New King James Version

Christian Standard Bible

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

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.

2Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live 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;

3Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which 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.

4And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed 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 dwelt in Gerar.

6So Isaac settled in Gerar.

7And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.”

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."

8Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to 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.

9Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account 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."

10And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on 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 charged all his people, saying, “He who 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."

12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and 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,

13The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

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

14for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

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

15Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth.

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."

17Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

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

18And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called 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.

19Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there.

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

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

23Then he went up from there 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 your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants 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 on the name of the LORD, and he 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.

26Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army.

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

27And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since 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."

28But they said, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath 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, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you 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.

31Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, 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.

32It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which 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!"

33So he called it Shebah. 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 as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, 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 were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

35They made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

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