在亞伯拉罕的日子,那地有一次饑荒;這時又有饑荒,以撒就往基拉耳去,到非利士人的王亞比米勒那裏。 1 Now there was a famine in the land--besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time--and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.
你寄居在這地,我必與你同在,賜福給你,因為我要將這些地都賜給你和你的後裔。我必堅定我向你父亞伯拉罕所起的誓。 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.
我要加增你的後裔,像天上的星那樣多,又要將這些地都賜給你的後裔。並且地上萬國必因你的後裔得福─ 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring 26:4 Or ((seed)) all nations on earth will be blessed,
那地方的人問到他的妻子,他便說:「那是我的妹子。」原來他怕說:「是我的妻子」;他心裏想:「恐怕這地方的人為利百加的緣故殺我」,因為她容貌俊美。 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, 「She is my sister,」 because he was afraid to say, 「She is my wife.」 He thought, 「The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.」
他在那裏住了許久。有一天,非利士人的王亞比米勒從窗戶裏往外觀看,見以撒和他的妻子利百加戲玩。 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
亞比米勒召了以撒來,對他說:「她實在是你的妻子,你怎麼說她是你的妹子?」以撒說:「我心裏想,恐怕我因她而死。」 9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, 「She is really your wife! Why did you say, She is my sister?」 Isaac answered him, 「Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.」
亞比米勒說:「你向我們做的是甚麼事呢?民中險些有人和你的妻同寢,把我們陷在罪裏。」 10 Then Abimelech said, 「What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.」
於是亞比米勒曉諭眾民說:「凡沾著這個人,或是他妻子的,定要把他治死。」 11 So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: 「Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.」
當他父親亞伯拉罕在世的日子,他父親的僕人所挖的井,非利士人全都塞住,填滿了土。 15 So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
當他父親亞伯拉罕在世之日所挖的水井因非利士人在亞伯拉罕死後塞住了,以撒就重新挖出來,仍照他父親所叫的叫那些井的名字。 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
基拉耳的牧人與以撒的牧人爭競,說:「這水是我們的。」以撒就給那井起名叫埃色〔就是相爭的意思〕,因為他們和他相爭。 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, 「The water is ours!」 So he named the well Esek, 26:20 ((Esek)) means ((dispute.)) because they disputed with him.
以撒的僕人又挖了一口井,他們又為這井爭競,因此以撒給這井起名叫西提拿〔就是為敵的意思〕。 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 26:21 ((Sitnah)) means ((opposition.))
以撒離開那裏,又挖了一口井,他們不為這井爭競了,他就給那井起名叫利河伯〔就是寬闊的意思〕。他說:「耶和華現在給我們寬闊之地,我們必在這地昌盛。」 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, 26:22 ((Rehoboth)) means ((room.)) saying, 「Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.」
當夜耶和華向他顯現,說:「我是你父親亞伯拉罕的 神,不要懼怕!因為我與你同在,要賜福給你,並要為我僕人亞伯拉罕的緣故,使你的後裔繁多。」 24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, 「I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.」
以撒就在那裏築了一座壇,求告耶和華的名,並且支搭帳棚;他的僕人便在那裏挖了一口井。 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.
亞比米勒,同他的朋友亞戶撒和他的軍長非各,從基拉耳來見以撒。 26 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.
他們說:「我們明明地看見耶和華與你同在,便說,不如我們兩下彼此起誓,彼此立約, 28 They answered, 「We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, There ought to be a sworn agreement between us--between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you
使你不害我們,正如我們未曾害你,一味地厚待你,並且打發你平平安安地走。你是蒙耶和華賜福的了。」 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.」
他們清早起來彼此起誓。以撒打發他們走,他們就平平安安地離開他走了。 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
他就給那井起名叫示巴;因此那城叫做別是巴,直到今日。 33 He called it Shibah, 26:33 ((Shibah)) can mean ((oath)) or ((seven.)) and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba. 26:33 ((Beersheba)) can mean ((well of the oath)) or ((well of seven.))
以掃四十歲的時候娶了赫人比利的女兒猶滴,與赫人以倫的女兒巴實抹為妻。 34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
March 25 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."(Heb. 11:6.) THE faith for desperate days. The Bible is full of such days. Its record is made up of them, its songs are inspired by them, its prophecy is concerned with them, and its revelation has come through them. The desperate days are the stepping-stones in the path of light. They seem to have been God's opportunity and man's school of wisdom. There is a story of an Old Testament love feast in Psalm 107, and in every story of deliverance the point of desperation gave God His chance. The "wit's end" of desperation was the beginning of God's power. Recall the promise of seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sands of the sea, to a couple as good as dead. Read again the story of the Red Sea and its deliverance, and of Jordan with its ark standing mid-stream. Study once more the prayers of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, when they were sore pressed and knew not what to do. Go over the history of Nehemiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Habakkuk. Stand with awe in the darkness of Gethsemane, and linger by the grave in Joseph's garden through those terrible days. Call the witnesses of the early Church, and ask the apostles the story of their desperate days. Desperation is better than despair. Faith did not make our desperate days. its work is to sustain and solve them. The only alternative to a desperate faith is despair, and faith holds on and prevails. There is no more heroic example of desperate faith than that of the three Hebrew Children. The situation was desperate, but they answered bravely, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." I like that," but if not!" I have only space to mention Gethsemane. Ponder deeply its" Nevertheless." "If it is possible....nevertheless!" Deep darkness had settled upon the soul of our Lord. Trust meant anguish unto blood and darkness to the descent of hell─Nevertheless! Nevertheless! Now get your hymn book and sing your favorite hymn of desperate faith. ─Rev. S. Chadwick. "When obstacles and trials seem Like prison walls to be, I do the little I can do And leave the rest to Thee. "And when there seems no chance, no change, From grief can set me free, Hope finds its strength in helplessness, And calmly waits for Thee."