1 T here was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

And there was a famine in the land, other than the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.

2 T hen the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you.

3 D well in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

4 A nd I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

And I will make your descendants to multiply as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your posterity all these lands (kingdoms); and by your Offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, or by Him bless themselves,

5 b ecause Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

For Abraham listened to and obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commands, My statutes, and My laws.

6 S o Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

7 A nd the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “ She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.”

And the men of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, She is my sister; for he was afraid to say, She is my wife—, Lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she is attractive and is beautiful to look upon.

8 N ow it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.

When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah his wife.

9 T hen Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’”

And Abimelech called Isaac and said, See here, she is certainly your wife! How did you say to me, She is my sister? And Isaac said to him, Because I thought, Lest I die on account of her.

10 A nd Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”

And Abimelech said, What is this you have done to us? One of the men might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt and sin upon us.

11 S o Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Then Abimelech charged all his people, He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

12 T hen Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.

Then Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted, and the Lord favored him with blessings.

13 T he man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

And the man became great and gained more and more until he became very wealthy and distinguished;

14 f or he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

He owned flocks, herds, and a great supply of servants, and the Philistines envied him.

15 N ow the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.

Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had closed and filled with earth.

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

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

17 T hen Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

So Isaac went away from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 A nd Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

And Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names by which his father had called them.

19 A lso Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.

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

20 B ut the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him.

And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, The water is ours. And he named the well Esek because they quarreled with him.

21 T hen they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah.

Then dug another well, and they quarreled over that also; so he named it Sitnah.

22 A nd he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

And he moved away from there and dug another well, and for that one they did not quarrel. He named it Rehoboth, saying, For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23 T hen he went up from there to Beersheba.

Now he went up from there to Beersheba.

24 A nd the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will favor you with blessings and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.

25 S o he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

And built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants were digging a well.

26 T hen Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army.

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzah, one of his friends, and Phicol, his army’s commander.

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

And Isaac said to them, Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?

28 B ut they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you,

They said, We saw that the Lord was certainly with you; so we said, Let there be now an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you

29 t hat you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’”

That you will do us no harm, inasmuch as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed or favored of the Lord!

30 S o he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

And he made them a dinner, and they ate and drank.

31 T hen they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

And they rose up early in the morning and took oaths with one another; and Isaac sent them on their way and they departed from him in peace.

32 I t came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”

That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug, saying, We have found water!

33 S o he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

And he named Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 W hen Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

Now Esau was 40 years old when he took as wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35 A nd they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

And they made life bitter and a grief of mind and spirit for Isaac and Rebekah.