God’s Promise to Isaac (Genesis 12:1–9)
1 Brenton And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine, which was in the time of Abraam; and Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Phylistines to Gerara. 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 Brenton And the Lord appeared to him and said, Go not down to Egypt, but dwell in the land, which I shall tell thee of. BSB BSB: The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.
3 Brenton And sojourn in this land; and I will be with thee, and bless thee, for I will give to thee and to thy seed all this land; and I will establish my oath which I swore to thy father Abraam. 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 Brenton And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven; and I will give to thy seed all this land, and all the nations of the earth shall be blest in thy seed. 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 Brenton Because Abraam thy father hearkened to my voice, and kept my injunctions, and my commandments, and my ordinances, and my statutes. BSB BSB: because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Isaac Deceives Abimelech 6 Brenton And Isaac dwelt in Gerara. BSB BSB: So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7 Brenton And the men of the place questioned him concerning Rebecca his wife, and he said, She is my sister, for he feared to say, She is my wife, lest at any time the men of the place should slay him because of Rebecca, because she was fair. 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 Brenton And he remained there a long time, and Abimelech the king of Gerara leaned to look through the window, and saw Isaac sporting with Rebecca his wife. 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 Brenton And Abimelech called Isaac, and said to him, Is she then thy wife? why hast thou said, She is my sister? And Isaac said to him, I did so , for I said, Lest at any time I die on her account. 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 Brenton And Abimelech said to him, Why hast thou done this to us? one of my kindred within a little had lain with thy wife, and thou wouldest have brought a sin of ignorance upon us. 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 Brenton And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, Every man that touches this man and his wife shall be liable to death. BSB BSB: So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death.”
Isaac’s Prosperity 12 Brenton And Isaac sowed in that land, and he found in that year barley an hundred-fold, and the Lord blessed him. BSB BSB: Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,
13 Brenton And the man was exalted, and advancing he increased, till he became very great. BSB BSB: and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.
14 Brenton And he had cattle of sheep, and cattle of oxen, and many tilled lands, and the Phylistines envied him. BSB BSB: He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
15 Brenton And all the wells which the servants of his father had dug in the time of his father, the Phylistines stopped them, and filled them with earth. 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 Brenton And Abimelech said to Isaac, Depart from us, for thou art become much mightier than we. BSB BSB: Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
17 Brenton And Isaac departed thence, and rested in the valley of Gerara, and dwelt there. BSB BSB: So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
18 Brenton And Isaac dug again the wells of water, which the servants of his father Abraam had dug, and the Phylistines had stopped them, after the death of his father Abraam; and he gave them names, according to the names by which his father named 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 Brenton And the servants of Isaac dug in the valley of Gerara, and they found there a well of living water. BSB BSB: Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.
20 Brenton And the shepherds of Gerara strove with the shepherds of Isaac, saying that the water was theirs; and they called the name of the well, Injury, for they injured him. 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 Brenton And having departed thence he dug another well, and they strove also for that; and he named the name of it, Enmity. BSB BSB: Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
22 Brenton And he departed thence and dug another well; and they did not strive about that; and he named the name of it, Room, saying, Because now the Lord has made room for us, and has increased us upon the earth. 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 Brenton And he went up thence to the well of the oath. BSB BSB: From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
24 Brenton And the Lord appeared to him in that night, and said, I am the God of Abraam thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and I will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for the sake of Abraam thy father. 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 Brenton And he built there an altar, and called on the name of the Lord, and there he pitched his tent, and there the servants of Isaac dug a well in the valley of Gerara. 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.
Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech 26 Brenton And Abimelech came to him from Gerara, and so did Ochozath his friend, and Phichol the commander-in-chief of his army. BSB BSB: Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 Brenton And Isaac said to them, Wherefore have ye come to me? whereas ye hated me, and sent me away from you. BSB BSB: “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
28 Brenton And they said, We have surely seen that the Lord was with thee, and we said, Let there be an oath between us and thee, and we will make a covenant with thee, 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 Brenton that thou shalt do no wrong by us, as we have not abhorred thee, and according as we have treated thee well, and have sent thee forth peaceably; and now thou art blessed of the Lord. 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 Brenton And he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. BSB BSB: So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
31 Brenton And they arose in the morning, and swore each to his neighbour; and Isaac sent them forth, and they departed from him in safety. 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 Brenton And it came to pass in that day, that the servants of Isaac came and told him of the well which they had dug; and they said, We have not found 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 Brenton And he called it, Oath: therefore he called the name of that city, the Well of Oath, until this day. BSB BSB: So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.
Esau’s Wives 34 Brenton And Esau was forty years old; and he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beoch the Chettite, and Basemath, daughter of Helon the Chettite. 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 Brenton And they were provoking to Isaac and Rebecca. BSB BSB: And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.