God’s Promise to Isaac (Genesis 12:1–9)
1 DRA And when a famine came in the land, after that barrenness which had happened in the days of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Palestines 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 DRA And the Lord appeared to him and said: Go not down into Egypt, but stay in the land that I shall tell thee. BSB BSB: The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.
3 DRA And sojourn in it, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee: for to thee and to thy seed I will give all these countries, to fulfill the oath which I swore to 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 DRA And I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven: and I will give to thy posterity all these countries: and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. 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 DRA Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my precepts and commandments, and observed my ceremonies and laws. BSB BSB: because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Isaac Deceives Abimelech 6 DRA So Isaac abode in Gerara. BSB BSB: So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7 DRA And when he was asked by the men of that place, concerning his wife, he answered: She is my sister; for he was afraid to confess that she was his wife, thinking lest perhaps they would kill him because of her beauty. 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 DRA And when very many days were passed, and he abode there, Abimelech king of the Palestines looking out through a window, saw him playing 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 DRA And calling for him, he said: It is evident she is thy wife: why didst thou feign her to be thy sister? He answered: I feared lest I should die for her sake. 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 DRA And Abimelech said: Why hast thou deceived us? Some man of the people might have lain with thy wife, and thou hadst brought upon us a great sin. And he commanded all the people, saying: 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 DRA He that shall touch this man’s wife, shall surely 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 DRA And Isaac sowed in that land, and he found that same year a hundredfold: 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 DRA And the man was enriched, and he went on prospering and increasing, till he became exceeding great: BSB BSB: and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.
14 DRA And he had possessions of sheep and of herds, and a very great family. Wherefore the Palestines envying him, BSB BSB: He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
15 DRA Stopped up at that time all the wells, that the servants of his father Abraham had digged, filling them up 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 DRA Insomuch that Abimelech himself 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 DRA So he departed and came to the torrent of Gerara, to dwell there: BSB BSB: So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
18 DRA And he digged again other wells, which the servants of his father Abraham had digged, and which, after his death, the Palestines had of old stopped up: and he called them by the same names by which his father before 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 DRA And they digged in the torrent, and found living water. BSB BSB: Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.
20 DRA But there also the herdsmen of Gerara strove against the herdsmen of Isaac, saying: It is our water. Wherefore he called the name of the well, on occasion of that which had happened, Calumny. 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 DRA And they digged also another; and for that they quarrelled likewise, and he called the name of it, Enmity. BSB BSB: Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
22 DRA Going forward from thence, he digged another well, for which they contended not: therefore he called the name thereof, Latitude, saying: Now hath the Lord given us room, and made us to increase 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 DRA And he went up from that place to Bersabee, BSB BSB: From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
24 DRA Where the Lord appeared to him that same night, saying: I am the God of Abraham thy father; do not fear, for I am with thee: I 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 DRA And he built there an altar: and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent: and commanded his servants to dig 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 DRA To which place when Abimelech, and Ochozath his friend, and Phicol chief captain of his soldiers came from Gerara, BSB BSB: Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 DRA Isaac said to them: Why are ye come to me, a man whom you hate, and have thrust out from you? BSB BSB: “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
28 DRA And they answered: We saw that the Lord is with thee, and therefore we said: Let there be an oath between us, and let us make a covenant, 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 DRA That thou do us no harm, as we on our part have touched nothing of thine, nor have done any thing to hurt thee: but with peace have sent thee away increased with the blessing 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 DRA And he made them a feast, and after they had eaten and drunk: BSB BSB: So Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank.
31 DRA Arising in the morning, they swore one to another: and Isaac sent them away peaceably to their own home. 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 DRA And behold the same day the servants of Isaac came, telling him of a well which they had digged, and saying: 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 DRA Whereupon he called it Abundance: and the name of the city was called Bersabee, even 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 DRA And Esau being forty years old, married wives, Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon of the same place. 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 DRA And they both offended the mind of Isaac and Rebecca. BSB BSB: And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.