Genesis 26
1 Forsothe for hungur roos on the lond, aftir thilke bareynesse that bifelde in the daies of Abraham, Isaac yede forth to Abymelech, kyng of Palestyns, in Gerara.
There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
2 And the Lord apperide to hym, and seide, Go not doun in to Egipt, but reste thou in the lond which Y schal seie to thee,
The LORD appeared to him, and said, “Do not go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.
3 and be thou a pilgrym ther ynne; and Y schal be with thee, and Y schal blesse thee; for Y schal yyue alle these cuntrees to thee and to thi seed, and Y schal fille the ooth which Y bihiyte to Abraham, thi fadir.
Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
4 And Y schal multiplie thi seed as the sterris of heuene, and Y schal yyue alle these thingis to thin eyris, and alle folkis of erthe schulen be blessid in thi seed, for Abraham obeide to my vois,
I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed,
5 and kepte `my preceptis and comaundementis, and kepte cerymonyes and lawis.
because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
6 And so Ysaac dwellide in Geraris.
Isaac lived in Gerar.
7 And whanne he was axid of men of that place of his wijf, he answarde, Sche is my sistir; for he dredde to knowleche that sche was felouschipid to hym in matrymonye, and gesside lest peraduenture thei wolden sle him for the fairnesse of hir.
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.”
8 And whanne ful many daies weren passid, and he dwellide there, Abymelech, kyng of Palestyns, bihelde bi a wyndow, and seiy hym pleiynge with Rebecca, his wijf.
When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife.
9 And whanne Isaac was clepid, the kyng seide, It is opyn, that sche is thi wijf; whi liedist thou, that sche was thi sistir? Isaac answerde, Y dredde, lest Y schulde die for hir.
Abimelech called Isaac, and said, “Behold, surely she is your wife. Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die because of her.’”
10 And Abymelech seide, Whi hast thou disseyued vs? Sum man of the puple myyte do letcherie with thi wijf, and thou haddist brouyt in greuous synne on vs. And the kyng comaundide to al the puple,
Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!”
11 and seide, He that touchith the wijf of this man schal die bi deeth.
Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
12 Forsothe Isaac sowide in that lond, and he foond an hundrid fold in that yeer; and the Lord blesside hym.
Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. The LORD blessed him.
13 And the man was maad riche, and he yede profitynge and encreessynge til he was maad ful greet.
The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great.
14 Also he hadde possessioun of scheep and grete beestis, and ful myche of meyne. For this thing Palestyns hadden enuye to hym,
He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.
15 and thei stoppiden in that tyme and filliden with erthe alle the pittis whiche the seruauntis of Abraham his fadir hadden diggid,
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.
16 in so myche that Abymelech him silf seide to Ysaac, Go thou awei fro vs, for thou art maad greetly myytier than we.
Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”
17 And he yede awei, that he schulde come to the stronde of Gerare, and dwelle there.
Isaac departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.
18 And he diggide eft other pittis, whiche the seruauntis of Abraham his fadir hadden diggid, and whiche the Filisteis hadden stoppid sumtyme, whanne Abraham was deed; and he clepide tho pittis bi the same names, bi whiche his fadir hadde clepid bifore.
Isaac dug again 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. He called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19 Thei diggiden in the stronde, and thei founden wellynge watir.
Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of flowing water.
20 But also strijf of scheepherdis of Gerare was there ayens the scheepherdis of Isaac, and thei seiden, The watir is oure; wherfor of that that bifelde he clepide the name of the pit fals chaleng.
The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.
21 And thei diggiden anothir, and thei stryueden also for that, and Ysaac clepide that pit enemytes.
They dug another well, and they argued over that, also. So he called its name Sitnah.
22 And he yede forth fro thennus, and diggide another pit, for which thei stryueden not, therfor he clepid the name of that pit largenesse; and seide, Now God hath alargid vs, and hath maad to encreesse on erthe.
He left that place, and dug another well. They did not argue over that one. So he called it Rehoboth. He said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
23 Forsothe he stiede fro that place in to Bersabee,
He went up from there to Beersheba.
24 where the Lord God apperide to him in that nyyt; and seide, Y am God of Abraham, thi fadir; nyle thou drede, for Y am with thee, and Y schal blesse thee, and Y schal multiplie thi seed for my seruaunt Abraham.
The LORD 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 offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
25 And so Ysaac bildide ther an auter to the Lord; and whanne the name of the Lord was inwardli clepid, he stretchide forth a tabernacle; and he comaundide hise seruauntis that thei schulden digge pittis.
He built an altar there, and called on the LORD’s name, and pitched his tent there. There Isaac’s servants dug a well.
26 And whanne Abymelech, and Ochosat, hise frendis, and Ficol, duk of knyytis, hadden come fro Geraris to that place,
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his army.
27 Isaac spak to hem, What camen ye to me, a man whom ye hatiden, and puttiden awei fro you?
Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and have sent me away from you?”
28 Whiche answeriden, We seiyen that God is with thee, and therfor we seiden now, An ooth be bitwixe vs, and make we a couenaunt of pees,
They said, “We saw plainly that the LORD was with you. We said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let’s make a covenant with you,
29 that thou do not ony yuel to vs, as we touchiden `not ony thing of thine, nethir diden that that hirtide thee, but with pees we leften thee encressid bi the blessyng of the Lord.
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 the LORD.”
30 Therfor Isaac made a feeste to hem; and after mete and drynk thei risen eerli,
He made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
31 and sworen ech to other; and Isaac lefte hem peisibli in to her place.
They rose up some time in the morning, and swore an oath to one another. Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32 Lo! forsothe in that dai the seruauntis of Ysaac camen, tellynge to him of the pit which thei hadden diggid, and seiden, We han foundun watir.
The same day, Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”
33 Wherfor Ysaac clepide that pit abundaunce; and the name of the citee was set Bersabee til in to present dai.
He called it “Shibah”. Therefore the name of the city is “Beersheba” to this day.
34 Esau forsothe fourti yeer eld weddide twei wyues, Judith, the douytir of Beeri Ethei, and Bethsamath, the douyter of Elon, of the same place;
When Esau was forty years old, he took as wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 whiche bothe offendiden the soule of Isaac and of Rebecca.
They grieved Isaac’s and Rebekah’s spirits.
