Genesis 26:1–11

THE PROMISE REAFFIRMED TO ISAAC

26There was another famine in the land in addition to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time.^aa And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.^{ab 2}The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about; ³stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you.^a For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring,^b and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.^{c 4}I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed^A by your offspring,^{d 5}because Abraham listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands, my statutes, and my instructions.”^{e 6}So Isaac settled in Gerar.

ISAAC’S DECEPTION

⁷When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,”^f for he was afraid to say “my wife,” thinking,^g “The men of the place will kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is a beautiful woman.”^{h 8}When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see^B Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

⁹Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, “So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might die on account of her.”

¹⁰Then Abimelech said, “What have you done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”^{i 11}So Abimelech warned all the people, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will certainly be put to death.”