمَمِ الأَرْضِ.

5 I will do that because your father Abraham obeyed me. He obeyed everything that I told him to do, everything that I declared and all the laws that I gave him.” So Isaac [went and asked King Abimelech if he would permit him to live in the Gerar area. The king said, “Okay,”]

٥ لأَنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَطَاعَ قَوْلِي، وَحَفِظَ أَوَامِرِي وَوَصَايَايَ وَفَرَائِضِي وَشَرَائِعِي».

6 [so Isaac] stayed there [along with his wife and sons].

٦ فَأَقَامَ إِسْحاقُ فِي مَدِينَةِ جَرَارَ.

7 When the men in Gerar [town] asked who Rebekah was, Isaac said, “She is my sister.” He said that because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “Rebekah is very beautiful, so they will want her. [If I say that she is my sister, they know they will have to negotiate about a bride price because I am her older brother; but if I say that she is my wife, no negotiation will be possible]. They will just kill me to get her.”

٧ وَعِنْدَمَا سَأَلَهُ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ عَنْ زَوْجَتِهِ قَالَ: «هِيَ أُخْتِي» لأَنَّهُ خَافَ أَنْ يَقُولَ: «هِيَ زَوْجَتِي» لِئَلّا يَقْتُلَهُ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ مِنْ أَجْلِ رِفْقَةَ، لأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ رَائِعَةَ الْجَمَالِ.

8 When Isaac had been there a long time, one day Abimelech, the king of the Philistine people-group, looked down from a window [in his palace] and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

٨ وَحَدَثَ بَعْدَ أَنْ طَالَ مُكُوثُهُ هُنَاكَ، أَنَّ أَبِيمَالِكَ مَلِكَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ أَطَلَّ مِنَ النَّافِذَةِ، فَشَاهَدَ إِسْحاقَ يُدَاعِبُ امْرَأَتَهُ رِفْقَةَ.

9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said to him, “Now I realize that she is really your wife! So why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied to him, “I said that because I thought that someone here might kill me to get her.”

٩ فَاسْتَدْعَاهُ إِلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: «إِنَّهَا بِالْحَقِيقَةِ زَوْجَتُكَ، فَكَيْفَ قُلْتَ هِيَ أُخْتِي؟» فَأَجَابَ إِسْحاقُ: «لأَنِّي قُلْتُ: لَعَلِّي أُقْتَلُ بِسَبَبِهَا».

10 Abimelech said, “(You should not have done this to us!/Why did you do this?) [RHQ] One of our people might have (had sex with/slept with) [EUP] your wife, and you would have caused us to be guilty of a great sin!”

١٠ فَقَالَ أَبِيمَالِكُ: «مَا هَذَا الَّذِي فَعَلْتَ بِنَا؟ لَقَدْ كَانَ يَسِيراً عَلَى أَيِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الشَّعْبِ أَنْ يَضْطَجِعَ مَعَ زَوْجَتِكَ فَتَجْلِبُ بِذَلِكَ عَلَيْنَا إِثْماً».

11 Then Abimelech commanded all his people, saying, “Do not harm/molest this man or his wife! Anyone who does that will surely be executed!”

١١ وَأَنْذَرَ أَبِيمَالِكُ كُلَّ الشَّعْبِ قَائِلاً: «كُلُّ مَنْ يَمَسُّ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ أَوْ زَوْجَتَهُ فَحَتْماً يَمُوتُ».

12 Isaac planted grain in that land that year, and he harvested a very large crop, because Yahweh blessed him.

١٢ وَزَرَعَ إِسْحاقُ فِي تِلْكَ الأَرْضِ، فَحَصَدَ فِي تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ مِئَةَ ضِعْفٍ لأَنَّ اللهَ بَارَكَهُ.

13 Isaac continued to acquire more and more possessions, until finally he became very wealthy.

١٣ وَعَظُمَ شَأْنُ الرَّجُلِ، وَتَزَايَدَ غِنَاهُ وَأَصْبَحَ وَاسِعَ الثَّرَاءِ وَالنُّفُوذِ.

14 He had large herds of sheep and goats and cattle, and many slaves. Because of that, the Philistine people envied him.

١٤ وَصَارَتْ لَهُ مَاشِيَةٌ، غَنَمٌ وَقُطْعَانُ بَقَرٍ وَعَبِيدٌ كَثِيرُونَ. فَحَسَدَهُ الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ.

15 So all the wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug during the time when he was alive, the people filled up with dirt.

١٥ وَرَدَمَ الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ بِالتُّرَابِ جَمِيعَ الآبَارِ الَّتِي حَفَرَهَا عَبِيدُ أَبِيهِ فِي أَيَّامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ.

16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “You people have become more numerous than we are, so I want you to get out of our area.”

١٦ وَقَالَ أَبِيمَالِكُ لإِسْحاقَ: «ارْحَلْ عَنَّا لأَنَّكَ أَصْبَحْتَ أَكْثَرَ قُوَّةً مِنَّا».

17 So Isaac [and his family] moved from there. They set up their tents in Gerar Valley [and started to live there].

١٧ فَانْصَرَفَ إِسْحاقُ مِنْ هُنَاكَ وَضَرَبَ خِيَامَهُ فِي وَادِي جَرَارَ حَيْثُ أَقَامَ.

18 There were several wells in that area that had been dug when Isaac’s father Abraham was living, but Philistine people had filled them up [with dirt] after Abraham died. Now Isaac and his servants removed the dirt, and Isaac gave the wells the same names that his father had given to them.

١٨ وَأَعَادَ إِسْحاقُ حَفْرَ آبَارِ الْمِيَاهِ الَّتِي كَانَ قَدْ تَمَّ حَفْرُهَا فِي أَيَّامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَرَدَمَهَا الْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ أَبِيهِ، وَدَعَاهَا بِالأَسْمَاءِ الَّتِي أَطْلَقَهَا عَلَيْهَا أَبُوهُ.

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

١٩ وَعِنْدَمَا حَفَرَ عَبِيدُ إِسْحاقَ فِي الْوَادِي وَعَثَرُوا عَلَى بِئْرِ مَاءٍ جَارٍ،

20 But other men who lived in Gerar [Valley] who took care of their animals argued/quarreled with the men who took care of Isaac’s animals, and said, “The water in this well is ours!” So Isaac named the well Esek, which means ‘dispute’, because they disputed about who owned it.

٢٠ خَاصَمَ رُعَاةُ مَدِينَةِ جَرَارَ رُعَاةَ إِسْحاقَ قَائِلِينَ: «هَذَا الْمَاءُ لَنَا». فَدَعَا الْبِئْرَ «عِسِقَ» لأَنَّهُمْ نَازَعُوهُ عَلَيْهَا.

21 Then Isaac’s servants dug another well, but they quarreled about who owned that one also. So Isaac named it Sitnah, [which means ‘opposition]’.

٢١ ثُمَّ حَفَرُوا بِئْراً أُخْرَى وَتَخَاصَمُوا عَلَيْهَا، فَدَعَاهَا «سِطْنَةَ» (وَمَعْنَاهَا عَدَاوَةٌ).

22 They moved on from there and dug another well, but this time no one quarreled about who owned it. So Isaac named it Rehoboth, [which means ‘uninhabited place’], saying, “Yahweh has given us an uninhabited place to live in, a place that is not wanted by other people, and we will become very prosperous here.”

٢٢ وَانْتَقَلَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ هُنَاكَ وَحَفَرَ بِئْراً أُخْرَى وَلَمْ يَتَنَازَعُوا عَلَيْهَا، فَدَعَا اسْمَهَا «رَحُوبُوتَ» (وَمَعْنَاهَا الأَمَاكِنُ الرَّحْبَةُ) قَائِلاً: «لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ قَدْ أَرْحَبَ الآنَ لَنَا وَأَثْمَرْنَا فِي الأَرْضِ».

23 From there Isaac went up to Beersheba.

٢٣ ثُمَّ مَضَى مِنْ هُنَاكَ إِلَى بِئْرِ سَبْعٍ.

24 The first night that he was there, Yahweh appeared to him and said, “I am God, whom your father Abraham worshiped. Do not be afraid of anything. I will help you and bless you, and because of what I promised my servant Abraham, I will greatly increase the number of your descendants.”

٢٤ فَتَجَلَّى لَهُ الرَّبُّ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ وَقَالَ: «أَنَا هُوَ إِلَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَبِيكَ. لَا تَخَفْ لأَنِّي مَعَكَ وَأُبَارِكُكَ وَأُكَثِّرُ ذُرِّيَّتَكَ مِنْ أَجْلِ عَبْدِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ».

25 So Isaac built a stone altar there [and offered a sacrifice] to worship Yahweh. He [and his servants] set up their tents there, and his servants started to dig a well.

٢٥ فَشَيَّدَ إِسْحاقُ هُنَاكَ مَذْبَحاً وَدَعَا بِاسْمِ الرَّبِّ، ثُمَّ نَصَبَ هُنَاكَ خَيْمَتَهُ، وَحَفَرَ عَبِيدُهُ بِئْراً.

26 [While they were digging the well], King Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, along with Ahuzzath, his advisor, and Phicol, the commander of his army.

٢٦ وَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ جَرَارَ أَبِيمَالِكُ وَأَحُزَّاتُ مُسْتَشَارُهُ، وَفِيكُولُ رَئِيسُ جَيْشِهِ.

27 Isaac asked them, “You (acted in a hostile way toward me/treated me like an enemy) before, and sent me away. So why have you come to me now?”

٢٧ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ إِسْحاقُ: «مَا بَالُكُمْ قَدْ أَتَيْتُمْ إِلَيَّ، وَأَنْتُمْ قَدْ أَبْغَضْتُمُونِي وَصَرَفْتُمُونِي مِنْ عِنْدِكُمْ؟»

28 One of them answered, “We have seen that Yahweh helps you. So we said to each other, ‘We should have an agreement between us and you. We should make a peace treaty with you,

٢٨ فَأَجَابُوهُ: «لَقَدْ تَبَيَّنَ لَنَا أَنَّ الرَّبَّ مَعَكَ، فَقُلْنَا: لِيَكُنْ بَيْنَنَا حَلْفٌ وَلْنَقْطَعْ مَعَكَ عَهْداً:

29 stating that you will not harm us, in the same way that we did not molest [EUP] you.’ We always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now Yahweh is blessing you.”

٢٩ أَنْ لَا تُسِيءَ إِلَيْنَا كَمَا لَمْ نَمَسَّكَ بِشَرٍّ وَلَمْ يُصِبْكَ مِنَّا سِوَى الْخَيْرِ، ثُمَّ صَرَفْنَاكَ بِسَلامٍ. وَهَا أَنْتَ الآنَ مُبَارَكٌ مِنَ الرَّبِّ».

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

٣٠ فَأَقَامَ لَهُمْ مَأْدُبَةً فَأَكَلُوا وَشَرِبُوا.

31 Early the next morning they all (swore/solemnly promised) each other that they would do what they had promised. Then Isaac sent them home peacefully.

٣١ ثُمَّ بَكَّرُوا فِي الصَّبَاحِ وَحَلَفَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ، وَشَيَّعَهُمْ إِسْحاقُ فَانْصَرَفُوا بِسَلامٍ.

32 That day Isaac’s servants came to him and told him about the well that they had finished digging. They said, “We found water in the well!”

٣٢ وَفِي نَفْسِ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ جَاءَ عَبِيدُ إِسْحاقَ وَأَخْبَرُوهُ قَائِلِينَ: «إِنَّنَا عَثَرْنَا عَلَى مَاءٍ فِي الْبِئْرِ الَّتِي حَفَرْنَاهَا».

33 Isaac named the well Shibah, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘oath’]. To the present time the town there has the name Beersheba [which means ‘Friendship Agreement Well’].

٣٣ فَدَعَاهَا شِبْعَةَ، لِذَلِكَ سُمِّيَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ بِئْرَ سَبْعٍ إِلَى هَذَا الْيَوْمِ.

34 When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon. Both of those women were descendants of Heth, [not from Isaac’s clan].

٣٤ وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ عِيسُو الأَرْبَعِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ تَزَوَّجَ كُلًّا مِنْ يَهُودِيتَ بِنْتِ بِيرِي الْحِثِّيِّ، وَبَسْمَةَ بِنْتِ إِيلُونَ الْحِثِّيِّ.

35 Esau’s two wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.

٣٥ فَأَتْعَسَتَا حَيَاةَ إِسْحاقَ وَرِفْقَةَ.