Abimelech

1Abraham traveled from there toward the south country. He lived between Kadesh and Shur. Then he stayed for a while in a town called Gerar.

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

NoteKadesh, Shur, and Gerar were real places in a dry, sandy land. Abraham lived in tents and moved his animals from place to place.

2Abraham said about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." So Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

NoteA king could send for anyone he wanted. People were afraid to say no to a king. Abimelech thought Sarah was not married, so he took her to be one of his wives.

3But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night. God said, "Listen. You are going to die because of the woman you took. She is another man's wife."

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

NoteLong ago God sometimes spoke to people while they were asleep. A dream like this was not a mixed-up dream. It was a real message.

4But Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, "Lord, will you kill a nation that has done no wrong?

But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

NoteA nation means all the people who live in one land. Abimelech is afraid God will punish his whole country, not just him.

5Didn't he tell me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' My heart was honest and my hands were clean when I did this."

Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Note"My hands were clean" does not mean washed hands. It is a way of saying, "I did nothing wrong."

6God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your heart was honest when you did this. So I kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

7Now give the man his wife back. He is a prophet, someone who speaks for God. He will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not give her back, know this: you will surely die, and so will everyone who belongs to you."

Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

NoteA prophet was someone God spoke to. The prophet then told other people what God said.

8So Abimelech got up early in the morning. He called all his servants and told them everything that had happened. The men were very afraid.

Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

NoteServants were people who worked for the king. They lived in his house and did his work.

9Then Abimelech called Abraham and said, "What have you done to us? What wrong did I do to you? You have brought a great sin on me and on my kingdom. You have done things to me that should not be done."

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

NoteA kingdom is all the land and people a king rules over. Sin means doing something wrong against God.

10Abimelech also said to Abraham, "What did you see that made you do this thing?"

And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

11Abraham said, "I thought, 'Surely no one in this place fears God. They will kill me because of my wife.'

And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

Note"Fears God" does not mean being scared of God. It means caring what God wants and not daring to do wrong.

12And she really is my sister. She is my father's daughter, but she is not my mother's daughter. And she became my wife.

And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

NoteSarah and Abraham had the same father but different mothers. That made her his half sister. Long ago, families sometimes married relatives like this.

13God had me leave my father's house and wander from place to place. So I said to her, 'Here is the kindness you can show me. Everywhere we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'"

And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

NoteAbraham had no house of his own. He carried tents and moved wherever God led him.

14So Abimelech took sheep and cattle, and men servants and women servants. He gave them to Abraham. He also gave Sarah, Abraham's wife, back to him.

And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

NoteBack then sheep and cattle were like money. Giving away this many animals was a very big way of saying sorry.

15Abimelech said, "Look, my land is right in front of you. Live wherever you like."

And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

NoteThe king is telling Abraham he may pick any spot in the whole country to live.

16To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It shows everyone with you, and everyone else, that you did nothing wrong." So her name was cleared.

And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

NoteSilver pieces were used as money before there were coins. A thousand of them was a huge amount. The gift showed everyone that Sarah had done nothing wrong.

17So Abraham prayed to God. God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his women servants. They had children.

So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

18No woman in Abimelech's house could have a baby. The LORD had closed every womb because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

NoteA womb is the safe place inside a mother where a baby grows. LORD in big letters is God's own special name.

22At that time Abimelech came to Abraham. Phichol, the leader of his army, came too. They said, "God is with you in everything you do.

And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

NoteAbimelech was a king who ruled land nearby. Phichol was the leader of the king's soldiers.

23So promise me here, with God as your witness. Promise you will not cheat me, or my son, or my son's son. I have been kind to you. Be that kind to me and to the land where you are living."

Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

NoteTo swear here means to make a very serious promise. People asked God to listen while they promised.

24Abraham said, "I promise."

And Abraham said, I will swear.

25Abraham told Abimelech he had done wrong about a well of water. Abimelech's servants had taken the well by force.

And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.

NoteWater was hard to find in that dry land. Digging a well took many days of hard work. The person who dug it had the right to use it.

26Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this. You did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today."

And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

NoteThe King James says "I wot not." That is an old way to say "I do not know."

27So Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made an agreement.

And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

NoteA covenant is a strong promise between two people. They agree to treat each other well and keep their word.

28Abraham set seven young female sheep apart from the rest of the flock.

And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

NoteA ewe is a girl sheep. These were seven young girl sheep from Abraham's flock.

29Abimelech asked Abraham, "Why have you set these seven lambs apart by themselves?"

And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

30Abraham said, "Take these seven lambs from my hand. They will show everyone that I dug this well."

And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.

NoteThe lambs worked like a receipt. Taking them showed everyone that the well was Abraham's.

31So he called that place Beersheba. He called it that because there the two of them made their promise.

Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

NoteBeersheba sounds like the words for "well of the promise." It can also mean "well of seven."

32So they made their agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phichol, the leader of his army, got up. They went back to the land of the Philistines.

Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

NoteThe Philistines were a people who lived near the sea. Their land was close to where Abraham stayed.

33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he called on the name of the LORD, the God who lives forever.

And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

NoteA tamarisk is a tree that grows in dry places. It gives good shade. Planting one means you plan to stay a long time.

34Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines for many days.

And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.

1There was a time when food would not grow in the land. This was a second time. The first was back in Abraham's days. Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, in a town called Gerar.

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.

NoteThe Philistines were a people who lived near the sea. They were not part of Isaac's family. Gerar was one of their towns.

2The LORD showed himself to Isaac. He said, "Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I show you."

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

NoteIn the Bible, LORD in big letters stands for God's own special name. Egypt was a country far to the south. It had a big river, so food grew there even when other lands were dry.

3"Stay in this land as a visitor. I will be with you, and I will bless you. I will give all these lands to you and to your family after you. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham."

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;

NoteTo bless someone means to be good to them and help them.

4"I will make your family as many as the stars in the sky. I will give all these lands to your family. Through your family, all the nations on earth will be blessed."

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;

5"I say this because Abraham listened to my voice. He did what I told him. He kept my commands, my rules, and my laws."

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

6So Isaac lived in Gerar.

And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

7The men of that place asked him about his wife. He said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought the men there might kill him because of Rebekah, because she was beautiful.

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.

NoteLong ago a strong man might kill a husband to take his wife. A brother would only be asked for permission. That is why Isaac said sister.

8Isaac had been there a long time. Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, looked out of a window. He saw Isaac touching and holding Rebekah in the way a husband holds his wife.

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.

9Abimelech called Isaac and said, "She really is your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?" Isaac said, "Because I thought I might be killed because of her."

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.

10Abimelech said, "What have you done to us? One of our men could easily have slept with your wife. Then you would have brought guilt on all of us."

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.

11So Abimelech gave an order to all his people. He said, "Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death."

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

NotePut to death means killed as a punishment by the king.

12Then Isaac planted seed in that land. That same year he gathered a hundred times what he had planted. The LORD blessed him.

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

NoteA farmer planted seed and hoped for a little more back. Getting a hundred times more was a huge harvest.

13The man became great. He kept getting richer and richer, until he was very great indeed.

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

14He owned many sheep and goats. He owned many cattle. He had many servants. The Philistines were jealous of him.

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

NoteIn those days people counted their riches in animals. The more sheep, goats and cattle you had, the richer you were.

15Long ago, in Abraham's days, his father's servants had dug wells. The Philistines had blocked up all those wells and filled them with dirt.

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.

NoteThis land was very dry. A well was a deep hole dug down to water. Filling someone's wells with dirt was a mean and serious thing to do.

16Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us. You are much stronger than we are."

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

26Then Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac. He brought Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol, the leader of his army.

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

NoteThe king's friend was a job, not just a pal. He was a trusted helper who gave the king advice.

27Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me. You sent me away from you."

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

28They said, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you. We said, let there be a promise between us and you. Let us make an agreement with 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;

NoteA promise like this was very serious. People said it out loud before God, and everyone had to keep it.

29"Promise that you will not hurt us. We did not hurt you. We did nothing but good for you. We sent you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the LORD."

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.

30So Isaac made them a big meal. They ate and drank together.

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

NoteEating a meal together was part of making an agreement. It showed the two sides were now friends.

31They got up early in the morning. They made their promises to each other. Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

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.

32That same day Isaac's servants came to him. They told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We have found water!"

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.

33He named the well Shebah. That is why the city is called Beersheba to this day.

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

NoteShebah sounds like the word for promise. Beersheba means the well of the promise.