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) The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about; stay in this land as an alien, 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) 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) because Abraham listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands, my statutes, and my instructions.”(G) So Isaac settled in Gerar.

Isaac’s Deception

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) 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.

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 dirt. 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 quarreled 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 quarreled 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)

Notas al pie

  1. 26:4 Or will consider themselves blessed
  2. 26:8 Or and he looked and behold
  3. 26:12 Lit found
  4. 26:16 Or are more numerous than we are
  5. 26:19 Lit living
  6. 26:20 = Argument
  7. 26:21 = Hostility
  8. 26:22 = Open Spaces
  9. 26:31 Lit swore, each man to his brother
  10. 26:33 Or Shibah
  11. 26:33 = Well of the Oath
  12. 26:35 Lit And they became bitterness of spirit

Isaac and Abimelech

26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines.(A) The Lord appeared to Isaac[a] and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; settle in the land that I shall show you.(B) Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.(C) I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring,(D) because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say “my wife,” thinking, “or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance.”(E) When Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw him fondling his wife Rebekah. So Abimelech called for Isaac and said, “So she is your wife! Why, then, did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought I might 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 you would have brought guilt upon us.”(F) 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death.”

12 Isaac sowed seed in that land and in the same year reaped a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him,(G) 13 and the man became rich; he prospered more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.(H) 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped up and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.)(I) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”

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

23 From there he went up to Beer-sheba. 24 And that very night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you and make your offspring numerous for my servant Abraham’s sake.”(L) 25 So he built an altar there, called on the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.(M)

26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.(N) 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?”(O) 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you, so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you(P) 29 so 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. 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 exchanged oaths, and Isaac set them on their way, and they departed from him in peace.(Q) 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 Beer-sheba[f] to this day.(R)

Esau’s Hittite Wives

34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite,(S) 35 and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.(T)

Notas al pie

  1. 26.2 Heb him
  2. 26.20 That is, contention
  3. 26.21 That is, enmity
  4. 26.22 That is, broad places or room
  5. 26.33 In Heb Shibah resembles the word for oath
  6. 26.33 That is, well of the oath or well of seven