Genesis 26:1-11

1Now there was 1a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to 2Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2The Lord 3appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 45stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3Sojourn in this land and 6I will be with you and 7bless you, for 8to you and to your 9descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish 10the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 411I will multiply your 12descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your 13descendants all these lands; and 14by your 15descendants all the nations of the earth 16shall be blessed; 5because Abraham 1718obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”

6So Isaac 19lived in Gerar. 7When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “20She is my sister,” for he was 21afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “22the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is 23beautiful.” 8It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘I might die on account of her.’” 1024Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, “He who 25touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”