Genesis 26

1 And there came to be a famine in the land, besides the first famine which happened in the days of Abraham, —so Isaac went his way unto Abimelech, king of the Philistines towards Gerar;

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.

2 and Yahweh appeared unto him, and said, do not go down towards Egypt, —Make thy habitation in the land, which I may name unto thee:

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

3 Sojourn in this land, that I may be with thee and bless thee, —for, to thee, and to thy seed, will I give all these lands, So will I establish the oath which I sware to Abraham thy father;

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.

4 and will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and will give to thy seed, all these lands, —And all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves in thy seed:

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,

5 Because that Abraham hearkened unto my voice, —and so kept my charge, my commandments my statutes and my laws.

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

6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

So Isaac settled in Gerar.

7 Then asked the men of the place as to his wife, and he said, My sister, is she, —For he feared to say My wife, lest [said he] the men of the place should slay me on account of Rebekah, for fair to look on, she is.

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 came to pass when the days had lengthened out to him there, that Abimelech king of the Philistines, looked out through the lattice of a window, —and he beheld and lo! Isaac—laughing with Rebekah his wife.

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.

9 So Abimelech called for Isaac, and said, But lo she is, thy wife! How then, saidst thou, She is, my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because, I said, Lest I die on her account.

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.'"

10 Then, said, Abimelech, What is this thou hast done to us? A little more, and one of the people might have lien with thy wife, so shouldst thou have brought upon us, guilt.

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."

11 And Abimelech commanded all the people saying, —He that toucheth this man or his wife, shall surely be put to death

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

12 And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year, a hundredfold, —seeing that Yahweh had blessed him.

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

13 So the man waxed great, —and went on and on waxing great until that he had waxed exceeding great.

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

14 So he came to have possessions of flocks and possessions of herds, and a large body of servants, —and the Philistines envied him.

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

15 And as for all the wells which the servants of his father digged, in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up, and filled 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 said unto Isaac, —Get thee from us, for thou hast become far mightier than we.

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

17 So Isaac went from thence, —and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

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

18 And Isaac again digged the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines stopped up after the death of Abraham, —and he called their names, after the names which his father called them.

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.

19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, —and found there a well of living water.

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

20 And the herdmen of Gerar disputed with the herdmen of Isaac saying, Ours, is the, water! So he called the name of the well Esek, because they had stirred up a quarrel with him.

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.

21 And they digged another well, and they disputed over that also, —so he called the name thereof Sitnah.

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

22 And he moved on from thence and digged another well, and they disputed not for it, —so he called the name thereof. Rehoboth, and said, For, now, hath Yahweh made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

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."

23 And he went up from thence, to Beer-sheba.

He went up from there to Beersheba.

24 And Yahweh appeared unto him the same night, and said, I, am the God of Abraham thy father, —Do not fear for with thee, am, I, And I will bless thee and multiply thy seed, For the sake of Abraham my servant.

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."

25 So he builded there all altar and called on the name of Yahweh, and spread out there, his tent, —and the servants of Isaac cut out there a well.

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

26 And, Abimelech, came unto him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol, commander of his host.

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

27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore have ye come in mite me, seeing that, ye, hated me, and sent 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 said: We, saw plainly, that Yahweh was with thee, so we said, Let there be we pray thee an oath betwixt us both, betwixt us and thee, —and let us solemnise a covenant with thee: —

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,

29 That, thou wilt not do wrong by us, according as we touched not thee, and according as we did by thee nothing but good, and then sent thee away in peace, thee who, now, art blessed of Yahweh!

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."

30 So he made for them a banquet, and they did eat and drink, —

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

31 and rose up early in the morning, and took an oath each man to his brother, so Isaac let them go, and they departed from him in peace.

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.

32 And it came to pass, on the same day, that the servants of Isaac came in, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said to him, We have found water!

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."

33 So he called it, Shibah. For this cause, hath the name of the city, been Beer-sheba, unto this day.

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

34 And when Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith, daughter of Beeri. the Hittite; and Basemath, daughter of Elon, the Hittite;

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

35 and they became a bitterness of spirit, to Isaac and to Rebekah.

They brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.