Genesis 26

1 There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

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;

2 The LORD appeared to him, and said, “Do not go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.

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:

3 Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

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;

4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed,

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:

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

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

6 Isaac lived in Gerar.

So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

7 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.”

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.

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

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.

9 Abimelech called Isaac, and said, “Behold, surely she is your wife. Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die because of her.’”

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.

10 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 on us!”

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.

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

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

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

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

13 The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great.

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

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

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

15 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.

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.

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

And Abimelech said unto Isaac, —Get thee from us, for thou hast become far mightier than we.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

22 He left that place, and dug another well. They did not argue over that one. So he called it Rehoboth. He said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

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.

23 He went up from there to Beersheba.

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

24 The LORD 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 offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

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.

25 He built an altar there, and called on the LORD’s name, and pitched his tent there. There Isaac’s servants dug a well.

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.

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

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

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

And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore have ye come in mite me, seeing that, ye, hated me, and sent me away from you?

28 They said, “We saw plainly that the LORD was with you. We said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let’s make a covenant with you,

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: —

29 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 the LORD.”

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!

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

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

31 They rose up some time in the morning, and swore an oath to one another. Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

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.

32 The same day, Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”

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!

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

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

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

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

35 They grieved Isaac’s and Rebekah’s spirits.

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