1 N ow there was another time when there was no food in the land, after the time of no food in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.

2 T he Lord showed Himself to Isaac, and said, “Do not go to Egypt. Stay in the land I will tell you about.

The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.

3 L ive in this land and I will be with you and bring good to you. For I will give all these lands to you and your children. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham.

Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and 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 your father Abraham.

4 I will make your children and all your children’s children as many as the stars of heaven. I will give these lands to them.

I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

5 F or Abraham obeyed Me. He did what I told him to do. He kept My Word and My Law.”

because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”

6 S o Isaac stayed in Gerar.

So Isaac lived in Gerar.

7 W hen the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought to himself, “The men of this place might kill me because of Rebekah, for she is beautiful.”

When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “ She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “ the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful.”

8 W hen Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of the window. And he saw Isaac loving his wife Rebekah.

It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah.

9 S o Abimelech called Isaac and said, “See, she is your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought I would die because of her.”

Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘I might die on account of her.’”

10 A bimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might have lain with your wife. And you would have brought guilt upon us.”

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 upon us.”

11 S o Abimelech told all the people, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will be put to death.”

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

12 I saac planted seeds in that land. And he gathered in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted. The Lord brought good to him.

Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him,

13 I saac became rich and kept getting richer until he became a great man.

and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy;

14 F or he had flocks and many cattle and many people working in his house. The Philistines became jealous of him.

for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.

15 T hey filled all the wells with dirt that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.

Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth.

16 T hen Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us. For you are too powerful for us.”

Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.”

17 S o Isaac left that place. He put up his tents in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.

And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. Quarrel over the Wells

18 A nd Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham. For the Philistines had closed them up after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the same names that his father had given them.

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

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

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

20 T he men who took care of the cattle of Gerar argued with the men who took care of Isaac’s cattle. They said, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac gave the well the name Esek, because they argued with him.

the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.

21 T hen his servants dug another well. And they argued about it also. So he gave it the name Sitnah.

Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah.

22 H e moved away from there and dug another well. And they did not argue about it. So he gave it the name Rehoboth. For he said, “Now the Lord has made a large place for us. We will grow much in this land.”

He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, “ At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

23 T hen he went from there to Beersheba.

Then he went up from there to Beersheba.

24 T he Lord showed Himself to Isaac that same night, and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring good to you, and add many to the number of your children and their children’s children, because of My servant Abraham.”

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 the sake of My servant Abraham.”

25 S o Isaac built an altar there. And he called upon the name of the Lord. He put up his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. Covenant with Abimelech

26 T hen Abimelech came to him from Gerar, with his friend Ahuzzath, and Phicol, the leader of his army.

Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with his adviser Ahuzzath and Phicol the commander of his army.

27 I saac said to them, “Why have you come to me when you hate me and have 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 T hey said, “It is easy for us to see that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be a promise between us, between you and us. Let us make an agreement with you,

They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,

29 t hat you will not hurt us in any way. For we have not touched you, and have done nothing to you but good. We sent you away in peace. And you now have the Lord’s favor.’”

that you will do us no harm, just 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 of the Lord.’”

30 S o Isaac made a special supper for them, and they ate and drank.

Then he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

31 T hey got up early in the morning and made promises to each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace.

In the morning they arose early and exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away and they departed from him in peace.

32 T hat same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said to him, “We have found water.”

Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”

33 S o he gave the well the name Shibah. So the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

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

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

35 A nd they made life full of sorrow for Isaac and Rebekah.

and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.