Isaac

1And 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.

There was no food in the land again. The same thing had happened long before, when Abraham was alive. So Isaac went to see Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, in a town called Gerar.

2And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

The LORD, who is God, came to Isaac and spoke to him. He said, "Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land I show you."

3Sojourn 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 here as a visitor. I will be with you, and I will be good to you. I will give all these lands to you and to your family after you. I promised this to your father Abraham, and I will do it."

4And 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;

"Your family will grow and grow. There will be too many to count, like the stars in the sky. I will give them all these lands. Because of your family, good things will come to every nation on earth."

5Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

"I am doing this because Abraham listened to me. He did what I asked and kept all my rules."

6And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

7And 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.

The men there asked about his wife. He said, "She is my sister." He was too afraid to say, "She is my wife." Rebekah was lovely to look at. Isaac thought the men might kill him so they could take her.

8And 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.

Isaac lived there a long time. One day King Abimelech looked out of a window. He saw Isaac touching Rebekah the way a husband touches his wife.

9And 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 called Isaac and said, "She really is your wife! Why did you say she was your sister?" Isaac said, "I thought someone might kill me to get her."

10And 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 said, "Why did you do this to us? One of our men could easily have slept with your wife. Then we would all have been guilty of doing wrong."

11And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

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

12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Isaac planted seeds in that land. That same year he gathered one hundred times what he had planted. The LORD was good to him.

13And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

Isaac became rich. He kept growing richer and richer, until he was very rich indeed.

14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.

He owned many sheep and cows, and he had many servants. The Philistines wanted what he had, and it made them angry.

15For 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.

Long ago Abraham's servants had dug wells there for water. The Philistines had filled every one of those wells with dirt.

16And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Please go away from us. You have become much stronger than we are."

17And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

So Isaac left. He set up his tents in the valley of Gerar and lived there.

18And 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 dug open the old wells again, the ones from Abraham's time. The Philistines had filled them in after Abraham died. Isaac gave each well the same name his father had given it.

19And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

Isaac's servants dug in the valley. There they found a well of fresh, moving water.

20And 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 with Isaac's shepherds. They said, "This water is ours!" So Isaac named the well Esek, which means arguing.

21And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

Then they dug another well, and people argued about that one too. So he named it Sitnah, which means fighting.

22And 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 away and dug one more well. Nobody argued about this one. He named it Rehoboth, which means plenty of room. He said, "Now the LORD has made room for us. We will do well in this land."

23And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

From there Isaac went up to a place called Beersheba.

24And 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 night the LORD came to him and spoke. He said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I will be good to you. I will give you a big family, because of my servant Abraham."

25And 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.

Isaac built an altar there, a stone table for giving gifts to God. He prayed to the LORD there. He set up his tent, and his servants dug a well.

26Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.

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

27And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me? You did not like me. You sent me away."

28And 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 said, "We can plainly see that the LORD is with you. Let us make a promise to each other. Let us make an agreement with you."

29That 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.

"Promise that you will not hurt us. We never hurt you. We were only kind to you. We sent you away in peace. And now the LORD has been very good to you."

30And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.

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

31And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

They got up early the next morning. Each side made its promise to the other. Then Isaac said goodbye, and they went away as friends.

32And 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.

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

33And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.

So he named the well Shebah. That is why the town is still called Beersheba today.

1And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.

Isaac was old. His eyes were weak, so he could not see. He called his older son Esau. He said, "My son." Esau said, "Here I am."

2And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:

Isaac said, "Look, I am old now. I do not know when I will die."

3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;

"So take your hunting things, your arrow bag and your bow. Go out to the field and hunt an animal for me."

4And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

"Then cook me the tasty food I love. Bring it to me so I can eat. Then I will bless you before I die."

5And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

Rebekah heard what Isaac said to his son Esau. So Esau went out to the field to hunt.

6And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

Rebekah spoke to her son Jacob. She said, "Listen. I heard your father talking to your brother Esau."

7Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

"He said, 'Bring me an animal and cook me tasty food. Then I will bless you before the LORD before I die.'"

8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

"So now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly what I tell you."

9Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

"Go out to the animals and bring me two good young goats. I will cook the tasty food your father loves."

10And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

"Then you will take it to your father to eat. And he will bless you before he dies."

11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:

Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man. My skin is smooth."

12My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.

"What if my father touches me? He will know I am tricking him. Then he will say bad words over me instead of good ones."

13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.

His mother said, "If that happens, let the bad words fall on me, my son. Just listen to me and go get the goats."

14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.

So Jacob went and got them and brought them to his mother. She cooked the tasty food his father loved.

15And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house. She put them on her younger son Jacob.

16And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:

She put the goat skins on his hands. She also put them on the smooth part of his neck.

17And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

Then she handed the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

18And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

Jacob went to his father and said, "My father." Isaac said, "Here I am. Which son are you?"

19And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

Jacob said, "I am Esau, your oldest son. I did what you asked. Please sit up and eat. Then bless me."

20And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

Isaac asked, "How did you find it so fast, my son?" Jacob said, "The LORD your God helped me find it."

21And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come close so I can touch you. I want to know if you are really Esau."

22And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

Jacob came close to his father Isaac. Isaac touched him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice. But the hands are Esau's hands."

23And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

Isaac did not know it was Jacob. His hands felt hairy, like his brother Esau's hands. So Isaac blessed him.

24And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

Isaac asked, "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob said, "I am."

25And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

Isaac said, "Bring me the food. I will eat what my son hunted, and then I will bless you." Jacob brought it, and Isaac ate. Jacob brought wine, and Isaac drank.

26And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come close now and kiss me, my son."

27And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:

Jacob came close and kissed him. Isaac smelled his clothes and blessed him. He said, "My son smells like a field the LORD has blessed."

28Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

"May God give you dew from the sky and rich soil. May he give you plenty of grain and new wine."

29Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

"May people serve you and nations bow to you. Be the leader over your brothers. May your mother's sons bow to you. May anyone who curses you be cursed. May anyone who blesses you be blessed."

30And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

Isaac finished blessing Jacob. Jacob had barely left the room. Then his brother Esau came in from hunting.

31And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.

Esau had also cooked tasty food. He brought it to his father and said, "Father, sit up and eat what I hunted. Then bless me."

32And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

His father Isaac said, "Who are you?" Esau said, "I am your son, your oldest son, Esau."

33And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

Isaac began to shake hard. He said, "Then who was it? Someone hunted and brought me food. I ate it all before you came. I blessed him. And yes, he will stay blessed."

34And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out loud with a bitter cry. He said, "Bless me too, my father!"

35And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.

Isaac said, "Your brother came and tricked me. He took your blessing."

36And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?

Esau said, "He is named Jacob for a good reason. He has pushed me aside two times. He took my rights as the oldest son. Now he has taken my blessing." Then he asked, "Have you saved any blessing for me?"

37And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?

Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him your leader. I have made all his family his servants. I gave him grain and new wine to live on. So what can I do for you, my son?"

38And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

Esau said, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too!" And Esau cried out loud.

39And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;

His father Isaac answered him, "Your home will be far from rich soil. It will be far from the dew of the sky."

40And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

"You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But one day you will pull free. You will break his heavy wooden bar off your neck."

1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

Isaac called his son Jacob and blessed him. Then he told him, "Do not marry a woman from Canaan, the land where we live."

2Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.

"Go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father. Marry one of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother."

3And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;

"May God Almighty bless you. May he give you many children, so your family grows into many peoples."

4And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

"May God give you the same blessing he gave Abraham. May he give it to you and to your children after you. Then this land will be your family's land, even though you live here now as a visitor. This is the land God gave to Abraham."

5And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

So Isaac sent Jacob away. Jacob went to Padanaram, to Laban. Laban was the son of Bethuel the Syrian. He was also the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

27And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

Jacob came home to his father Isaac at Mamre, near the city of Arbah. That city is also called Hebron. Abraham and Isaac had lived there.

28And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

Isaac lived one hundred and eighty years.

29And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Then Isaac took his last breath and died. He was very old and had lived a long, full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

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7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

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8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

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9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.

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10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

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11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

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12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

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13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

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