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Abraham Marries Keturah

25 Abraham married Keturah, and they had six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Later, Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan, and when Dedan grew up, he had three sons: Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. Midian also had five sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.

5-6 While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of Hagar and Keturah. He also sent their sons to live in the east far from his son Isaac, and when Abraham died, he left everything to Isaac.

The Death of Abraham

7-8 Abraham died at the ripe old age of 175. 9-10 (A) His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him east of Hebron[a] in Machpelah Cave that was part of the field Abraham had bought from Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. Abraham was buried there beside his wife Sarah. 11 God blessed Isaac after this, and Isaac moved to a place called “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”[b]

Ishmael's Descendants

12 Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the slave woman of Sarah. 13 Ishmael had twelve sons, in this order: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 Each of Ishmael's sons was a tribal chief, and a village was named after each of them.

17-18 Ishmael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sons[c] settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur.[d] Ishmael was 137 when he died.

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

19 Isaac was the son of Abraham, 20 and he was 40 years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria.[e]

Almost 20 years later, 21 Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac asked the Lord to let her have a child, and the Lord answered his prayer.

22 Before Rebekah gave birth, she knew she was going to have twins, because she could feel them inside her, fighting each other. She thought, “Why is this happening to me?” Finally, she asked the Lord why her twins were fighting, 23 (B) and he told her:

“Your two sons will become
    two separate nations.[f]
The younger of the two
    will be stronger,
and the older son
    will be his servant.”

24 When Rebekah gave birth, 25 the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau.[g] 26 The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob.[h] Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.

Esau Sells His Rights as the First-Born Son

27 As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob lived the quiet life of a shepherd.[i] 28 Esau would take the meat of wild animals to his father Isaac, so Isaac loved him more, but Jacob was his mother's favorite son.

29 One day, when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came home hungry 30 and said, “I'm starving to death! Here and now give me some of that red stew!” That's how Esau got the name “Edom.”[j]

31 Jacob replied, “Sell me your rights as the first-born son.”[k]

32 “I'm about to die,” Esau answered. “What good will those rights do me?”

33 (C) But Jacob said, “Promise me your birthrights, here and now!” And that's what Esau did. 34 Jacob then gave Esau some bread and some of the bean stew, and when Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and left, showing how little he thought of his rights as the first-born.

Isaac and Abimelech

26 Once during Abraham's lifetime, the fields had not produced enough grain, and now the same thing happened. So Isaac went to King Abimelech of the Philistines in the land of Gerar, because the Lord had appeared to Isaac and said:

Isaac, stay away from Egypt! I will show you where I want you to go. (D) You will live there as a foreigner, but I will be with you and bless you. I will keep my promise to your father Abraham by giving this land to you and your descendants.

I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth,[l] because Abraham did everything I told him to do.

Isaac moved to Gerar (E) with his beautiful wife Rebekah. He was afraid that someone might kill him to get her, and so he told everyone that Rebekah was his sister. After Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech looked out a window and saw Isaac hugging and kissing Rebekah. Abimelech called him in and said, “Rebekah must be your wife! Why did you say she is your sister?”

“Because I thought someone would kill me,” Isaac answered.

10 “Don't you know what you've done?” Abimelech exclaimed. “If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!” 11 Then Abimelech warned his people that anyone who even touched Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death.

12 Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The Lord blessed him, 13 and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich. 14 In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned, 15 and they stopped up the wells that Abraham's servants had dug before his death. 16 Finally, Abimelech said, “Isaac, I want you to leave our country. You have become too powerful to stay here.”

17 Isaac left and settled in Gerar Valley, 18 where he cleaned out those wells that the Philistines had stopped up. Isaac also gave each of the wells the same name[m] that Abraham had given to them. 19 While his servants were digging in the valley, they found a spring-fed well. 20 But the shepherds of Gerar Valley quarreled with Isaac's shepherds and claimed the water belonged to them. So this well was named “Quarrel,” because they had quarreled with Isaac.

21 Isaac's servants dug another well, and the shepherds also quarreled about it. So that well was named “Jealous.” 22 Finally, they dug one more well. There was no quarreling this time, and the well was named “Lots of Room,” because the Lord had given them room and would make them very successful.

23 Isaac went on to Beersheba, 24 where the Lord appeared to him that night and told him, “Don't be afraid! I am the God who was worshiped by your father Abraham, my servant. I will be with you and bless you, and because of Abraham I will give you many descendants.” 25 Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. Then he set up camp, and his servants started digging a well.

26 (F) Meanwhile, Abimelech had left Gerar and was taking his advisor Ahuzzath and his army commander Phicol to see Isaac. 27 When they arrived, Isaac asked, “Why are you here? Didn't you send me away because you hated me?”

28 They answered, “We now know for certain that the Lord is with you, and we have decided there needs to be a peace treaty between you and us. So let's make a solemn agreement 29 not to harm each other. Remember, we have never hurt you, and when we sent you away, we let you go in peace. The Lord has truly blessed you.”

30 Isaac gave a big feast for them, and everyone ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning Isaac and the others made a solemn agreement, then he let them go in peace.

32 Later that same day Isaac's servants came and said, “We've struck water!” 33 So Isaac named the well Shibah,[n] and the town is still called Beersheba.[o]

Esau's Foreign Wives

34 When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 But these two women brought a lot of grief to Esau's parents Isaac and Rebekah.

Footnotes

  1. 25.9,10 Hebron: See the note at 23.16-18.
  2. 25.11 The Well … Sees Me: Or “Beer-Lahai-Roi,” (see 16.14).
  3. 25.17,18 sons: Or “descendants.”
  4. 25.17,18 Havilah to Shur … Asshur: The exact location of these places is not known.
  5. 25.20 northern Syria: See the note at 24.10.
  6. 25.23 two separate nations: Or “two nations always in conflict.”
  7. 25.25 Esau: In Hebrew “Esau” sounds like “hairy.”
  8. 25.26 Jacob: In Hebrew “Jacob” sounds like “heel.”
  9. 25.27 of a shepherd: Hebrew “in tents.”
  10. 25.30 Edom: In Hebrew “Edom” sounds like “red.”
  11. 25.31 rights … son: The first-born son inherited the largest amount of property, as well as the leadership of the family.
  12. 26.4 They … on earth: Or “All nations on earth will ask me to bless them.”
  13. 26.18 gave … same name: By doing this Isaac claimed ownership of the wells.
  14. 26.33 Shibah: In Hebrew “Shibah” sounds something like “good luck” and “promise.”
  15. 26.33 Beersheba: Meaning “Well of Good Fortune” or “Peace Treaty Well.”

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