Genesis 26

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

Another severe hunger struck the land, besides the one during Abraham's time. Isaac, seeking help, went to Abimelech, the Philistine king in Gerar.

And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

The Lord vividly revealed Himself to him, gently instructing, "Don't venture into Egypt. Stay in the land I will guide you to."

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Stay in this land, and feel my presence with you, blessing you. For you and your descendants, I promise to give all these lands, fulfilling the vow I made to your father, Abraham.

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

I promise to bless your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, gifting them with vast lands. Through them, every nation on earth will be blessed.

Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Abraham faithfully listened to me, he followed my guidance, my rules, and my laws with unwavering devotion.

And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

Isaac made his home in Gerar, feeling a sense of belonging and peace.

And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

When the local men inquired about his relationship with her, he nervously replied, "She's my sister." He was too scared to admit, "She's my wife," fearing they might kill him out of desire for the beautiful Rebekah.

And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

After a considerable time, Abimelech, the Philistine king, happened to glance out of his window. To his surprise, he saw Isaac caressing his wife, Rebekah, as only a husband would.

And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife; and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.

Abimelech summoned Isaac, exclaiming, "She's definitely your wife! Why did you claim she was your sister?" Isaac replied, "I did it out of fear that I might be killed for her."

And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us.

Abimelech exclaimed, "What have you done to us? Someone could have easily been with your wife, and you would have made us guilty!"

And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

Abimelech sternly warned his people, "Anyone who harms this man or his wife will surely be put to death."

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Isaac planted seeds in that land, and within a year, he reaped a hundred times more. God's blessings were truly upon him.

And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

The man flourished, advancing and expanding, until he achieved immense greatness.

For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

He owned vast flocks and herds, and had many servants. His wealth stirred jealousy among the Philistines.

For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

The Philistines spitefully filled up all the wells that Abraham's servants had painstakingly dug during his lifetime, erasing his father's hard work.

And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

Abimelech pleaded with Isaac, "Please leave us. You are far too powerful for us."

And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

Isaac left that place, setting up his home in the valley of Gerar, where he chose to live.

And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

Isaac reopened the water wells that were first dug during his father Abraham's time. The Philistines had filled them up after Abraham's death. Isaac named these wells the same names his father had given them, honoring his memory.

And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

Isaac's helpers tirelessly worked in the valley, their hearts filled with hope. To their joy, they discovered a well, brimming with fresh, life-giving water.

And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

The shepherds of Gerar argued heatedly with Isaac's shepherds, claiming, "This water is ours!" In response, Isaac named the well Esek, symbolizing their conflict.

And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

They dug another well, but found conflict there too. He named it Sitnah, a symbol of their struggle.

And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

He moved on and dug a new well, one that didn't cause any conflict. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now, God has given us space to grow and prosper in this land."

And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

With a heart full of hope, he journeyed onward, ascending towards the sacred Beersheba.

And the LORD appeared unto 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.

That very night, the LORD revealed Himself, saying, "I am your father Abraham's God. Don't be afraid, I am with you. I will bless you and increase your descendants in honor of my servant Abraham."

And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

There, he constructed a sacred place, passionately invoking the LORD's name. He set up his dwelling there, and under Isaac's command, his servants tirelessly dug a well.

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

Abimelech, along with his friend Ahuzzath and his top military leader Phichol, journeyed from Gerar to meet him.

And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

Isaac asked them, "Why are you here? You despised me and drove me away, didn't you?"

And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;

They acknowledged, "We clearly see God's presence in you. Let's make a solemn promise, a pact between us and you."

That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.

We trust you won't harm us, as we've only shown you kindness and let you go peacefully. You are now blessed by the LORD.

And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

He joyfully prepared a banquet for them, and they ate and drank heartily.

And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

As dawn broke, they made solemn promises to each other. Isaac bid them farewell, and they left him, their hearts filled with peace.

And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

On that very day, Isaac's helpers rushed to him, their faces alight with excitement. They shared the news about the well they had tirelessly worked on, exclaiming, "Isaac, we've struck water!"

And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

He named it Shebah, and so even today, the city is known as Beersheba.

And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

At the age of forty, Esau passionately married Judith, Beeri the Hittite's daughter, and Bashemath, Elon the Hittite's daughter.

Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.

Isaac and Rebekah were deeply saddened and troubled in their hearts.