Genesis 26

₁Once during Abraham's lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar, ₂because the LORD had appeared to Isaac and said:

₆Isaac moved to Gerar ₇with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister. ₈After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out of a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah. ₉Abimelech called him in and said, “Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?”

“Because I thought someone would kill me,” Isaac answered.

₁₀“Don't you know what you've done?” Abimelech exclaimed. “If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!” ₁₁Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.

₁₂Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The LORD blessed him, ₁₃and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich. ₁₄In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned, ₁₅and they stopped up the wells that Abraham's servants had dug before his death. ₁₆Finally, Abimelech said, “Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here.”

₁₇Isaac left and settled in Gerar Valley, ₁₈where he cleaned out those wells that the Philistines had stopped up. Isaac also gave each of the wells the same name that Abraham had given to them. ₁₉While his servants were digging in the valley, they found a spring-fed well. ₂₀But the shepherds of Gerar Valley quarrelled with Isaac's shepherds and claimed the water belonged to them. So the well was named “Quarrel”, because they had quarrelled with Isaac.

₂₁Isaac's servants dug another well, and the shepherds also quarrelled about it. So that well was named “Jealous”. ₂₂Finally, they dug one more well. There was no quarrelling this time, and the well was named “Lots of Room”, because the LORD had given them room and would make them very successful.

₂₃Isaac went on to Beersheba, ₂₄where the LORD appeared to him that night and told him, “Don't be afraid! I am the God who was worshipped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants.” ₂₅Isaac built an altar there and worshipped the LORD. Then he set up camp, and his servants started digging a well.

₂₆Meanwhile, Abimelech had left Gerar and was taking his adviser Ahuzzath and his army commander Phicol to see Isaac. ₂₇When they arrived, Isaac asked, “Why are you here? Didn't you send me away because you hated me?”

₂₈They answered, “We now know for certain that the LORD is with you, and we have decided there needs to be a peace treaty between you and us. So let's make a solemn agreement ₂₉not to harm each other. Remember, we have never hurt you, and when we sent you away, we let you go in peace. The LORD has truly blessed you.”

₃₀Isaac gave a big feast for them, and everyone ate and drank. ₃₁Early the next morning Isaac and the others made a solemn agreement, then he let them go in peace.

₃₂Later that same day Isaac's servants came and said, “We've struck water!” ₃₃So Isaac named the well Shibah, and the town is still called Beersheba.

₃₄When Esau was forty, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ₃₅But these two women brought a lot of grief to his parents Isaac and Rebekah.