1 ARST Now there was{ another} severe food shortage in the region.{ This was} a different shortage from the one that had happened{ years} before, while Abraham was still alive. So Isaac{ and his family} went to{ the city of} Gerar to{ ask for help from} King Abimelech, who ruled over the Philistines. BSB BSB: 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.
2 ARST Then Yahweh appeared to Isaac and commanded{ him},“Do not go to{ the country of} Egypt,{ rather} stay in this land where I tell you{ to live}. BSB BSB: The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.
3 ARST Live{ as a foreigner} in this region, and I will stay with you and prosper you. In fact, I will give all the{ surrounding} regions to you and your descendants, and I will continue{ to keep} the vow that I made to your father Abraham BSB BSB: 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.
4 ARST that I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will also give them all these regions. In fact, through your descendants{ I} will bless all the people groups on the earth. BSB BSB: 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,
5 ARST { I will do all that} because Abraham obeyed me and did everything that I ever commanded{ him}{ to do}.” 26:6-11 BSB BSB: because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
6 ARST Then Isaac{ did what God said and} settled{ with his family} in{ the city of} Gerar. BSB BSB: So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7 ARST Now Rebekah{ was} very beautiful, so the men in that city started asking{ Isaac} about her. Isaac was afraid they might kill him in order to have her, so he{ lied and} told{ them} she{ was} his sister. BSB BSB: 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.”
8 ARST { One day} after Isaac had lived there a long time, the Philistines’ King Abimelech looked down from a window{ of his palace} and saw to his surprise that Isaac was showing affection to his wife Rebekah. BSB BSB: 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.
9 ARST So Abimelech summoned Isaac and scolded{ him},“It is obvious that Rebekah{ is} actually your wife! So why did you tell us that she{ is} your sister?” Isaac answered him,“{ I said that} because I thought someone might kill me in order to have her{ as a wife}.” BSB BSB: 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.”
10 ARST Then Abimelech scolded{ him}{ further},“You have treated us very badly! Sooner or later, one of my men could have slept with your wife, and you would have caused us to be guilty{ of adultery}!” BSB BSB: “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.”
11 ARST Then{ King} Abimelech warned all{ his} people,“I will definitely execute anyone who harms Isaac or his wife!” 26:12-33 BSB BSB: So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
12 ARST Isaac planted crops in that area, and that year he gathered{ a huge harvest that was} a hundred times{ more than what he had planted}. Yahweh continued to bless him, BSB BSB: Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,
13 ARST so that he became richer and richer until he was extremely wealthy. BSB BSB: and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.
14 ARST He owned many sheep and cattle and{ he also owned} many servants. As a result, the Philistines were jealous of Isaac. BSB BSB: He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
15 ARST So they filled up with dirt all the wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug while he was{ still} alive. BSB BSB: 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.
16 ARST Then{ King} Abimelech said to Isaac,“{ Please} move away from us, because you are so powerful{ that you are a threat} to us.” BSB BSB: Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
17 ARST So Isaac moved from{ the city of} Gerar and pitched his tents in the Gerar Valley and stayed there{ for a while}. BSB BSB: So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
18 ARST Then Isaac{ had his servants} dig the dirt out of the wells that Abraham’ s servants had dug and{ that} the Philistines had{ just} filled{ with dirt}. He gave the wells the same names that his father had given them. BSB BSB: 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.
19 ARST Next Isaac’ s servants dug{ at a new place} in the valley and discovered a source of fresh water there. BSB BSB: Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.
20 ARST But the herdsmen from{ the city of} Gerar argued with Isaac’ s herdsmen and said,“That well is ours!” So Isaac named the well Esek,{ which means“argument,”} because they argued with him{ about it}. BSB BSB: But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.
21 ARST Then Isaac’ s servants dug another well, but Gerar’ s herdsmen argued{ with them} about that one too, so Isaac named it Sitnah,{ which means“hostility.”} BSB BSB: Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
22 ARST Then Isaac{ and his family} moved from there and he{ had his servants} dig a third well.{ This time} Gerar’ s herdsmen did not argue about it, so he named it Rehoboth,{ which means“space,”} because he said,“Finally Yahweh has provided space for us, so that we will prosper in the land.” BSB BSB: He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
23 ARST From there Isaac{ and his family} went south to{ the city of} Beersheba. BSB BSB: From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
24 ARST That night Yahweh appeared to him and said{ to him},“I{ am} the God whom your father Abraham serves. Do not be afraid, because I{ will always be} with you. I will bless you and make your descendants numerous, just as{ I promised} to Abraham, who serves me.” BSB BSB: 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.”
25 ARST So Isaac built an altar there{ at Beersheba} and worshiped Yahweh by name. He also set up his tents there, and his servants started digging{ another} well there{ too}. BSB BSB: 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.
26 ARST Then{ King} Abimelech went to Isaac from{ the city of} Gerar with his adviser Ahuzzath and his army commander Phicol. BSB BSB: Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 ARST Isaac asked them,“Why have you come to me,{ especially} since you have been hostile toward me and forced me to move away from you?” BSB BSB: “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
28 ARST They answered{ him},“It is very obvious to us that Yahweh is with you{ and blessing you}, and we decided that we should make a vow with you{ to live in peace with one another}. So{ please} let us make a{ peace} treaty with you, BSB BSB: “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
29 ARST that you will never harm us, just as we never harmed you, but only treated you well and sent you away in peace.{ As a result,} Yahweh has now blessed you.” BSB BSB: 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.”
30 ARST Then Isaac prepared a feast, and they{ all} ate and drank{ together}. BSB BSB: So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
31 ARST Early the next morning they got up and made vows to one another{ that they would keep their treaty}. Then Isaac said goodbye to them, and they went home from him in peace. BSB BSB: 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.
32 ARST That{ same} day Isaac’ s servants came to inform him about the well that they had been digging and announced,“We have struck water!” BSB BSB: On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him.
33 ARST So Isaac named the well Shebah,{ which means“vow.”} That is why{ even} today the name of that city{ is} still Beersheba,{ which means“well of the vow.”} 26:34-35 BSB BSB: So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.
34 ARST When Esau was forty years old, he married{ two} Hittite women: Judith, whose father was Beeri, and Basemath, whose father was Elon. BSB BSB: When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
35 ARST Isaac and Rebekah were very distressed that their son had married foreign women{ rather than a woman from their own religion and people group}. BSB BSB: And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.