Holman Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

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.

1Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.

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

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

3stay 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.

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

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,

4"I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

5because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My mandate, My commands, My statutes, and My instructions."

5because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws."

6So Isaac settled in Gerar.

6So Isaac lived in Gerar.

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."

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 might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful."

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.

8It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah.

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."

9Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, 'She is my sister '?" And Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'I might die on account of her.'"

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."

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."

11So Abimelech warned all the people with these words: "Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly die."

11So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."

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

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

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

13and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy;

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

14for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.

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

15Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth.

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

16Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us."

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

17And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.

18Isaac reopened the water 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.

18Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them.

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

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

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

20the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.

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

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

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

22He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, "At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."

23From there he went up to Beer-sheba,

23Then he went up from there to Beersheba.

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."

24The LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham."

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

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.

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

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

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

27Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from 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:

28They said, "We see plainly that the LORD has been with you; so we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,

29You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have only done what was good to you, sending you away in peace. You are now blessed by the LORD."

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.'"

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

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

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

31In the morning they arose early and exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away and they departed from him in peace.

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

32Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac's servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water."

33He called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day.

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

34When Esau was 40 years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

34When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

35They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

35and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org