Abimelech

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.

17So Isaac left that place. He set up his tent in the valley of Gerar and lived there.

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

NoteIsaac lived in tents, not houses. That way he could move his animals to new grass and water.

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.