1. ANᴅ when a famine was risen in the land, after that sterilitie, that had chanced in
the dayes of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Palestines into Gerara.
2. And our Lord appeared to him, and said: Goe not downe into Egypt, but rest in the
land which I shal tel thee.
3. And seiourne in it, and I wil be with thee, and wil blesse thee: for to thee and to thy s
eed, I wil geue al these countries, accomplishing the oath which I sware to Abraham thy father.
4. And I wil multiplie thy seed as the starres of heauen: and I wil geue to thy posteritie
al these countries: and in thy seed Sʜᴀʟ ʙᴇ ʙʟᴇssᴇᴅ al the nations of the earth,
5. for because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my preceptes and commandements, and
obserued my ceremonies & lawes.
6. Therfore Isaac abode in Gerara.
7. Who when he was asked by the men of that place, concerning his wife, answered: She
is my sister. for he was afraid to confesse that she was married to him, thinking lest
peraduenture they would kil him because of her beautie.
8. And when verie manie days were passed, and he abode there, Abimelech the king of the
Palestines looking forth through a windowe, sawe him sporting with Rebecca his wife.
9. And calling for him, he said: It is euident that she is thy wife: why didest thou
faine her to be thy sister? He answered: I feared lest I should die for her.
10. And Abimelech said: Why hast thou deceaued vs? some man of the people might haue
lyen with thy wife, & thou haddest brought vpon vs a great sinne. And he commanded al
the people, saying:
11. He that shal touch this mans wife, dying shal dye.
12. And Isaac sowed in that land, and he found that same yeare an hundred fold: and our
Lord blessed him.
13. And the man was made rich, and he went prospering and encreasing, til he was made
exceeding great:
14. and he had also possessions of sheep and of heards, and a verie great familie. For
this the Palestines enuying him,
15. stopped at that time al the welles, that the seruants of his father Abraham had
digged, filling them vp with water:
16. in so much that Abimelech himselfe said to Isaac: Depart from vs, because thou art
become mightier then we a great deale.
17. And departing, to come to the Torrent of Gerara, and to dwel there:
18. againe he digged other welles, which the seruants of his father Abraham had digged,
and which, after his death, the Philistines had stopped vp of old: and he called them by the
same names, which his father before had called them.
19. And they digged in the Torrent, and found liuing water:
20. but there also the pastors of Gerara made a brawle against the pastors of Isaac,
saying: It is our water. for which cause he called the name of the wel, by occasion of that
which had hapned, Calumne.
21. And they digged also an other: & for that they brawled likewise, and he called the
name of it, Enmitie.
22. Going foreward from thence he digged an other wel, for which they contended not:
therfore he called the name therof, Latitude, saying: Now hath our Lord dilated vs, and made
vs to encrease vpon the earth.
23. And he went vp from that place vnto Bersabee,
24. where our Lord appeared to him that same night, saying: I am the God of Abraham thy
father, do not feare, because I am with thee: I wil blesse thee, and multiplie thy seed for
my seruant Abrahams sake.
25. Therfore he builded there an altar: and hauing called vpon the name of our Lord, he
pitched his tent: and commanded his seruants that they should digge a wel.
26. To the which place when there were come from Gerara Abimelech, and Ocozath his
freind, and Phicol chieffe captaine of his souldiers,
27. Isaac spake to them: Why are ye come to me a man whom you hated, and haue thrust our
from you?
28. Who answered: We saw that the Lord is with thee, and therfore we said: Let there be
an oath betwen vs, and let vs make a league,
29. that thou do vs no harme, as we also haue touched nothing of thine, neither haue we
done that which might hurt thee: but with peace haue we dismist thee encreased with the
blessing of the Lord.
30. Therfore he made them a feast, and after they had eaten and drunken
31. arising in the morning, they sware one to an other: and Isaac dismissed them peaceably
into their place.
32. And behold the same day came the seruants of Isaac telling him of a wel, which they
had digged, and saying: We haue found water.
33. Wherupon he called it Abundance: and the name of the citie was geuen Bersabee, euen
vnto this present day.
34. But Esau being fourtie yeares old married wiues, Iudith the daughter of Beeri the
Hethite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon of the same place:
35. both which had offended the mind of Isaac and Rebecca.