voyce, and kepte myne ordinaunces, my cō∣maundementes, my statutes, and my lawes.
So Isaac dwelt at Gerar. And whan the men of the same place axed him of his wife, he sayde: she is my sister. For he was a∣frayed to saye: she is my wife, (thinkinge thus:) they might slaye me for Rebeccas sake, for she was beutifull to loke vnto. Now whan he had bene there a longe sea∣son, Abimelech the kynge of the Phylisty∣nes loked out at a wyndow, and sawe I∣saac sportinge with Rebecca his wife.
[ B] Then Abimelech called Isaac, and say∣de: Beholde, she is thy wyfe, why saydest thou then: She is my sister? Isaac answered him: I thought, I might peraduenture ha-he died because of her. Abimelech saide: Why hast thou then done this vnto vs? It coude lightly haue come to passe, that some of the people might haue lyen with thy wyfe, and so haddest thou brought synne vpō vs. Thē Abimelech commaunded all the people, and sayde: Who so toucheth this man or his wy∣fe, shal dye the death.
And Isaac sowed in that londe, and foū∣de the same yeare an hundreth buszshels, for the LORDE blessed him. And he became a greate man, wente forth, and grew, tyll he was exceadinge greate, so that he had moch good in shepe and greate catell, and a grea∣te housholde. Therfore had the Philistynes envye at him, and stopped all the welles, that his fathers seruauntes had dygged in the tyme of Abraham his father, and fyl∣led them with earth, In so moch that Abi∣melech also himself sayde vnto him: De∣parte from vs, for thou art farre mightier then we.
[ C] Then departed Isaac from thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And whan he was satled, he caused to dygge vp the welles agayne, that they had dygged vp in his father Abrahās tyme, which the Philistynes had stopte af∣ter the death of Abraham, and he called thē after ye same names that his father had na¦med them withall.
Isaacs seruauntes also dygged in the valley, and there they founde a well of lyuin¦ge water. But the hyrdmen of Gerar stroue with Isaacs hyrdmen, and saide: The water is oures. Then called he the well Eseck, be∣cause they had done him wronge.
Then dygged they another well, and stro¦ue for that also: therfore called he it Sytena. So he gatt him from thence, and dygged another well, for the which they stroue not: th••rfore he called it Rehoboth, and sayde▪ Now hath the LORDE made vs rowme, and letten vs growe in the londe. Afterwar∣de he departed thence vnto Berseba. [ D]
And the LORDE appeared vnto him the same night, and sayde: I am the God of thy father Abraham, feare thou not, for I am with the, and wyll blesse the, and mul∣tiplye thy sede for my seruaunt Abrahams sake. Then buylded he an altare there, and called vpon the name of the LORDE, and pit∣ched his tent there, and there his seruauntes dygged a well.
And Abimelech wente vnto him from Ge¦rar, and Ahusath his frende, and Phicol∣his chefe captayne. But Isaac sayde vnto them: Wherfore come ye to me? seynge ye hate me, and haue put me awaye from you? They sayde: We se with open eyes, that the LORDE is with the, therfore we deuysed that there shulde be an ooth betwixte vs and the, and that we wolde make a bonde with the, that thou do vs no harme, like as we haue not hurte the, and as we haue done nothinge vnto the, but all good, and let the departe in peace.
As for the, thou art ye blessed of the LOR¦DE. Then Isaac made them a feast, and they ate and dronke. And on the morow they a∣rose, and sware one to the other. And Isaac let them go, and they departed from him in peace.
The same daye came Isaacs seruauntes, and tolde him of the well that they had dig¦ged, and sayde vnto him: We haue founde water. And he called it Saba. Therfore is ye cite called Bersaba vnto this daye.