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Genesis 26
New Catholic Bible
Genesis 26
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 26
Isaac Inherits the Blessing.[a] 1 A second famine came upon the land (after the first famine in the days of Abraham). Isaac traveled to Gerar to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down into Egypt; live in the land to which I will direct you. 3 Remain in that land for a while and I will be with you and bless you. I will give all these lands to you and your descendants and fulfill the promise I made to Abraham your father. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens and I will give them all these lands. All the nations on the earth will be blessed through your descendants, 5 for Abraham listened to my voice and observed that which I ordered: my commandments, my ordinances and my laws.” 6 Isaac thus dwelt in Gerar.
7 The men of that place asked him about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” thinking that the men of that place would kill him because Rebekah was very beautiful.
8 He had been there for quite some time when Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, came to the window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Abimelech called to Isaac and said, “Surely, she is your wife. Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might be killed on her account!”
10 Abimelech continued, “What have you done to us? It would have been easy for one of the people to lie with your wife and that would have brought sin upon us.”
11 Hence, Abimelech gave this order to all the people, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will be put to death!”
12 Isaac planted a crop in a land and that year he reaped a hundredfold. The Lord had thus blessed him. 13 He became important and continued to prosper until he was very rich. 14 He possessed great flocks and herds and slaves, and the Philistines began to become jealous of him.
15 The Dispute over Wells. The Philistines stopped up and filled in with dirt all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of his father Abraham.
16 Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us, for you are much mightier than we are.”
17 Isaac went away from there, and camped in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there. 18 Isaac returned to dig wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug and that the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham. He gave them the same names as his father had given them.
19 The servants of Isaac dug in the valley and found a well of living waters. 20 But the shepherds of Gerar quarreled with the shepherds of Isaac saying, “The water is ours!” He therefore called the well Esek[b] because they had quarreled with him. 21 They dug another well, but they quarreled over this one as well, and he called it Sitnah.[c] 22 He thus moved away from there and dug another well over which they did not quarrel. He called it Rehoboth[d] and said, “Now the Lord has given us room so that we might prosper in the land.”
23 From there he went to Beer-sheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of Abraham, your father. Do not fear for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants on account of Abraham, my servant.”
25 He built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well.
26 The Covenant with Abimelech. Abimelech traveled from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol, the commander of his army, to see Isaac. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, for you hate me and have sent me away from your midst?”
28 They answered him, “We have seen that the Lord is with you and we have said, ‘Let there be an oath between us, between you and us. Let us make a covenant with you 29 that you will not do anything against us, as we have not molested you but were always good to you and let you go away in peace.’ You are now a man blessed by the Lord.”
30 He prepared a meal for them and they ate and drank. 31 Rising early in the morning, they swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac bade them farewell, and they went away in peace.
32 That very day the servants of Isaac arrived and informed him about the well that they had dug saying, “We have found water.” 33 He called the well Shibah.[e] This is the city called Beer-sheba today.
34 Esau’s Hittite Wives.[f] When Esau was forty years old he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of bitterness to Isaac and Rebekah.
Footnotes
- Genesis 26:1 The promises and blessings given to Abraham are continued for his son Isaac. The same Yahwist that had transmitted the episode of Abraham in Egypt (Gen 12:10-20) narrates a similar one for his son, but with greater reticence and moral sensitivity. In the idiom of the time, cousins, such as Isaac and Rebekah were, called each other brothers and sisters. The inhabitants of the area were not, properly speaking, Philistines, since the latter immigrated only later on (13th century B.C.); these inhabitants were the Canaanites, who preceded the Philistines.
- Genesis 26:20 Esek: i.e., “Challenge.”
- Genesis 26:21 Sitnah: i.e., “Opposition.”
- Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth: i.e., “Room Enough.”
- Genesis 26:33 Shibah: i.e., “Oath of Seven.” Beer-sheba: i.e., “Well of the Oath” or “Well of Seven.”
- Genesis 26:34 These verses are from the Priestly source.
Genesis 26
New International Version
Genesis 26
New International Version
Isaac and Abimelek(A)
26 Now there was a famine in the land(B)—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines(C) in Gerar.(D) 2 The Lord appeared(E) to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt;(F) live in the land where I tell you to live.(G) 3 Stay in this land for a while,(H) and I will be with you(I) and will bless you.(J) For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands(K) and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.(L) 4 I will make your descendants(M) as numerous as the stars in the sky(N) and will give them all these lands,(O) and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b](P) 5 because Abraham obeyed me(Q) and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees(R) and my instructions.(S)” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.(T)
7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,(U)” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines(V) looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?(W)”
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”
10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us?(X) One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”
11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms(Y) this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”(Z)
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold,(AA) because the Lord blessed him.(AB) 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.(AC) 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants(AD) that the Philistines envied him.(AE) 15 So all the wells(AF) that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up,(AG) filling them with earth.
16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us;(AH) you have become too powerful for us.(AI)”
17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar,(AJ) where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells(AK) that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled(AL) with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!”(AM) So he named the well Esek,[c] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled(AN) over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[d] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[e](AO) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room(AP) and we will flourish(AQ) in the land.”
23 From there he went up to Beersheba.(AR) 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham.(AS) Do not be afraid,(AT) for I am with you;(AU) I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants(AV) for the sake of my servant Abraham.”(AW)
25 Isaac built an altar(AX) there and called on the name of the Lord.(AY) There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.(AZ)
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.(BA) 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?(BB)”
28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you;(BC) so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty(BD) with you 29 that you will do us no harm,(BE) just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”(BF)
30 Isaac then made a feast(BG) for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath(BH) to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well(BI) they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah,[f] and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.[g](BJ)
Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing
34 When Esau was forty years old,(BK) he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.(BL) 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.(BM)
Footnotes
- Genesis 26:4 Or seed
- Genesis 26:4 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 26:20 Esek means dispute.
- Genesis 26:21 Sitnah means opposition.
- Genesis 26:22 Rehoboth means room.
- Genesis 26:33 Shibah can mean oath or seven.
- Genesis 26:33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.
New International Version (NIV) 
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