Genesis 26
Complete Jewish Bible
26 A famine came over the land, not the same as the first famine, which had taken place when Avraham was alive. Yitz’chak went to G’rar, to Avimelekh king of the P’lishtim. 2 Adonai appeared to him and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt, but live where I tell you. 3 Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, because I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants. I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Avraham your father — 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, I will give all these lands to your descendants, and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless themselves. 5 All this is because Avraham heeded what I said and did what I told him to do — he followed my mitzvot, my regulations and my teachings.”
(ii) 6 So Yitz’chak settled in G’rar. 7 The men of the place asked him about his wife, and out of fear he said, “She is my sister.” He thought, “If I tell them she’s my wife, they might kill me in order to take Rivkah. After all, she is a beautiful woman.” 8 But one day, after he had lived there a long time, Avimelekh king of the P’lishtim happened to be looking out of a window when he spotted Yitz’chak caressing Rivkah his wife. 9 Avimelekh summoned Yitz’chak and said, “So she is your wife, after all! How come you said, ‘She is my sister’?” Yitz’chak responded, “Because I thought, ‘I could get killed because of her.’” 10 Avimelekh said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 11 Then Avimelekh warned all the people: “Whoever touches this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.”
12 Yitz’chak planted crops in that land and reaped that year a hundred times as much as he had sowed. Adonai had blessed him.
(iii) 13 The man became rich and prospered more and more, until he had become very wealthy indeed. 14 He had flocks, cattle and a large household; and the P’lishtim envied him. 15 Now the P’lishtim had stopped up and filled with dirt all the wells his father’s servants had dug during the lifetime of Avraham his father. 16 Avimelekh said to Yitz’chak, “You must go away from us, because you have become much more powerful than we are.” 17 So Yitz’chak left, set up camp in Vadi G’rar and lived there. 18 Yitz’chak reopened the wells which had been dug during the lifetime of Avraham his father, the ones the P’lishtim had stopped up after Avraham died, and called them by the names his father had used for them. 19 Yitz’chak’s servants dug in the vadi and uncovered a spring of running water. 20 But the herdsmen of G’rar quarreled with Yitz’chak’s herdsmen, claiming, “That water is ours!” So he called the well ‘Esek [quarrel], because they quarreled with him. 21 They dug another well and quarreled over that one too. So he called it Sitnah [enmity]. 22 He went away from there and dug another well, and over that one they didn’t quarrel. So he called it Rechovot [wide open spaces] and said, “Because now Adonai has made room for us, and we will be productive in the land.”
(iv) 23 From there Yitz’chak went up to Be’er-Sheva. 24 Adonai appeared to him that same night and said, “I am the God of Avraham your father. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you; I will bless you and increase your descendants for the sake of my servant Avraham.” 25 There he built an altar and called on the name of Adonai. He pitched his tent there, and there Yitz’chak’s servants dug a well.
26 Then Avimelekh went to him from G’rar with his friend Achuzat and Pikhol the commander of his army. 27 Yitz’chak said to them, “Why have you come to me, even though you were unfriendly to me and sent me away?” 28 They answered, “We saw very clearly that Adonai has been with you; so we said, ‘Let there be an oath between us: let’s make a pact between ourselves and you 29 that you will not harm us, just as we have not caused you offense but have done you nothing but good and sent you on your way in peace. Now you are blessed by Adonai.’”
(v) 30 Yitz’chak prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank. 31 The next morning, they got up early and swore to each other. Then Yitz’chak sent them on their way, and they left him peacefully. 32 That very day Yitz’chak’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shiv‘ah [oath, seven], and for this reason the name of the city is Be’er-Sheva [well of seven, well of an oath] to this day.
34 When ‘Esav was forty years old, he took as wives Y’hudit the daughter of Be’eri the Hitti and Basmat the daughter of Elon the Hitti. 35 But they became a cause for embitterment of spirit to Yitz’chak and Rivkah.
Bereshis 26
Orthodox Jewish Bible
26 And there was a ra’av (famine) in ha’aretz, besides the ra’av harishon that was in the days of Avraham. And Yitzchak went unto Avimelech Melech Pelishtim (Philistines) unto Gerar.
2 And Hashem appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Mitzrayim; dwell in ha’aretz which I shall tell thee of;
3 Sojourn in ha’aretz hazot, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy zera, I will give all these lands, and I will perform the shevu’ah (oath) which I swore unto Avraham avichah;
4 And I will make thy zera to multiply as the kokhavim of Shomayim, and will give unto thy zera all these lands; and in thy zera shall kol Goyei Ha’Aretz be blessed;
5 Because Avraham obeyed My voice, and was shomer over My mishmeret (charge), My mitzvot, My chukkot, and My torot.
6 And Yitzchak dwelt in Gerar;
7 And the anshei hamakom asked him about his isha; and he said, She is my achot; for he feared to say, She is my isha; lest, said he, the anshei hamakom should kill me for Rivkah; because she was beautiful to look upon.
8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Avimelech Melech Pelishtim (Philistines) looked out at a chalon, and saw, and, hinei, Yitzchak metzachek (was caressing) Rivkah his isha.
9 And Avimelech called Yitzchak, and said, Hinei, of a surety she is thy isha; and why saidst thou, She is my achot? And Yitzchak said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die because of her.
10 And Avimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have slept with thy isha, and thou shouldest have brought asham (guilt) upon us.
11 And Avimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his isha shall surely be put to death.
12 Then Yitzchak sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and Hashem blessed him.
13 And the man became very prosperous, and went forward, and grew until he became gadol me’od:
14 For he had possession of tzon, and possession of herds, and many avadim; and the Pelishtim envied him.
15 For all the wells which avdei aviv had dug in the days of Avraham aviv, the Pelishtim had stopped them up, and filled them with dirt.
16 And Avimelech said unto Yitzchak, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17 And Yitzchak departed from there, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 And Yitzchak dug again the be’erot hamayim (wells of water), which they had dug in the days of Avraham aviv; for the Pelishtim had stopped them up after the mot Avraham; and he called their shemot after the shemot by which his av had called them.
19 And avdei Yitzchak dug in the valley, and found there a well of mayim chayyim.
20 And the herdmen of Gerar did quarrel with Yitzchak’s herdmen, saying, The mayim is ours; and he called the shem of the well Esek (Contention); because they disputed with him.
21 And they dug another be’er, and feuded over that also; and he called the shem of it Sitnah (Enmity).
22 And he moved away from there, and dug another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the shem of it Rechovot (Broad Places); and he said, For now Hashem hath made rachav (room) for us, and we shall be fruitful in ha’aretz.
23 And he went up from there to Beer-Sheva.
24 And Hashem appeared unto him balailah hahu, and said, I am Elohei Avraham avichah; fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy zera for the sake of Avdi Avraham (My Servant Abraham).
25 And he built a Mizbe’ach there, and called upon the Shem of Hashem, and pitched his ohel there: and there avdei Yitzchak dug a well.
26 Then Avimelech went to him from Gerar, and Achuzzat his adviser, and Phichol the sar tz’va of his.
27 And Yitzchak said unto them, Why come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28 And they said, We saw certainly that Hashem was with thee; and we said, Let there be now an oath between us, even between us and thee, and let us cut a brit (covenant) with thee;
29 That thou wilt do us no ra’ah, just as we have not touched thee, and just as we have done unto thee nothing but tov, and have sent thee away in shalom; thou art now the Beruch Hashem (the blessed of Hashem).
30 And he made them a mishteh (feast), and they did eat and drink.
31 And they rose up early in the boker, and swore one to another: and Yitzchak sent them away, and they departed from him in shalom.
32 And it came to pass the same day, that the avdei Yitzchak came, and told him concerning the be’er which they had dug, and said unto him, We have found mayim.
33 And he called it Shevah (Seven, Oath): therefore the shem of the Ir is Beer-Sheva unto this day.
34 And Esav was arba’im shanah when he took to wife Yehudit the bat Beeri the Chitti, and Basemat the bat Elon the Chitti:
35 and they were a morat ruach (grief of mind) unto Yitzchak and Rivkah.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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