1   And 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: ^note 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 seed, I wil geue al these countries, accomplishing the oath which I sware to Abraham thy father.

Isaac.

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 Shal be blessed al the nations of the earth,

5   for because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my preceptes and commandements, and obserued09Q0067 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 ^note 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 ^note 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 yeare09Q0068 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 ^note 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, ^note Calumne.

21   And they digged also an other: & for that they brawled likewise, and he called the name of it, Enmitie.

22   Going

Isaac. 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 ^note 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 ^note offended the mind of Isaac and Rebecca.

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