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JANUARY 13
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came and possessions of herds and a great number
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in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the
red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name wells which his father’s servants had dug in
was called Edom. the days of Abraham his father, and they had
16
31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to
of this day.” Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much
32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so mightier than we.”
what is this birthright to me?” 17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched
33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
So he swore to him, and sold his birthright 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which
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to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and they had dug in the days of Abraham his
stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, father, for the Philistines had stopped them up
and went his way. Thus Esau despised his after the death of Abraham. He called them by
birthright. the names which his father had called them.
There was a famine in the land, besides 19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and
26 the first famine that was in the days of found a well of running water there. But the
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Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s
of the Philistines, in Gerar. herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he
2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: called the name of the well Esek, because they
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“Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of quarreled with him. Then they dug another
which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I well, and they quarreled over that one also. So
3
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will be with you and bless you; for to you and he called its name Sitnah. And he moved
your descendants I give all these lands, and I from there and dug another well, and they did
will perform the oath which I swore to Abra- not quarrel over it. So he called its name
ham your father. And I will make your descen- Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the
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dants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will LORD has made room for us, and we shall be
give to your descendants all these lands; and fruitful in the land.”
in your seed all the nations of the earth shall 23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba.
be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same
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voice and kept My charge, My command- night and said, “I am the God of your father
ments, My statutes, and My laws.” Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will
6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of bless you and multiply your descendants for
7
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the place asked about his wife. And he said, My servant Abraham’s sake.” So he built an
“She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, altar there and called on the name of the LORD,
“She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the and he pitched his tent there; and there
men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because Isaac’s servants dug a well.
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she is beautiful to behold.” Now it came to 26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar
pass, when he had been there a long time, that with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol
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Abimelech king of the Philistines looked the commander of his army. And Isaac said to
through a window, and saw, and there was them, “Why have you come to me, since you
Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his hate me and have sent me away from you?”
wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, 28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that
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“Quite obviously she is your wife; so how the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there
could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” now be an oath between us, between you and
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Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die us; and let us make a covenant with you, that
on account of her.’ ” you will do us no harm, since we have not
10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you touched you, and since we have done nothing
have done to us? One of the people might soon to you but good and have sent you away in
have lain with your wife, and you would have peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’ ”
brought guilt on us.” So Abimelech charged 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and
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all his people, saying, “He who touches this drank. Then they arose early in the morning
man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped sent them away, and they departed from him
in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD in peace.
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blessed him. The man began to prosper, and 32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s
continued prospering until he became very servants came and told him about the well
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prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks which they had dug, and said to him, “We
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