Genesis 26

1 And there is a famine in the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham, and Isaac goeth unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

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 Jehovah appeareth unto him, and saith, 'Go not down towards Egypt, tabernacle in the land concerning which I speak unto thee,

The LORD appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.

3 sojourn in this land, and I am with thee, and bless thee, for to thee and to thy seed I give all these lands, and I have established the oath which I have sworn to Abraham thy father;

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 I have multiplied thy seed as stars of the heavens, and I have given to thy seed all these lands; and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth;

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 because that Abraham hath hearkened to My voice, and keepeth My charge, My commands, My statutes, and My laws.'

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

6 And Isaac dwelleth in Gerar;

Isaac lived in Gerar.

7 and men of the place ask him of his wife, and he saith, 'She [is] my sister:' for he hath been afraid to say, 'My wife — lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, for she [is] of good appearance.'

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 it cometh to pass, when the days have been prolonged to him there, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looketh through the window, and seeth, and lo, Isaac is playing with Rebekah his wife.

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 Abimelech calleth for Isaac, and saith, 'Lo, she [is] surely thy wife; and how hast thou said, She [is] my sister?' and Isaac saith unto him, 'Because I said, Lest I die for her.'

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 Abimelech saith, 'What [is] this thou hast done to us? as a little thing one of the people had lain with thy wife, and thou hadst brought upon us guilt;'

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 Abimelech commandeth all the people, saying, 'He who cometh against this man or against his wife, dying doth die.'

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

12 And Isaac soweth in that land, and findeth in that year a hundredfold, and Jehovah blesseth him;

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 is great, and goeth on, going on and becoming great, till that he hath been very great,

The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great.

14 and he hath possession of a flock, and possession of a herd, and an abundant service; and the Philistines envy him,

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

15 and all the wells which his father's servants digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines have stopped them, and fill them with dust.

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 And Abimelech saith unto Isaac, 'Go from us; for thou hast become much mightier than we;'

Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 and Isaac goeth from thence, and encampeth in the valley of Gerar, and dwelleth there;

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

18 and Isaac turneth back, and diggeth the wells of water which they digged in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines do stop after the death of Abraham, and he calleth to them names according to the names which his father called them.

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 And Isaac's servants dig in the valley, and find there a well of living water,

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

20 and shepherds of Gerar strive with shepherds of Isaac, saying, 'The water [is] ours;' and he calleth the name of the well 'Strife,' because they have striven habitually with him;

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 they dig another well, and they strive also for it, and he calleth its name 'Hatred.'

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

22 And he removeth from thence, and diggeth another well, and they have not striven for it, and he calleth its name Enlargements, and saith, 'For — now hath Jehovah given enlargement to us, and we have been fruitful in the land.'

He left that place, and dug another well. They didn’t 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 And he goeth up from thence [to] Beer-Sheba,

He went up from there to Beersheba.

24 and Jehovah appeareth unto him during that night, and saith, 'I [am] the God of Abraham thy father, fear not, for I [am] with thee, and have blessed thee, and have multiplied thy seed, because of Abraham My servant;'

The LORD appeared to him the same night, and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

25 and he buildeth there an altar, and preacheth in the name of Jehovah, and stretcheth out there his tent, and there Isaac's servants dig a well.

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 Abimelech hath gone unto him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol head of his host;

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

27 and Isaac saith unto them, 'Wherefore have ye come unto me, and ye have hated me, and ye send me away from you?'

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

28 And they say, 'We have certainly seen that Jehovah hath been with thee, and we say, 'Let there be, we pray thee, an oath between us, between us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

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 do not evil with us, as we have not touched thee, and as we have only done good with thee, and send thee away in peace; thou [art] now blessed of Jehovah.'

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 And he maketh for them a banquet, and they eat and drink,

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

31 and rise early in the morning, and swear one to another, and Isaac sendeth them away, and they go from him in peace.

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 And it cometh to pass during that day that Isaac's servants come and declare to him concerning the circumstances of the well which they have digged, and say to him, 'We have found water;'

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 and he calleth it Shebah, [oath, ] therefore the name of the city [is] Beer-Sheba, [well of the oath, ] unto this day.

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

34 And Esau is a son of forty years, and he taketh a wife, Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite,

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 and they are a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.

They grieved Isaac’s and Rebekah’s spirits.