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創 世 記 25-26
Chinese Union Version (Simplified)
創 世 記 25-26
Chinese Union Version (Simplified)
25 亚 伯 拉 罕 又 娶 了 一 妻 ， 名 叫 基 土 拉 。
2 基 土 拉 给 他 生 了 心 兰 、 约 珊 、 米 但 、 米 甸 、 伊 施 巴 ， 和 书 亚 。
3 约 珊 生 了 示 巴 和 底 但 。 底 但 的 子 孙 是 亚 书 利 族 、 利 都 是 族 ， 和 利 乌 米 族 。
4 米 甸 的 儿 子 是 以 法 、 以 弗 、 哈 诺 、 亚 比 大 ， 和 以 勒 大 。 这 都 是 基 土 拉 的 子 孙 。
5 亚 伯 拉 罕 将 一 切 所 有 的 都 给 了 以 撒 。
6 亚 伯 拉 罕 把 财 物 分 给 他 庶 出 的 众 子 ， 趁 着 自 己 还 在 世 的 时 候 打 发 他 们 离 开 他 的 儿 子 以 撒 ， 往 东 方 去 。
7 亚 伯 拉 罕 一 生 的 年 日 是 一 百 七 十 五 岁 。
8 亚 伯 拉 罕 寿 高 年 迈 ， 气 绝 而 死 ， 归 到 他 列 祖 ( 原 文 作 本 民 ) 那 里 。
9 他 两 个 儿 子 以 撒 、 以 实 玛 利 把 他 埋 葬 在 麦 比 拉 洞 里 。 这 洞 在 幔 利 前 、 赫 人 琐 辖 的 儿 子 以 弗 仑 的 田 中 ，
10 就 是 亚 伯 拉 罕 向 赫 人 买 的 那 块 田 。 亚 伯 拉 罕 和 他 妻 子 撒 拉 都 葬 在 那 里 。
11 亚 伯 拉 罕 死 了 以 後 ， 神 赐 福 给 他 的 儿 子 以 撒 。 以 撒 靠 近 庇 耳 拉 海 莱 居 住 。
12 撒 拉 的 使 女 埃 及 人 夏 甲 给 亚 伯 拉 罕 所 生 的 儿 子 是 以 实 玛 利 。
13 以 实 玛 利 儿 子 们 的 名 字 ， 按 着 他 们 的 家 谱 记 在 下 面 。 以 实 玛 利 的 长 子 是 尼 拜 约 ， 又 有 基 达 、 亚 德 别 、 米 比 衫 、
14 米 施 玛 、 度 玛 、 玛 撒 、
15 哈 大 、 提 玛 、 伊 突 、 拿 非 施 、 基 底 玛 。
16 这 是 以 实 玛 利 众 子 的 名 字 ， 照 着 他 们 的 村 庄 、 营 寨 ， 作 了 十 二 族 的 族 长 。
17 以 实 玛 利 享 寿 一 百 三 十 七 岁 ， 气 绝 而 死 ， 归 到 他 列 祖 ( 原 文 作 本 民 ) 那 里 。
18 他 子 孙 的 住 处 在 他 众 弟 兄 东 边 ， 从 哈 腓 拉 直 到 埃 及 前 的 书 珥 ， 正 在 亚 述 的 道 上 。
19 亚 伯 拉 罕 的 儿 子 以 撒 的 後 代 记 在 下 面 。 亚 伯 拉 罕 生 以 撒 。
20 以 撒 娶 利 百 加 为 妻 的 时 候 正 四 十 岁 。 利 百 加 是 巴 旦 亚 兰 地 的 亚 兰 人 彼 土 利 的 女 儿 ， 是 亚 兰 人 拉 班 的 妹 子 。
21 以 撒 因 他 妻 子 不 生 育 ， 就 为 他 祈 求 耶 和 华 ； 耶 和 华 应 允 他 的 祈 求 ， 他 的 妻 子 利 百 加 就 怀 了 孕 。
22 孩 子 们 在 他 腹 中 彼 此 相 争 ， 他 就 说 ： 若 是 这 样 ， 我 为 甚 麽 活 着 呢 ( 或 作 我 为 甚 麽 如 此 呢 ) ？ 他 就 去 求 问 耶 和 华 。
23 耶 和 华 对 他 说 ： 两 国 在 你 腹 内 ； 两 族 要 从 你 身 上 出 来 。 这 族 必 强 於 那 族 ； 将 来 大 的 要 服 事 小 的 。
24 生 产 的 日 子 到 了 ， 腹 中 果 然 是 双 子 。
25 先 产 的 身 体 发 红 ， 浑 身 有 毛 ， 如 同 皮 衣 ， 他 们 就 给 他 起 名 叫 以 扫 ( 就 是 有 毛 的 意 思 ) 。
26 随 後 又 生 了 以 扫 的 兄 弟 ， 手 抓 住 以 扫 的 脚 跟 ， 因 此 给 他 起 名 叫 雅 各 ( 就 是 抓 住 的 意 思 ) 。 利 百 加 生 下 两 个 儿 子 的 时 候 ， 以 撒 年 正 六 十 岁 。
27 两 个 孩 子 渐 渐 长 大 ， 以 扫 善 於 打 猎 ， 常 在 田 野 ； 雅 各 为 人 安 静 ， 常 住 在 帐 棚 里 。
28 以 撒 爱 以 扫 ， 因 为 常 吃 他 的 野 味 ； 利 百 加 却 爱 雅 各 。
29 有 一 天 ， 雅 各 熬 汤 ， 以 扫 从 田 野 回 来 累 昏 了 。
30 以 扫 对 雅 各 说 ： 我 累 昏 了 ， 求 你 把 这 红 汤 给 我 喝 。 因 此 以 扫 又 叫 以 东 ( 就 是 红 的 意 思 ) 。
31 雅 各 说 ： 你 今 日 把 长 子 的 名 分 卖 给 我 罢 。
32 以 扫 说 ： 我 将 要 死 ， 这 长 子 的 名 分 於 我 有 甚 麽 益 处 呢 ？
33 雅 各 说 ： 你 今 日 对 我 起 誓 罢 。 以 扫 就 对 他 起 了 誓 ， 把 长 子 的 名 分 卖 给 雅 各 。
34 於 是 雅 各 将 饼 和 红 豆 汤 给 了 以 扫 ， 以 扫 吃 了 喝 了 ， 便 起 来 走 了 。 这 就 是 以 扫 轻 看 了 他 长 子 的 名 分 。
26 在 亚 伯 拉 罕 的 日 子 ， 那 地 有 一 次 饥 荒 ； 这 时 又 有 饥 荒 ， 以 撒 就 往 基 拉 耳 去 ， 到 非 利 士 人 的 王 亚 比 米 勒 那 里 。
2 耶 和 华 向 以 撒 显 现 ， 说 ： 你 不 要 下 去 ， 要 住 在 我 所 指 示 你 的 地 。
3 你 寄 居 在 这 地 ， 我 必 与 你 同 在 ， 赐 福 给 你 ， 因 为 我 要 将 这 些 地 都 赐 给 你 和 你 的 後 裔 。 我 必 坚 定 我 向 你 父 亚 伯 拉 罕 所 起 的 誓 。
4 我 要 加 增 你 的 後 裔 ， 像 天 上 的 星 那 样 多 ， 又 要 将 这 些 地 都 赐 给 你 的 後 裔 。 并 且 地 上 万 国 必 因 你 的 後 裔 得 福 ─
5 都 因 亚 伯 拉 罕 听 从 我 的 话 ， 遵 守 我 的 吩 咐 和 我 的 命 令 、 律 例 、 法 度 。
6 以 撒 就 住 在 基 拉 耳 。
7 那 地 方 的 人 问 到 他 的 妻 子 ， 他 便 说 ： 那 是 我 的 妹 子 。 原 来 他 怕 说 ： 是 我 的 妻 子 ； 他 心 里 想 ： 恐 怕 这 地 方 的 人 为 利 百 加 的 缘 故 杀 我 ， 因 为 他 容 貌 俊 美 。
8 他 在 那 里 住 了 许 久 。 有 一 天 ， 非 利 士 人 的 王 亚 比 米 勒 从 窗 户 里 往 外 观 看 ， 见 以 撒 和 他 的 妻 子 利 百 加 戏 玩 。
9 亚 比 米 勒 召 了 以 撒 来 ， 对 他 说 ： 他 实 在 是 你 的 妻 子 ， 你 怎 麽 说 他 是 你 的 妹 子 ？ 以 撒 说 ： 我 心 里 想 ， 恐 怕 我 因 他 而 死 。
10 亚 比 米 勒 说 ： 你 向 我 们 做 的 是 甚 麽 事 呢 ？ 民 中 险 些 有 人 和 你 的 妻 同 寝 ， 把 我 们 陷 在 罪 里 。
11 於 是 亚 比 米 勒 晓 谕 众 民 说 ： 凡 沾 着 这 个 人 ， 或 是 他 妻 子 的 ， 定 要 把 他 治 死 。
12 以 撒 在 那 地 耕 种 ， 那 一 年 有 百 倍 的 收 成 。 耶 和 华 赐 福 给 他 ，
13 他 就 昌 大 ， 日 增 月 盛 ， 成 了 大 富 户 。
14 他 有 羊 群 牛 群 ， 又 有 许 多 仆 人 ， 非 利 士 人 就 嫉 妒 他 。
15 当 他 父 亲 亚 伯 拉 罕 在 世 的 日 子 ， 他 父 亲 的 仆 人 所 挖 的 井 ， 非 利 士 人 全 都 塞 住 ， 填 满 了 土 。
16 亚 比 米 勒 对 以 撒 说 ： 你 离 开 我 们 去 罢 。 因 为 你 比 我 们 强 盛 得 多 。
17 以 撒 就 离 开 那 里 ， 在 基 拉 耳 谷 支 搭 帐 棚 ， 住 在 那 里 。
18 当 他 父 亲 亚 伯 拉 罕 在 世 之 日 所 挖 的 水 井 因 非 利 士 人 在 亚 伯 拉 罕 死 後 塞 住 了 ， 以 撒 就 重 新 挖 出 来 ， 仍 照 他 父 亲 所 叫 的 叫 那 些 井 的 名 字 。
19 以 撒 的 仆 人 在 谷 中 挖 井 ， 便 得 了 一 口 活 水 井 。
20 基 拉 耳 的 牧 人 与 以 撒 的 牧 人 争 竞 ， 说 ： 这 水 是 我 们 的 。 以 撒 就 给 那 井 起 名 叫 埃 色 ( 就 是 相 争 的 意 思 ) ， 因 为 他 们 和 他 相 争 。
21 以 撒 的 仆 人 又 挖 了 一 口 井 ， 他 们 又 为 这 井 争 竞 ， 因 此 以 撒 给 这 井 起 名 叫 西 提 拿 ( 就 是 为 敌 的 意 思 ) 。
22 以 撒 离 开 那 里 ， 又 挖 了 一 口 井 ， 他 们 不 为 这 井 争 竞 了 ， 他 就 给 那 井 起 名 叫 利 河 伯 ( 就 是 宽 阔 的 意 思 ) 。 他 说 ： 耶 和 华 现 在 给 我 们 宽 阔 之 地 ， 我 们 必 在 这 地 昌 盛 。
23 以 撒 从 那 里 上 别 是 巴 去 。
24 当 夜 耶 和 华 向 他 显 现 ， 说 ： 我 是 你 父 亲 亚 伯 拉 罕 的 神 ， 不 要 惧 怕 ！ 因 为 我 与 你 同 在 ， 要 赐 福 给 你 ， 并 要 为 我 仆 人 亚 伯 拉 罕 的 缘 故 ， 使 你 的 後 裔 繁 多 。
25 以 撒 就 在 那 里 筑 了 一 座 坛 ， 求 告 耶 和 华 的 名 ， 并 且 支 搭 帐 棚 ； 他 的 仆 人 便 在 那 里 挖 了 一 口 井 。
26 亚 比 米 勒 ， 同 他 的 朋 友 亚 户 撒 和 他 的 军 长 非 各 ， 从 基 拉 耳 来 见 以 撒 。
27 以 撒 对 他 们 说 ： 你 们 既 然 恨 我 ， 打 发 我 走 了 ， 为 甚 麽 到 我 这 里 来 呢 ？
28 他 们 说 ： 我 们 明 明 的 看 见 耶 和 华 与 你 同 在 ， 便 说 ， 不 如 我 们 两 下 彼 此 起 誓 ， 彼 此 立 约 ，
29 使 你 不 害 我 们 ， 正 如 我 们 未 曾 害 你 ， 一 味 的 厚 待 你 ， 并 且 打 发 你 平 平 安 安 的 走 。 你 是 蒙 耶 和 华 赐 福 的 了 。
30 以 撒 就 为 他 们 设 摆 筵 席 ， 他 们 便 吃 了 喝 了 。
31 他 们 清 早 起 来 彼 此 起 誓 。 以 撒 打 发 他 们 走 ， 他 们 就 平 平 安 安 的 离 开 他 走 了 。
32 那 一 天 ， 以 撒 的 仆 人 来 ， 将 挖 井 的 事 告 诉 他 说 ： 我 们 得 了 水 了 。
33 他 就 给 那 井 起 名 叫 示 巴 ； 因 此 那 城 叫 做 别 是 巴 ， 直 到 今 日 。
34 以 扫 四 十 岁 的 时 候 娶 了 赫 人 比 利 的 女 儿 犹 滴 ， 与 赫 人 以 伦 的 女 儿 巴 实 抹 为 妻 。
35 他 们 常 使 以 撒 和 利 百 加 心 里 愁 烦 。
Genesis 25-26
New International Version
Genesis 25-26
New International Version
The Death of Abraham(A)
25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran,(B) Jokshan, Medan, Midian,(C) Ishbak and Shuah.(D) 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba(E) and Dedan;(F) the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah,(G) Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.(H) 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines(I) and sent them away from his son Isaac(J) to the land of the east.(K)
7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years.(L) 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age,(M) an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.(N) 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him(O) in the cave of Machpelah(P) near Mamre,(Q) in the field of Ephron(R) son of Zohar the Hittite,(S) 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[a](T) There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac,(U) who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.(V)
Ishmael’s Sons(W)
12 This is the account(X) of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar(Y) the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.(Z)
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth(AA) the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar,(AB) Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah,(AC) Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema,(AD) Jetur,(AE) Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers(AF) according to their settlements and camps.(AG) 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.(AH) 18 His descendants(AI) settled in the area from Havilah to Shur,(AJ) near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[b] all the tribes related to them.(AK)
Jacob and Esau
19 This is the account(AL) of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.
Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old(AM) when he married Rebekah(AN) daughter of Bethuel(AO) the Aramean from Paddan Aram[c](AP) and sister of Laban(AQ) the Aramean.(AR)
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.(AS) The Lord answered his prayer,(AT) and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.(AU)
23 The Lord said to her,
“Two nations(AV) are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.(AW)”
24 When the time came for her to give birth,(AX) there were twin boys in her womb.(AY) 25 The first to come out was red,(AZ) and his whole body was like a hairy garment;(BA) so they named him Esau.[d](BB) 26 After this, his brother came out,(BC) with his hand grasping Esau’s heel;(BD) so he was named Jacob.[e](BE) Isaac was sixty years old(BF) when Rebekah gave birth to them.
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter,(BG) a man of the open country,(BH) while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,(BI) loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.(BJ)
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew,(BK) Esau came in from the open country,(BL) famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!(BM) I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[f])(BN)
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.(BO)”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear(BP) to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright(BQ) to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.(BR) He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
Isaac and Abimelek(BS)
26 Now there was a famine in the land(BT)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines(BU) in Gerar.(BV) 2 The Lord appeared(BW) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;(BX) live in the land where I tell you to live.(BY) 3 Stay in this land for a while,(BZ) and I will be with you(CA) and will bless you.(CB) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands(CC) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.(CD) 4 I will make your descendants(CE) as numerous as the stars in the sky(CF) and will give them all these lands,(CG) and through your offspring[g] all nations on earth will be blessed,[h](CH) 5 because Abraham obeyed me(CI) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees(CJ) and my instructions.(CK)” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.(CL)
7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,(CM)” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines(CN) looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?(CO)”
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”
10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us?(CP) One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”
11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms(CQ) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”(CR)
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,(CS) because the Lord blessed him.(CT) 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.(CU) 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants(CV) that the Philistines envied him.(CW) 15 So all the wells(CX) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,(CY) filling them with earth.
16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;(CZ) you have become too powerful for us.(DA)”
17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,(DB) where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells(DC) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled(DD) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”(DE) So he named the well Esek,[i] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled(DF) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[j] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[k](DG) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room(DH) and we will flourish(DI) in the land.”
23 From there he went up to Beersheba.(DJ) 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(DK) Do not be afraid,(DL) for I am with you;(DM) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants(DN) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”(DO)
25 Isaac built an altar(DP) there and called on the name of the Lord.(DQ) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.(DR)
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.(DS) 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?(DT)”
28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;(DU) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty(DV) with you 29 that you will do us no harm,(DW) 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.”(DX)
30 Isaac then made a feast(DY) for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath(DZ) 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(EA) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[l] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[m](EB)
Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing
34 When Esau was forty years old,(EC) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.(ED) 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.(EE)
Footnotes
- Genesis 25:10 Or the descendants of Heth
- Genesis 25:18 Or lived to the east of
- Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
- Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
- Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.
- Genesis 26:4 Or seed
- Genesis 26:4 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 26:20 Esek means dispute.
- Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means opposition.
- Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means room.
- Genesis 26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.
- Genesis 26:33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
Genesis 25-26
Good News Translation
Genesis 25-26
Good News Translation
Other Descendants of Abraham(A)
25 Abraham married another woman, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan, and the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were Keturah's descendants.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac; 6 but while he was still alive, he gave presents to the sons his other wives had borne him. Then he sent these sons to the land of the East, away from his son Isaac.
The Death and Burial of Abraham
7-8 Abraham died at the ripe old age of 175. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in Machpelah Cave, in the field east of Mamre that had belonged to Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10 (B)It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; both Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there. 11 After the death of Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”
The Descendants of Ishmael(C)
12 Ishmael, whom Hagar, the Egyptian slave of Sarah, bore to Abraham, 13 had the following sons, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 They were the ancestors of twelve tribes, and their names were given to their villages and camping places. 17 Ishmael was 137 years old when he died. 18 The descendants of Ishmael lived in the territory between Havilah and Shur, to the east of Egypt on the way to Assyria. They lived apart from the other descendants of Abraham.
The Birth of Esau and Jacob
19 This is the story of Abraham's son Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel (an Aramean from Mesopotamia) and sister of Laban. 21 Because Rebecca had no children, Isaac prayed to the Lord for her. The Lord answered his prayer, and Rebecca became pregnant. 22 She was going to have twins, and before they were born, they struggled against each other in her womb. She said, “Why should something like this happen to me?” So she went to ask the Lord for an answer.
23 (D)The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are within you;
You will give birth to two rival peoples.
One will be stronger than the other;
The older will serve the younger.”
24 The time came for her to give birth, and she had twin sons. 25 The first one was reddish, and his skin was like a hairy robe, so he was named Esau.[a] 26 The second one was born holding on tightly to the heel of Esau, so he was named Jacob.[b] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man who loved the outdoors, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. 28 Isaac preferred Esau, because he enjoyed eating the animals Esau killed, but Rebecca preferred Jacob.
29 One day while Jacob was cooking some bean soup, Esau came in from hunting. He was hungry 30 and said to Jacob, “I'm starving; give me some of that red stuff.” (That is why he was named Edom.[c])
31 Jacob answered, “I will give it to you if you give me your rights as the first-born son.”
32 Esau said, “All right! I am about to die; what good will my rights do me?”
33 (E)Jacob answered, “First make a vow that you will give me your rights.”
Esau made the vow and gave his rights to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave him some bread and some of the soup. He ate and drank and then got up and left. That was all Esau cared about his rights as the first-born son.
Isaac Lives at Gerar
26 There was another famine in the land besides the earlier one during the time of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar. 2 The Lord had appeared to Isaac and had said, “Do not go to Egypt; stay in this land, where I tell you to stay. 3 (F)Live here, and I will be with you and bless you. I am going to give all this territory to you and to your descendants. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham. 4 I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give them all this territory. All the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed your descendants. 5 I will bless you, because Abraham obeyed me and kept all my laws and commands.”
6 So Isaac lived at Gerar. 7 (G)When the men there asked about his wife, he said that she was his sister. He would not admit that she was his wife, because he was afraid that the men there would kill him to get Rebecca, who was very beautiful. 8 When Isaac had been there for some time, King Abimelech looked down from his window and saw Isaac and Rebecca making love. 9 Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?”
He answered, “I thought I would be killed if I said she was my wife.”
10 “What have you done to us?” Abimelech said. “One of my men might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have been responsible for our guilt.” 11 Abimelech warned all the people: “Anyone who mistreats this man or his wife will be put to death.”
12 Isaac sowed crops in that land, and that year he harvested a hundred times as much as he had sown, because the Lord blessed him. 13 He continued to prosper and became a very rich man. 14 Because he had many herds of sheep and cattle and many servants, the Philistines were jealous of him. 15 So they filled in all the wells which the servants of his father Abraham had dug while Abraham was alive.
16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave our country. You have become more powerful than we are.” 17 So Isaac left and set up his camp in Gerar Valley, where he stayed for some time. 18 He dug once again the wells which had been dug during the time of Abraham and which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham's death. Isaac gave the wells the same names that his father had given them.
19 Isaac's servants dug a well in the valley and found water. 20 The shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's shepherds and said, “This water belongs to us.” So Isaac named the well “Quarrel.”
21 Isaac's servants dug another well, and there was a quarrel about that one also, so he named it “Enmity.” 22 He moved away from there and dug another well. There was no dispute about this one, so he named it “Freedom.” He said, “Now the Lord has given us freedom to live in the land, and we will be prosperous here.”
23 Isaac left and went to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid; I am with you. I will bless you and give you many descendants because of my promise to my servant Abraham.” 25 Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. Then he set up his camp there, and his servants dug another well.
The Agreement between Isaac and Abimelech
26 (H)Abimelech came from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army to see Isaac. 27 So Isaac asked, “Why have you now come to see me, when you were so unfriendly to me before and made me leave your country?”
28 They answered, “Now we know that the Lord is with you, and we think that there should be a solemn agreement between us. We want you to promise 29 that you will not harm us, just as we did not harm you. We were kind to you and let you go peacefully. Now it is clear that the Lord has blessed you.” 30 Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early next morning each man made his promise and sealed it with a vow. Isaac said good-bye to them, and they parted as friends.
32 On that day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug. They said, “We have found water.” 33 He named the well “Vow.” That is how the city of Beersheba[d] got its name.
Esau's Foreign Wives
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married two Hittites, Judith the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath the daughter of Elon. 35 They made life miserable for Isaac and Rebecca.
Footnotes
- Genesis 25:25 This name is taken to refer to Seir, the territory later inhabited by Esau's descendants; Seir sounds like the Hebrew for “hairy.”
- Genesis 25:26 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “heel.”
- Genesis 25:30 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “red.”
- Genesis 26:33 This name in Hebrew means “Well of the Vow” or “Well of Seven” (see also 21.31).
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.