Chapter 26

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went⁴ unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

And the LORD appeared¹¹ unto him, and said,⁴ Go not down⁴ into Egypt; dwell³ in the land which I shall tell⁴ thee of:

Sojourn³ in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless¹⁷ thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give⁴ all these countries, and I will perform⁵² the oath which I sware⁸ unto Abraham thy father;

And I will make thy seed to multiply⁵² as the stars of heaven, and will give¹ unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;⁹⁸

Because that Abraham obeyed¹ my voice, and kept⁴ my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

And Isaac dwelt⁴ in Gerar:

And the men of the place asked⁴ [him] of his wife; and he said,⁴ She [is] my sister: for he feared¹ to say,² [She is] my wife; lest, [said he], the men of the place should kill⁴ me for Rebekah; because she [was] fair to look upon.

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long¹ time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out⁵⁵ at a window, and saw,⁴ and, behold, Isaac [was] sporting¹⁸ with Rebekah his wife.

And Abimelech called⁴ Isaac, and said,⁴ Behold, of a surety she [is] thy wife: and how saidst¹ thou, She [is] my sister? And Isaac said⁴ unto him, Because I said,¹ Lest I die⁴ for her.

And Abimelech said,⁴ What [is] this thou hast done¹ unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien¹ with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought⁵² guiltiness upon us.

And Abimelech charged¹⁷ all [his] people, saying,² He that toucheth⁶ this man or his wife shall surely² be put to death.⁹³

Then Isaac sowed⁴ in that land, and received⁴ in the same year an hundredfold: ⁸¹⁸⁰ and the LORD blessed¹⁷ him.

And the man waxed great,⁴ and went⁴ forward,² and grew until he became very great:¹

For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied¹⁷ him.

For all the wells which his father's servants had digged¹ in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped¹⁴ them, and filled¹⁷ them with earth.

And Abimelech said⁴ unto Isaac, Go³ from us; for thou art much mightier¹ than we.

And Isaac departed⁴ thence, and pitched his tent⁴ in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt⁴ there.

And Isaac digged⁴ again⁴ the wells of water, which they had digged¹ in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped¹⁷ them after the death of Abraham: and he called⁴ their names after the names by which his father had called¹ them.

And Isaac's servants digged⁴ in the valley, and found⁴ there a well of springing water.

And the herdmen⁶ of Gerar did strive⁴ with Isaac's herdmen,⁶ saying,² The water [is] ours: and he called⁴ the name of the well Esek; because they strove⁹⁸ with him.

And they digged⁴ another well, and strove⁴ for that also: and he called⁴ the name of it Sitnah.

And he removed⁵⁵ from thence, and digged⁴ another well; and for that they strove¹ not: and he called⁴ the name of it Rehoboth; and he said,⁴ For now the LORD hath made room⁵² for us, and we shall be fruitful¹ in the land.

And he went up⁴ from thence to Beersheba.

And the LORD appeared¹¹ unto him the same night, and said,⁴ I [am] the God of Abraham thy father: fear⁴ not, for I [am] with thee, and will bless¹⁴ thee, and multiply⁵² thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

And he builded⁴ an altar there, and called⁴ upon the name of the LORD, and pitched⁴ his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged⁴ a well.

Then Abimelech went¹ to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

And Isaac said⁴ unto them, Wherefore come¹ ye to me, seeing ye hate¹ me, and have sent me away¹⁷ from you?

And they said,⁴ We saw¹ certainly² that the LORD was with thee: and we said,⁴ Let there be now an oath betwixt us, [even] betwixt us and thee, and let us make⁴ a covenant with thee;

That thou wilt do⁴ us no hurt, as we have not touched¹ thee, and as we have done¹ unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away¹⁷ in peace: thou [art] now the blessed⁷ of the LORD.

And he made⁴ them a feast, and they did eat⁴ and drink.⁴

And they rose up betimes⁵⁵ in the morning, and sware¹¹ one to another: and Isaac sent them away,¹⁷ and they departed⁴ from him in peace.

And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came,⁴ and told⁵⁵ him concerning the well which they had digged,¹ and said⁴ unto him, We have found¹ water.

And he called⁴ it Shebah: therefore the name of the city [is] Beersheba unto this day.

And Esau was forty years old when he took⁴ to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.