God’s Promise to Isaac (Genesis 12:1–9)
1 DBY And there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine which had been in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar. 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 DBY And Jehovah appeared to him and said, Go not down to Egypt: dwell in the land that 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 DBY Sojourn in this land; and I will be with thee and bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries; and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father. 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 DBY And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and unto thy seed will I give all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves — 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 DBY because that Abraham hearkened to my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. BSB BSB: because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Isaac Deceives Abimelech 6 DBY And Isaac dwelt at Gerar. BSB BSB: So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7 DBY And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, She is my sister; for he feared to say, my wife, saying to himself, Lest the men of the place slay me on account of Rebecca — because she was fair in countenance. 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 DBY And it came to pass when he had been there some time, that Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked out of the window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was dallying 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 DBY Then Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, she is certainly thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? and Isaac said to him, Because I said, Lest I die on account of her. 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 DBY And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done to us? But a little and one of the people might have lain with thy wife, and thou wouldest have brought a trespass on 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 DBY And Abimelech charged all the people, saying, He that touches this man or his wife shall certainly be put 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 DBY And Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold; and Jehovah 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 DBY And the man became great, and he became continually greater, until he was very great. BSB BSB: and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.
14 DBY And he had possessions of flocks, and possessions of herds, and a great number of servants; and the Philistines envied him. BSB BSB: He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
15 DBY And all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines 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 DBY And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go 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 DBY And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his camp in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. BSB BSB: So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
18 DBY And Isaac dug again the wells of water that they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and that the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names by which his father had called 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 DBY And Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. BSB BSB: Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.
20 DBY But the shepherds of Gerar strove with Isaac's shepherds, saying, The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Esek, because they had quarrelled with 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 DBY And they dug another well, and they strove for that also; and he called the name of it Sitnah. BSB BSB: Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
22 DBY And he removed thence and dug another well; and they did not strive for that. And he called the name of it Rehoboth, and said, For now Jehovah has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful 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 DBY And he went up thence to Beer-sheba. BSB BSB: From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
24 DBY And Jehovah appeared to him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 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 DBY And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of Jehovah. And he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well. 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 DBY And Abimelech, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol the captain of his host, went to him from Gerar. BSB BSB: Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 DBY And Isaac said to them, Why are ye come to me, seeing ye hate me, and have driven me away from you? BSB BSB: “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
28 DBY And they said, We saw certainly that Jehovah is with thee; and we said, Let there be then an oath between us — between us and thee, and let us 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 DBY that thou wilt do us no wrong, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done to thee nothing but good, and have let thee go in peace; thou art now blessed of Jehovah. 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 DBY And he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. BSB BSB: So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
31 DBY And they rose early in the morning, and swore one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed 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 DBY And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well that they had dug, and said to him, We have 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 DBY And he called it Shebah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day. BSB BSB: So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.
Esau’s Wives 34 DBY And Esau was forty years old, when he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basmath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 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 DBY And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and to Rebecca. BSB BSB: And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.