Study Desk

But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.

Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre,

the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with his wife Sarah.

After the death of Abraham God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.

(This is the length of the life of Ishmael, one hundred thirty-seven years; he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.)

They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria; he settled down alongside of all his people.

Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau.

Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister"; for he was afraid to say, "My wife," thinking, "or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance."

When Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw him fondling his wife Rebekah.

So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, "Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death."

(Now the Philistines had stopped up and filled with earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.)

Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names that his father had given them.

So he built an altar there, called on the name of the Lord , and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, "My son"; and he answered, "Here I am."