God’s Promise to Isaac (Genesis 12:1–9)
1 UEB Now a famine happened in the land, besides the first famine that had been in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines at 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 UEB Now Yahweh appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land that I tell you to live in. BSB BSB: The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.
3 UEB Stay in this very land, and I will be with you and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants, I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to Abraham your 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 UEB I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands. Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will 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 UEB I will do this because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my instructions, 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 UEB So Isaac settled in Gerar. BSB BSB: So Isaac settled in Gerar.
7 UEB When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister." He feared to say, "She is my wife," because he thought, "The men of this place will kill me to get Rebekah, because she is so beautiful." 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 UEB After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out of a window. He saw, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, 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 UEB Abimelech called Isaac to him and said, "Look, certainly she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I thought someone might kill me to get 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 UEB Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt 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 UEB So Abimelech warned all the people and said, "Whoever touches this man or his wife will 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 UEB Isaac planted crops in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold, because Yahweh 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 UEB The man became rich, and grew more and more until he became very great. BSB BSB: and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy.
14 UEB He had many sheep and cattle, and a large household. The Philistines envied him. BSB BSB: He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
15 UEB Now all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up by filling 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 UEB Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we." BSB BSB: Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
17 UEB So Isaac departed from there and settled in the Valley of Gerar, and lived there. BSB BSB: So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
18 UEB Once again Isaac dug out the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. The Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham's death. Isaac called the wells by the same names that 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 UEB When Isaac's servants dug in the valley, they found there a well of flowing water. BSB BSB: Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found a well of fresh water there.
20 UEB The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, and said, "This water is ours." So Isaac called that well "Esek," because they had quarreled 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 UEB Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that, too, so he gave it the name of "Sitnah." BSB BSB: Then they dug another well and quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
22 UEB He left there and dug yet another well, but they did not quarrel over that one. So he called it Rehoboth, and he said, "Now Yahweh has made room for us, and 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 UEB Then Isaac went up from there to Beersheba. BSB BSB: From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,
24 UEB Yahweh appeared to him that same night and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not fear, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your descendants, 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 UEB Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of Yahweh. There he pitched his tent, and his 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 UEB Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath, his friend, and Phicol, the captain of his army. BSB BSB: Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
27 UEB Isaac said to them, "Why are you coming to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?" BSB BSB: “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
28 UEB Then they said, "We have clearly seen that Yahweh has been with you. So we decided that there should be an oath between us, yes, between us and you. So let us make a covenant 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 UEB that you will do us no harm, just as we have not harmed you, and as we have treated you well and have sent you away in peace. Indeed, you are blessed by Yahweh." 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 UEB So Isaac 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 UEB They rose early in the morning and swore an oath with each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left 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 UEB That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug. They said, "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 UEB He called the well Shibah, so the name of that city is Beersheba 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 UEB When Esau was forty years old, he took a wife, Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath 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 UEB They brought sorrow to Isaac and Rebekah. BSB BSB: And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.