Genesis 26

1And when a famine came in the land, after that barrenness which had happened in the days of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Palestines, to Gerara.

1And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which had been in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

2And the Lord appeared to him, and said: Go not down into Egypt, but stay in the land that I shall tell thee.

2And Jehovah appeared to him and said, Go not down to Egypt: dwell in the land that I shall tell thee of.

3And sojourn in it, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee: for to thee and to thy seed I will give all these countries, to fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham thy father.

3Sojourn in this land; and I will be with thee and bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries; and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father.

4And I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven: and I will give to thy posterity all these countries: and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

4And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and unto thy seed will I give all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves —

5Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my precepts and commandments, and observed my ceremonies and laws.

5because that Abraham hearkened to my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

6So Isaac abode in Gerara.

6And Isaac dwelt at Gerar.

7And when he was asked by the men of that place, concerning his wife, he answered: She is my sister: for he was afraid to confess that she was his wife, thinking lest perhaps they would kill him because of her beauty.

7And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, She is my sister; for he feared to say, my wife, [saying to himself,] Lest the men of the place slay me on account of Rebecca — because she was fair in countenance.

8And when very many days were passed, and he abode there, Abimelech, king of the Palestines, looking out through a window, saw him playing with Rebecca, his wife.

8And it came to pass when he had been there some time, that Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked out of the window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was dallying with Rebecca his wife.

9And calling for him, he said: It is evident she is thy wife: why didst thou feign her to be thy sister? He answered: I feared lest I should die for her sake.

9Then Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, she is certainly thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? and Isaac said to him, Because I said, Lest I die on account of her.

10And Abimelech said: Why hast thou deceived us? Some man of the people might have lain with thy wife, and thou hadst brought upon us a great sin. And he commanded all the people, saying:

10And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done to us? But a little and one of the people might have lain with thy wife, and thou wouldest have brought a trespass on us.

11He that shall touch this man's wife, shall surely be put to death.

11And Abimelech charged all the people, saying, He that touches this man or his wife shall certainly be put to death.

12And Isaac sowed in that land, and he found that same year a hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

12And Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold; and Jehovah blessed him.

13And the man was enriched, and he went on prospering and increasing, till he became exceeding great.

13And the man became great, and he became continually greater, until he was very great.

14And he had possessions of sheep and of herds, and a very great family. Wherefore the Palestines envying him,

14And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great number of servants; and the Philistines envied him.

15Stopped up at that time all the wells, that the servants of his father, Abraham, had digged, filling them up with earth:

15And all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them and filled them with earth.

16Insomuch that Abimelech himself said to Isaac: Depart from us, for thou art become much mightier than we.

16And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go from us; for thou art become much mightier than we.

17So he departed, and came to the torrent of Gerara, to dwell there:

17And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his camp in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

18And he digged again other wells, which the servants of his father, Abraham, had digged, and which, after his death, the Philistines had of old stopped up: and he called them by the same names, by which his father before had called them.

18And Isaac dug again the wells of water that they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and that the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

19And they digged in the torrent, and found living water:

19And Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

20But there also the herdsmen of Gerara strove against the herdsmen of Isaac, saying: It is our water. Wherefore he called the name of the well, on occasion of that which had happened, Calumny.

20But the shepherds of Gerar strove with Isaac's shepherds, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Esek, because they had quarrelled with him.

21And they digged also another; and for that they quarrelled likewise, and he called the name of it, Enmity.

21And they dug another well, and they strove for that also; and he called the name of it Sitnah.

22Going forward from thence, he digged another well, for which they contended not; therefore he called the name thereof, Latitude, saying: Now hath the Lord given us room, and made us to increase upon the earth.

22And he removed thence and dug another well; and they did not strive for that. And he called the name of it Rehoboth, and said, For now Jehovah has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

23And he went up from that place to Bersabee,

23And he went up thence to Beer-sheba.

24Where the Lord appeared to him that same night, saying: I am the God of Abraham thy father, do not fear, for I am with thee: I will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

24And Jehovah appeared to him the same night, and said, I am theGod of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

25And he built there an altar: and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent; and commanded his servants to dig a well.

25And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of Jehovah. And he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

26To which place when Abimelech, and Ochozath his friend, and Phicol chief captain of his soldiers, came from Gerara,

26And Abimelech, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol the captain of his host, went to him from Gerar.

27Isaac said to them: Why are ye come to me, a man whom you hate, and have thrust out from you?

27And Isaac said to them, Why are ye come to me, seeing ye hate me, and have driven me away from you?

28And they answered: We saw that the Lord is with thee, and therefore we said: Let there be an oath between us, and let us make a covenant,

28And they said, We saw certainly that Jehovah is with thee; and we said, Let there be then an oath between us — between us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee,

29That thou do us no harm, as we on our part have touched nothing of thine, nor have done any thing to hurt thee; but with peace have sent thee away, increased with the blessing of the Lord.

29that thou wilt do us no wrong, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done to thee nothing but good, and have let thee go in peace; thou art now blessed of Jehovah.

30And he made them a feast, and after they had eaten and drunk:

30And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

31Arising in the morning, they swore one to another: and Isaac sent them away peaceably to their own home.

31And they rose early in the morning, and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

32And behold, the same day the servants of Isaac came, telling him of a well which they had digged, and saying: We have found water.

32And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well that they had dug, and said to him, We have found water.

33Whereupon he called it Abundance: and the name of the city was called Bersabee, even to this day.

33And he called it Shebah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day.

34And Esau being forty years old, married wives, Judith, the daughter of Beeri, the Hethite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon, of the same place.

34And Esau was forty years old, when he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basmath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

35And they both offended the mind of Isaac and Rebecca.

35And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebecca.