²³ From there he went up to Beersheba.^{(A) 24} That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.^(B) Do not be afraid,^(C) for I am with you;^(D) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants^(E) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”^(F)

²⁵ Isaac built an altar^(G) there and called on the name of the Lord.^(H) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.^(I)

²⁶ Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.^{(J) 27} Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?^(K)”

²⁸ They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;^(L) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty^(M) with you ²⁹ that you will do us no harm,^(N) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”^(O)

³⁰ Isaac then made a feast^(P) for them, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Early the next morning the men swore an oath^(Q) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

³² That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well^(R) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” ³³ He called it Shibah,^[a] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.^[b](S)