以撒寄居基拉耳

26 亚伯拉罕在世的时候,那地方闹过一次饥荒,这时又闹饥荒。以撒就迁到基拉耳的非利士王亚比米勒那里。 耶和华向以撒显现说:“不要下埃及去,要住在我指示你住的地方。 你寄居在这里,我必与你同在,赐福给你,因为我必把这些土地赐给你和你的后代,坚立我对你父亲亚伯拉罕的誓约。 我必使你的后代多如繁星,将这些土地都赐给他们,天下万国必因你的后裔而蒙福。 因为亚伯拉罕听从我的话,遵守我的吩咐、命令、典章和律法。”

亚比米勒斥责以撒

于是,以撒就在基拉耳住下来。 那里的人问起他的妻子时,他便说:“她是我妹妹。”他不敢说:“她是我妻子。”他担心当地的人会因为利百加而害他,因为利百加长得非常美丽。 以撒在那里住了许久。一天,非利士王亚比米勒从窗口看见以撒和利百加亲热的情形, 便召见以撒,问他:“她明明是你妻子,为什么你说她是你妹妹呢?”以撒回答说:“我担心别人为了她而杀害我!” 10 亚比米勒说:“你怎么可以这样对我们呢?万一百姓中有人想占有她,你就使我们陷入罪中了。” 11 于是,亚比米勒下令全国:凡伤害他们二人的,必被处死。

12 以撒在那里耕种,耶和华赐福给他,那一年他得了百倍的收成。 13 他的财富越来越多,成了大富户。 14 他拥有很多的牛羊和仆婢,非利士人嫉妒他。 15 他父亲亚伯拉罕生前派人挖的那些水井,全被非利士人用土塞住了。 16 亚比米勒对以撒说:“请你离开我们吧,因为你太强盛了。” 17 以撒就离开那里,把帐篷迁往基拉耳谷居住。 18 他的父亲亚伯拉罕生前挖的水井都被非利士人塞住了,以撒便重新挖开,并沿用父亲生前给那些水井起的名字。 19 以撒的牧人在谷中挖得一口活水井, 20 基拉耳的牧人与以撒的牧人争吵起来,都说:“这口井是我们的。”于是,以撒便称那口井为埃色[a] 21 后来,以撒的仆人又挖了一口井,他们双方又为那口井发生争执,以撒便称那口井为西提拿[b] 22 以撒离开那里,又挖了一口水井。这次,他们没有为那口井争吵。所以,以撒称那口井为利河伯[c]。以撒说:“如今耶和华给了我们一个宽阔的地方,我们可以在这里繁荣兴旺。”

23 以撒从那里上别示巴去。 24 当天晚上,耶和华向他显现说:“我是你父亲亚伯拉罕的上帝。你不用惧怕,因为我与你同在。为了我仆人亚伯拉罕的缘故,我必赐福给你,使你子孙众多。” 25 以撒在那里筑了一座坛求告耶和华,并且在那里搭起帐篷住下来。他的仆人又在那里挖了一口井。

以撒和亚比米勒起誓立约

26 一天,亚比米勒带着他的参谋亚户撒、将领非各从基拉耳来见以撒。 27 以撒见到他们就说:“你们既然憎恨我,把我赶走,为什么又来找我?” 28 他们回答说:“我们清楚知道耶和华与你同在,我们双方应该订立誓约。 29 请你起誓保证不会伤害我们,就像我们没有侵犯你,总是善待你,让你平安地离开一样。你是蒙耶和华赐福的人。” 30 于是,以撒为他们摆设宴席,一同吃喝。 31 第二天早晨,以撒和他们互相起誓之后,送他们平安地离去。 32 在同一天,以撒的仆人将挖井的事告诉他,说:“我们找到水了。” 33 以撒便称那口井为示巴[d],因此那城叫别示巴,沿用至今。

以扫娶妻

34 以扫四十岁时,娶了赫人比利的女儿犹蒂与赫人以伦的女儿巴实抹。 35 她们二人常使以撒和利百加伤心。

Footnotes

  1. 26:20 埃色”意思是“相争”。
  2. 26:21 西提拿”意思是“敌对”。
  3. 26:22 利河伯”意思是“宽阔之地”。
  4. 26:33 示巴”意思是“誓约”。

26 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

10 And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

11 And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.

26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

28 And they said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord.

30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

33 And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

God's Promise to Isaac

26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides (A)the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to (B)Abimelech king of the (C)Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell (D)in the land of which I shall tell you. (E)Sojourn in this land, and (F)I will be with you and will bless you, for (G)to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish (H)the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. (I)I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And (J)in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because (K)Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Isaac and Abimelech

So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, (L)he said, “She is my sister,” for (M)he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because (N)she was attractive in appearance. When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with[a] Rebekah his wife. So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and (O)you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord (P)blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines (Q)envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells (R)that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And (S)he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (T)quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek,[b] because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.[c] 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth,[d] saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, (U)“I am the God of Abraham your father. (V)Fear not, for (W)I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 So he (X)built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and (Y)Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and (Z)have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. (AA)You are now the blessed of the Lord.” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and (AB)exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah;[e] therefore the name of the city is (AC)Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took (AD)Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and (AE)they made life bitter[f] for Isaac and Rebekah.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 26:8 Hebrew may suggest an intimate relationship
  2. Genesis 26:20 Esek means contention
  3. Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means enmity
  4. Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means broad places, or room
  5. Genesis 26:33 Shibah sounds like the Hebrew for oath
  6. Genesis 26:35 Hebrew they were bitterness of spirit