God’s Promise to Isaac
(Genesis 12:1–9)

1Then, when a famine arose over the land, after that barrenness which had happened in the days of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Palestinians, in Gerar. 2And the Lord appeared to him, and he said: “Do not descend into Egypt, but rest in the land that I will tell you, 3and sojourn in it, and I will be with you, and I will bless you. For to you and to your offspring I will give all these regions, completing the oath that I promised to Abraham your father. 4And I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven. And I will give to your posterity all these regions. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, 5because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my precepts and commandments, and observed the ceremonies and the laws.”

Isaac Deceives Abimelech

6And so Isaac remained in Gerar. 7And when he was questioned by the men of that place about his wife, he answered, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to confess her to be his mate, thinking that perhaps they would put him to death because of her beauty. 8And when very many days had passed, and he had remained in the same place, Abimelech, king of the Palestinians, gazing through a window, saw him being playful with Rebekah, his wife. 9And summoning him, he said: “It is clear that she is your wife. Why did you falsely claim her to be your sister?” He answered, “I was afraid, lest I might die because of her.” 10And Abimelech said: “Why have you burdened us? Someone from the people could have lain with your wife, and you would have brought a great sin upon us.” And he instructed all the people, saying, 11“Whoever will touch the wife of this man will die a death.”

Isaac’s Prosperity

12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and he found, in that same year, one hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him. 13And the man was enriched, and he continued prospering as well as increasing, until he became very great. 14Likewise, he had possessions of sheep and of herds, and a very large family. Because of this, the Palestinians envied him, 15so, at that time, they obstructed all the wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug, filling them with soil. 16It reached a point where Abimelech himself said to Isaac, “Move away from us, for you have become very much more powerful than we.” 17And departing, he then went toward the torrent of Gerar, and he dwelt there.

18Again, he dug up other wells, which the servants of his father Abraham had dug, and which, after his death, the Philistines had formerly obstructed. And he called them by the same names that his father had called them before. 19And they dug in the torrent, and they found living water. 20But in that place also the shepherds of Gerar argued against the shepherds of Isaac, by saying, “It is our water.” For this reason, he called the name of the well, because of what had happened, ‘Calumny.’ 21Then they dug up yet another one. And over that one also they fought, and he called it, ‘Enmity.’ 22Advancing from there, he dug another well, over which they did not contend. And so he called its name, ‘Latitude,’ saying, “Now the Lord has expanded us and caused us to increase across the land.”

23Then he ascended from that place into Beersheba,

24where the Lord appeared to him on the same night, saying: “I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you, and I will multiply your offspring because of my servant Abraham.”

25And so he built an altar there. And he invoked the name of the Lord, and he stretched out his tent. And he instructed his servants to dig a well.

Isaac’s Covenant with Abimelech

26When Abimelech, and Ahuzzath, his friend, and Phicol, the leader of the military, had arrived from Gerar to that place, 27Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, a man whom you hate, and whom you have expelled from among you?” 28And they responded: “We saw that the Lord is with you, and therefore we said: Let there be an oath between us, and let us initiate a pact, 29so that you may not do us any kind of harm, just as we have touched nothing of yours, and have not caused any injury to you, but with peace we released you, augmented by the blessing of the Lord.” 30Therefore, he made them a feast, and after the food and drink, 31arising in the morning, they swore to one another. And Isaac sent them away peacefully to their own place. 32Then, behold, on the same day the servants of Isaac came, reporting to him about a well which they had dug, and saying: “We have found water.” 33Therefore, he called it, ‘Abundance.’ And the name of the city was established as ‘Beersheba,’ even to the present day.

Esau’s Wives

34In truth, at forty years of age, Esau took wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon, of the same place. 35And they both offended the mind of Isaac and Rebekah.