own remote
habitations.

CHAPTER 17. Concerning The Death Of Abraham.

A Little while after this Abraham died. He was a man of incomparable
virtue, and honored by God in a manner agreeable to his piety towards
him. The whole time of his life was one hundred seventy and five years,
and he was buried in Hebron, with his wife Sarah, by their sons Isaac
and Ismael.

CHAPTER 18. Concerning The Sons Of Isaac, Esau And Jacob; Of Their
Nativity And Education.

1. Now Isaac's wife proved with child, after the death of Abraham; [30]
and when her belly was greatly burdened, Isaac was very anxious, and
inquired of God; who answered, that Rebeka should bear twins; and
that two nations should take the names of those sons; and that he who
appeared the second should excel the elder. Accordingly she, in a little
time, as God had foretold, bare twins; the elder of whom, from his head
to his feet, was very rough and hairy; but the younger took hold of his
heel as they were in the birth. Now the father loved the elder, who was
called Esau, a name agreeable to his roughness, for the Hebrews call
such a hairy roughness [Esau, [31] or] Seir; but Jacob the younger was
best beloved by his mother.

2. When there was a famine in the land, Isaac resolved to go into Egypt,
the land there being good; but he went to Gerar, as God commanded him.
Here Abimelech the king received him, because Abraham had formerly lived
with him, and had been his friend. And as in the beginning he treated
him exceeding kindly, so he was hindered from continuing in the same
disposition to the end, by his envy at him; for when he saw that God was
with Isaac, and took such great care of him, he drove him away from
him. But Isaac, when he saw how envy had changed the temper of Abimelech
retired to a place called the Valley, not far from Gerar: and as he
was digging a well, the shepherds fell upon him, and began to fight, in
order to hinder the work; and because he did not desire to contend, the
shepherds seemed to get the him, so he still retired, and dug another
and when certain other shepherds of Abimelech began to offer him
violence, he left that also, still retired, thus purchasing security to
himself a rational and prudent conduct. At length the gave him leave
to dig a well without disturbance. He named this well Rehoboth, which
denotes a large space; but of the former wells, one was called Escon,
which denotes strife, the other Sitenna, name signi