Genesis 26
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1A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.1There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham's time. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
2The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you.2The LORD appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about;
3Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father.3stay in this land as an alien, 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.
4I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.4I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,
5I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”5because Abraham listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands, my statutes, and my instructions."
6So Isaac stayed in Gerar.6So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.”7When 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 will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is a beautiful woman."
8But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.8When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
9Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” “Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.9Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, "So she is really your wife! How could you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might die on account of her."
10“How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”10Then Abimelech said, "What is this you've done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us."
11Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death!” Conflict over Water Rights11So Abimelech warned all the people, "Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly be put to death."
12When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him.12Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in that year he reaped a hundred times what was sown. The LORD blessed him,
13He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow.13and the man became rich and kept getting richer until he was very wealthy.
14He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him.14He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him.
15So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.15Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt.
16Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the country. “Go somewhere else,” he said, “for you have become too powerful for us.”16And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave us, for you are much too powerful for us."
17So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up their tents and settled down.17So Isaac left there, camped in the Gerar Valley, and lived there.
18He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham’s death. Isaac also restored the names Abraham had given them.18Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and that the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. He gave them the same names his father had given them.
19Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water.19Then Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found a well of spring water there.
20But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”).20But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek because they argued with him.
21Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”).21Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also, so he named it Sitnah.
22Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”), for he said, “At last the LORD has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”22He moved from there and dug another, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, "For now the LORD has made space for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."
23From there Isaac moved to Beersheba,23From there he went up to Beer-sheba,
24where the LORD appeared to him on the night of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.”24and the LORD appeared to him that night 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 offspring because of my servant Abraham."
25Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD. He set up his camp at that place, and his servants dug another well. Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech25So he built an altar there, called on the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. Isaac's servants also dug a well there.
26One day King Abimelech came from Gerar with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander.26Now Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27“Why have you come here?” Isaac asked. “You obviously hate me, since you kicked me off your land.”27Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hated me and sent me away from you."
28They replied, “We can plainly see that the LORD is with you. So we want to enter into a sworn treaty with you. Let’s make a covenant.28They replied, "We have clearly seen how the LORD has been with you. We think there should be an oath between two parties--between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you:
29Swear that you will not harm us, just as we have never troubled you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the LORD has blessed you!”29You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only what was good to you, sending you away in peace. You are now blessed by the LORD."
30So Isaac prepared a covenant feast to celebrate the treaty, and they ate and drank together.30So he prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank.
31Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath not to interfere with each other. Then Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace.31They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other. Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
32That very day Isaac’s servants came and told him about a new well they had dug. “We’ve found water!” they exclaimed.32On that same day Isaac's servants came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, "We have found water!"
33So Isaac named the well Shibah (which means “oath”). And to this day the town that grew up there is called Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”).33He called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is still Beer-sheba today.
34At the age of forty, Esau married two Hittite wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon.34When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hethite.
35But Esau’s wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.35They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Genesis 25
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