Genesis 26
1 Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at 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 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.
The Lord appeared to Isaac and told him, “Don't go to Egypt—live in the country that I tell you to.
3 Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.
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 make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will 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 listened to My voice and kept My charge, 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 But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”
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 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
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 sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account 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 “What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon 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 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms 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 Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,
Isaac sowed grain that year, and the Lord blessed him with a harvest that was a hundred times what he planted.
13 and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.
He became a rich man, and his wealth steadily increased until he was very rich.
14 He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that 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 So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.
So the Philistines used dirt to block up all the wells his father Abraham's servants had dug.
16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
Then Abimelech told Isaac, “You have to leave our country, because you've become much too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
So Isaac moved away and set up his tents in the Gerar Valley where he settled down.
18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given 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 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.
Isaac's servants also dug a new well in the valley and found spring water.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named 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 Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
He had another well dug, and they argued over that one too. He named the well, “Opposition.”
22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD 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 From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
From there he moved on to Beersheba.
24 and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
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 So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there.
Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord. He also set up his tent, and his servants dug a well there.
26 Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser 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 “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
“Why have you come to see me?” Isaac asked them. “Previously you hated me and told me to leave!”
28 “We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. 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 not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”
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 So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
So Isaac had a special meal prepared to celebrate the agreement. They ate and drank,
31 And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left 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 On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him.
It was that very day when Isaac's servants who'd been digging a well came and told him, “We've found water!”
33 So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.
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 took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
When Esau was 40, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
They caused Isaac and Rebekah a great deal of grief.
