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.

There 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.

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

Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live 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.

Dwell 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.

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.

And 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;

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

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

6 S o Isaac stayed in Gerar.

So Isaac dwelt 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.”

And 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.”

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.

Now 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.

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, “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.’”

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.”

And 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.”

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

So Abimelech charged all his 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.

Then 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.

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

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 possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

And 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.

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

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

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.

But 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.

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 that one also. So he called its name 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.”

And 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.”

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.”

And 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.”

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 on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

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 Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol 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?”

And 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,

But 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,

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, 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.’”

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

So 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.

Then 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.

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.”

It 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.”

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 Shebah. 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 took as wives 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 were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.