Genesis 26:12-25

GOD’S WORD Translation

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.