The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 26 -

(Genesis 12:1–9)

Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.

Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.

I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,

because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Isaac Deceives Abimelech

So Isaac settled in Gerar.

But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”

When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see 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 replied, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.”

“What is this you have done to us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

Isaac’s Prosperity

Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,

and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.

He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

So the Philistines took dirt and stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.

Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”

So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.

Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the same names his father had given them.

Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water

(a)

there.

But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,(b) because they contended with him.

Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.(c)

He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth

(d)

and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,

and that 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. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”

So Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there.

Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech

Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.

“Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”

“We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you

that you will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”

So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him.

So he called it Shibah,(e) and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.(f)

Esau’s Wives

When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Footnotes

(a)26:19 Or flowing water or living water

(b)26:20 Esek means contention.

(d)26:22 Rehoboth means broad places or open spaces.

(e)26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.

(f)26:33 Beersheba means well of seven or well of the oath.

(Genesis 12:1–9)

There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

The LORD appeared to him, and said, “Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.

Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed,

because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Isaac Deceives Abimelech

Isaac lived in Gerar.

The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “My wife”, lest, he thought, “the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to look at.”

When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife.

Abimelech called Isaac, and said, “Behold, surely she is your wife. Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die because of her.’”

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 on us!”

Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”

Isaac’s Prosperity

Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. The LORD blessed him.

The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great.

He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.

Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth.

Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

Isaac departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.

Isaac dug again 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. He called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of flowing

(a)

water.

The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek,(b) because they contended with him.

They dug another well, and they argued over that, also. So he called its name Sitnah.(c)

He left that place, and dug another well. They didn’t argue over that one. So he called it Rehoboth.(d) He said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

He went up from there to Beersheba.

The LORD appeared to him the same night, and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

He built an altar there, and called on the LORD’s name, and pitched his tent there. There Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his army.

Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and have sent me away from you?”

They said, “We saw plainly that the LORD was with you. We said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let’s make a covenant with you,

that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace.’ You are now the blessed of the LORD.”

He made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

They rose up some time in the morning, and swore an oath to one another. Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

The same day, Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.”

He called it “Shibah”.(e) Therefore the name of the city is “Beersheba”(f) to this day.

Esau’s Wives

When Esau was forty years old, he took as wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

They grieved Isaac’s and Rebekah’s spirits.

Footnotes

(a)26:19 Or, living. Or, fresh.

(b)26:20 “Esek” means “contention”.

(d)26:22 “Rehoboth” means “broad places”.

(e)26:33 Shibah means “oath” or “seven”.

(f)26:33 Beersheba means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven”