Genesis 26
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
The Promise Reaffirmed to Isaac
26 There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time.(A) And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.(B) 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about; 3 stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you.(C) For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring,(D) and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.(E) 4 I 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[a] by your offspring,(F) 5 because Abraham listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands, my statutes, and my instructions.’(G) 6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
Isaac’s Deception
7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister,’(H) for he was afraid to say ‘my wife’, thinking,(I) ‘The men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is a beautiful woman.’(J) 8 When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see[b] Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
9 Abimelech 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 Then Abimelech said, ‘What have you done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.’(K) 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, ‘Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.’
Conflicts over Wells
12 Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in that year he reaped[c] a hundred times what was sown. The Lord blessed him,(L) 13 and the man became rich and kept getting richer until he was very wealthy. 14 He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him. 15 Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham,(M) filling them with soil. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, ‘Leave us, for you are much too powerful for us.’[d]
17 So Isaac left there, camped in the Gerar Valley, and lived there. 18 Isaac 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. 19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of spring[e] water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, ‘The water is ours! ’ So he named the well Esek[f] because they argued with him.(N) 21 Then they dug another well and quarrelled over that one also, so he named it Sitnah.[g] 22 He moved from there and dug another, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth[h] and said, ‘For now the Lord has made space for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.’
The Lord Appears to Isaac
23 From there he went up to Beer-sheba, 24 and the Lord appeared to him that night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham.(O) Do not be afraid, for I am with you.(P) I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of my servant Abraham.’
25 So he built an altar there,(Q) called on the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. Isaac’s servants also dug a well there.(R)
Covenant with Abimelech
26 Now Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.(S) 27 Isaac said to them, ‘Why have you come to me? You hated me and sent me away from you.’
28 They 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: 29 you 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.’(T)
30 So he prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank. 31 They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other.[i](U) Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32 On that same day Isaac’s servants came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, ‘We have found water! ’(V) 33 He called it Sheba.[j] Therefore the name of the city is still Beer-sheba[k](W) today.
Esau’s Wives
34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hethite.(X) 35 They made life bitter[l] for Isaac and Rebekah.(Y)
Footnotes
- 26:4 Or will consider themselves blessed
- 26:8 Or and he looked and behold–
- 26:12 Lit found
- 26:16 Or are more numerous than we are
- 26:19 Lit living
- 26:20 = Argument
- 26:21 = Hostility
- 26:22 = Open Spaces
- 26:31 Lit swore, each man to his brother
- 26:33 Or Shibah
- 26:33 = Well of the Oath
- 26:35 Lit And they became bitterness of spirit
Genesis 26
Revised Geneva Translation
26 And there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Therefore, Isaac went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines, to Gerar.
2 For the LORD appeared to him, and said, “Do not go down into Egypt. Remain in the land which I shall show you.
3 “Dwell in this land; and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and to your seed I will give all these countries. And I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham, your father.
4 “Also, I will cause your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give to your seed all these countries. And in your seed shall all the nations of the Earth be blessed;
5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My Ordinance, My Commandments, My Statutes, and My Laws.”
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
7 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 because of Rebekah” (for she was beautiful to the eye).
8 So, after he had been there a long time, Abimelech, King of the Philistines, looked out a window. And lo, he saw Isaac, flirting with Rebekah, his wife.
9 Then Abimelech called Isaac, and said, “Lo, she is certainly your wife. And why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” To which Isaac answered, “Because I thought ‘It may be that I shall die for her.’”
10 Then Abimelech said, “Why have you done this to us? One of the people had almost lain with your wife. So would you have brought sin upon us.”
11 Then Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man, or his wife, shall die the death.”
12 Afterward, Isaac sowed in that land and found in the same year a hundredfold by estimation. And so, the LORD blessed him.
13 And the man grew mightily and continued to increase, until he was exceedingly great.
14 For he had flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle, and a mighty household. Therefore, the Philistines envied him,
15 insomuch that the Philistines stopped and filled with earth all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in his father Abraham’s time.
16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Get away from us. For you are a great deal mightier than we.”
17 Therefore, Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there.
18 And Isaac, returning, dug the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham, his father. For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the same names that his father had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants then dug in the valley and found there a well of living water.
20 But the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” Therefore, he called the name of the well “Esek”, because they strove with him.
21 Afterward, they dug another well, and strove for that also; and he called the name of it “Sitnah”.
22 Then he left there and dug another well for which they did not strive. Therefore, he called the name of it “Rehoboth”, and said, “Because the LORD has now made us room, we shall increase upon the Earth.”
23 So he went up from there to Beersheba.
24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night, and said, “I am the God of Abraham, your father. Do not fear. I am with you and will bless you and multiply your seed for My servant, Abraham’s, sake.”
25 Then he built an altar there and called upon the Name of the LORD and spread his tent there (where also Isaac’s servants had dug a well).
26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath (one of his friends), and Phichol, the captain of his army.
27 To whom Isaac said, “Why do you come to me, seeing you hate me and have put me away from you?”
28 Who answered, “We saw that the LORD was certainly with you; and we thought, ‘Let there now be an oath between us — between us and you — and let us make a covenant with you,
29 ‘that you shall do us no harm (as we have not touched you and as we have done nothing but good to you and sent you away in peace).’ You, now, are the blessed of the LORD.”
30 Then he made them a feast; and they ate and drank.
31 And they rose up early in the morning and swore, one to another. Then Isaac let them go. And they departed from him in peace.
32 And that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him of a well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”
33 So he called it “Shebah”. Therefore, the name of the city is called “Beersheba” to this day.
34 Now when Esau was forty years old, he took Judith for his wife (the daughter of Beeri, a Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon, a Hittite).
35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebekah.
Genesis 26
Tree of Life Version
Confirming the Covenant with Isaac
26 Now there was a famine in the land—aside from the previous famine that happened in Abraham’s days. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines, to Gerar. 2 Then Adonai appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land about which I tell you. 3 Live as an outsider in this land and I will be with you and bless you—for to you and to your seed I give all these lands—and I will confirm my pledge that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your seed like the stars of the sky and I will give your seed all these lands. And in your seed all the nations of the earth will continually be blessed, 5 because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My mitzvot, My decrees, and My instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
7 Now the men of the place asked about his wife. So he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “my wife”—“or else the men of the place would kill me on account of Rebekah, because she’s good looking.”
8 Now after he had been there for a long time, King Abimelech of the Philistines peered down through the window and saw, behold, Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “So in fact she’s your wife! Now how could you say, ‘She’s my sister’?”
Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Or else I might die because of her.’”
10 Then Abimelech said, “What is it that you’ve done to us? One of the people could have easily slept with your wife and you would’ve brought guilt on us.”
11 So Abimelech commanded all the people saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely die!”
Adonai Blesses Isaac
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land and in that year reaped a hundredfold. Adonai blessed him 13 and the man became great and continued to become greater until he became very great. 14 He acquired livestock of sheep and livestock of cattle, and numerous servants. Then the Philistines envied him. 15 All the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham the Philistines stopped up and filled with dirt. 16 So Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much more powerful than us.”
17 So Isaac departed from there, camped in the Valley of Gerar and dwelled there. 18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham—the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham’s death. He gave them the same names that his father had given them. 19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of living water there. 20 But the shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s shepherds saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Quarrel, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then he dug another well and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Accusation. 22 Then he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he named it Wide Spaces and said, “Because now Adonai has created wide spaces for us and we will be fruitful in the land.”
23 He went up from there to Beer-sheba. 24 Adonai appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, and I will bless you and multiply your seed for the sake of Abraham my servant.”
25 So he built an altar there and called on the Name of Adonai. He pitched his tent there and Isaac’s servants hollowed out a well there.
Covenant of Isaac and Abimelech
26 Now Abimelech went to him from Gerar along with Achuzzat his friend and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and sent me away from you?”
28 They said, “We’ve clearly seen that Adonai has been with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an agreement between us—between us and you—and let us make a covenant with you: 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we haven’t touched you and just as we did nothing to you but good, and sent you away in shalom. You are now blessed by Adonai.”
30 Then he made a feast for them and they ate and drank. 31 Then they got up early in the morning and made a pledge, each to his brother. Then Isaac sent them away and they departed from him in shalom. 32 Now it happened that on that day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they dug, and said to him, “We’ve found water.” 33 So he called it Pledge. That is why the city’s name is Beer-sheba to this day.
34 When Esau was 40 years old, he took as wife Judith the daughter of Be-eri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 But they caused a bitterness of spirit for Isaac and Rebekah.
Copyright © 2004 by World Bible Translation Center
Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.
© 2019, 2024 by Five Talents Audio. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.