Genesis 26
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Lord’s First Promise to Isaac
26 There was a famine in the land in addition to the earlier one during Abraham’s time. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in Gerar.
2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Don’t go to Egypt. Stay where I tell you. 3 Live here in this land for a while, and I will be with you and bless you. I will give all these lands to you and your descendants. I will keep the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and give all these lands to your descendants. Through your descendant all the nations of the earth will be blessed. 5 I will bless you because Abraham obeyed me and completed the duties, commands, laws, and instructions I gave him.” 6 So Isaac lived in Gerar.
Isaac and Rebekah at Gerar
7 When the men of that place asked about his wife, Isaac answered, “She’s my sister.” He was afraid to say “my wife.” He thought that the men of that place would kill him to get Rebekah, because she was an attractive woman. 8 When he had been there a long time, King Abimelech of the Philistines looked out of his window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
9 Abimelech called for Isaac and said, “So she’s really your wife! How could you say, ‘She’s my sister’?”
Isaac answered him, “I thought I would be killed because of her.”
10 Then Abimelech said, “What have you done to us! One of the people might have easily gone to bed with your wife, and then you would have made us guilty of sin.” 11 So Abimelech ordered his people, “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death.”
12 Isaac planted ⌞crops⌟ in that land. In that same year he harvested a hundred times as much as he had planted because the Lord had blessed him. 13 He continued to be successful, becoming very rich. 14 Because he owned so many flocks, herds, and servants, the Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So the Philistines filled in all the wells that his father’s servants had dug during his father Abraham’s lifetime.
16 Finally, Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us! You’ve become more powerful than we are.”
17 So Isaac moved away. He set up his tents in the Gerar Valley and lived there. 18 He dug out the wells that had been dug during his father Abraham’s lifetime. The Philistines had filled them in after Abraham’s death. He gave them the same names that his father had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a spring-fed well. 20 The herders from Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herders, claiming, “This water is ours!” So Isaac named the well Esek [Argument], because they had argued with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one too. So Isaac named it Sitnah [Accusation]. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well. They didn’t quarrel over this one. So he named it Rehoboth [Roomy] and said, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in this land.”
The Lord’s Second Promise to Isaac
23 He went from there to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to Isaac, and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. I will bless you and increase the number of your descendants for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. He also pitched his tent in that place, and his servants dug a well there.
Isaac’s Agreement with Abimelech
26 Abimelech, his friend Ahuzzath, and Phicol, the commander of his army, came from Gerar to see Isaac. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and sent me away from you?”
28 They answered, “We have seen that the Lord is with you. So we thought, ‘There should be a solemn agreement between us.’ We’d like to make an agreement with you 29 that you will not harm us, since we have not touched you. We have done only good to you and let you go in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.”
30 Isaac prepared a special dinner for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning they exchanged oaths. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left peacefully.
32 That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about a well they had dug. They said to him, “We’ve found water.” 33 So he named it Shibah [Oath]. That is why the name of the city is still Beersheba today.
Esau’s Marriages
34 When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite. He also married Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 These women brought Isaac and Rebekah a lot of grief.
Genesis 26
New American Standard Bible
Isaac Settles in Gerar
26 Now there was (A)a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to (B)Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord (C)appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; (D)stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Live for a time in this land and (E)I will be with you and (F)bless you, for (G)to you and to your [a]descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish (H)the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 4 (I)I will multiply your [b]descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your [c]descendants all these lands; and (J)by your [d]descendants all the nations of the earth [e]shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham [f](K)obeyed Me and fulfilled his duty to Me, and kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “(L)She is my sister,” for he was (M)afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “[g]the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, since she is (N)beautiful.” 8 Now it came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down through a window, and saw them, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she certainly is your wife! So how is it that you said, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘otherwise I might be killed on account of her.’” 10 And (O)Abimelech said, “What is this that you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “He who (P)touches this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.”
12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and [h]reaped in the same year a hundred times as much. And (Q)the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man (R)became rich, and continued to grow [i]richer until he became very [j]wealthy; 14 for (S)he had possessions of flocks [k]and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now (T)all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up [l]by filling them with dirt. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are [m](U)too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the Valley of Gerar, and [n]settled there.
Argument over the Wells
18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which [o]had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he [p]gave them the same names which his father had [q]given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of [r]flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (V)quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well [s]Esek, because they argued with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it [t]Sitnah. 22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it [u]Rehoboth, for he said, “[v](W)At last the Lord has made [w]room for us, and we will be (X)fruitful in the land.”
23 And he went up from there to (Y)Beersheba. 24 And the Lord (Z)appeared to him the same night and said,
“(AA)I am the God of your father Abraham;
(AB)Do not fear, for I am with you.
I (AC)will bless you and multiply your [x]descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”
25 So he built an (AD)altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Covenant with Abimelech
26 Then (AE)Abimelech came to him from Gerar [y]with his adviser Ahuzzath, and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “(AF)Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We have seen plainly (AG)that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘An oath must now be taken [z]by us,’ that is, [aa]by you and us. So let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you [ab]and have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace. You are now the (AH)blessed of the Lord.” 30 Then (AI)he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they got up early and [ac](AJ)exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace. 32 Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it [ad]Shibah; therefore the name of the city is (AK)Beersheba to this day.
34 When Esau was forty years old (AL)he [ae]married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and (AM)they [af]brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Footnotes
- Genesis 26:3 Lit seed
- Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
- Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
- Genesis 26:4 Lit seed
- Genesis 26:4 Or bless themselves
- Genesis 26:5 Lit listened diligently to My voice
- Genesis 26:7 Lit lest...place
- Genesis 26:12 Lit found
- Genesis 26:13 Lit great
- Genesis 26:13 Lit great
- Genesis 26:14 Lit and possessions of herds
- Genesis 26:15 Lit and filled them
- Genesis 26:16 Lit much mightier than we
- Genesis 26:17 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 26:18 Lit they had dug
- Genesis 26:18 Lit called their names as the names
- Genesis 26:18 Lit called
- Genesis 26:19 Lit living
- Genesis 26:20 I.e., argument
- Genesis 26:21 I.e., accusation
- Genesis 26:22 I.e., broad places
- Genesis 26:22 Lit Truly now
- Genesis 26:22 Or broad
- Genesis 26:24 Lit seed
- Genesis 26:26 Lit and his confidential friend
- Genesis 26:28 Lit between us
- Genesis 26:28 Lit between us and you
- Genesis 26:29 Lit and just as we
- Genesis 26:31 Lit swore one to another
- Genesis 26:33 Meaning uncertain, perhaps oath
- Genesis 26:34 Lit took as wife
- Genesis 26:35 Lit were a bitterness of spirit to
Genesis 26
Lexham English Bible
Isaac and Abimelech
26 And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar. 2 And Yahweh appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land which I will show to you. 3 Dwell as an alien in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham you father. 4 And I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands. And all nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, 5 because Abraham listened to my voice and kept my charge: my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked concerning his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking[a] “the men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she was beautiful.”[b] 8 And it happened that, when he had been there a long time,[c] Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through the window, and saw—behold—Isaac was fondling Rebekah his wife. 9 And Abimelech called Isaac[d] and said, “Surely she is your wife. Now why did you say ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I thought I would die on account of her.” 10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife! Then you would have brought guilt upon us!” 11 Then Abimelech instructed all the people, saying, “The one who touches this man or his wife shall certainly die.”
12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in that same year a hundredfold, and Yahweh blessed him. 13 And the man became wealthier and wealthier[e] until he was exceedingly wealthy. 14 And he possessed sheep and cattle and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 And the Philistines stopped up all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of Abraham his father. They filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you have become much too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham. And he gave[f] to them the same names[g] which his father had given[h] them. 19 And when the servants of Isaac dug in the valley, they found a well of fresh water there. 20 Then the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours.” And he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 And they dug another well, and they quarreled over it also. And he called its name Sitnah. 22 Then he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. And he called its name Rehoboth, and said, “Now Yahweh has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23 And from there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And Yahweh 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 make your descendants numerous for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 25 And he built an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh. And he pitched his tent there, and the servants of Isaac dug a well there. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol his army commander. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you.” 28 And they said, “We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thought[i] let there be an oath between us—between us and you—and let us make[j] a covenant with you 29 that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You are now blessed by Yahweh.” 30 So he made a meal for them, and they ate and drank. 31 And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other,[k] and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace. 32 And it happened that on that same day the servants of Isaac came and told him about the well that they had dug. And they said, “We have found water!” 33 And he called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
34 And when Esau was forty years old he took as wife Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they made life bitter[l] for Isaac and Rebekah.
Footnotes
- Genesis 26:7 Or “lest”
- Genesis 26:7 Literally “good of appearance”
- Genesis 26:8 Literally “when the days there were long to him”
- Genesis 26:9 Or “to Isaac”
- Genesis 26:13 Literally “became great and went, going and became great”
- Genesis 26:18 Or “called”
- Genesis 26:18 Literally “names as names”
- Genesis 26:18 Or “called”
- Genesis 26:28 Or “said”
- Genesis 26:28 Literally “cut”
- Genesis 26:31 Or “to his brother”
- Genesis 26:35 Literally “they caused bitterness of spirit”
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