English Standard Version

Christian Standard Bible

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

1There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham's time. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.

2And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.

2The LORD appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about;

3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.

3stay in this land as an alien, 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.

4I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,

4I 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 by your offspring,

5because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

5because Abraham listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands, my statutes, and my instructions."

6So Isaac settled in Gerar.

6So Isaac settled in Gerar.

7When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance.

7When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say "my wife," thinking, "The men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is a beautiful woman."

8When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife.

8When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

9So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’”

9Abimelech 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."

10Abimelech 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.”

10Then Abimelech said, "What is this you've done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us."

11So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

11So Abimelech warned all the people, "Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly be put to death."

12And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him,

12Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in that year he reaped a hundred times what was sown. The LORD blessed him,

13and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.

13and the man became rich and kept getting richer until he was very wealthy.

14He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.

14He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him.

15(Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.)

15Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt.

16And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

16And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave us, for you are much too powerful for us."

17So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.

17So Isaac left there, camped in the Gerar Valley, and lived there.

18And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them.

18Isaac 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.

19But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water,

19Then Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found a well of spring water there.

20the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

20But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek because they argued with him.

21Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.

21Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also, so he named it Sitnah.

22And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

22He moved from there and dug another, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, "For now the LORD has made space for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."

23From there he went up to Beersheba.

23From there he went up to Beer-sheba,

24And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

24and the LORD appeared to him that night 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 offspring because of my servant Abraham."

25So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

25So he built an altar there, called on the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there. Isaac's servants also dug a well there.

26When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army,

26Now Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.

27Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?”

27Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hated me and sent me away from you."

28They said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,

28They 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:

29that 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.”

29You 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."

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

30So he prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank.

31In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace.

31They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other. Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

32That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.”

32On that same day Isaac's servants came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, "We have found water!"

33He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

33He called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is still Beer-sheba today.

34When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite,

34When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hethite.

35and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

35They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.