20Now Abraham moved on from there^u into the region of the Negev^v and lived between Kadesh^w and Shur.^x For a while^y he stayed in Gerar,^z ²and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.^a” Then Abimelek^b king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.^c

³But God came to Abimelek^d in a dream^e one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead^f because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”^g

⁴Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?^h ⁵Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,ⁱ’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience^j and clean hands.^k”

⁶Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept^l you from sinning against me.^m That is why I did not let you touch her. ⁷Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet,ⁿ and he will pray for you^o and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”^p

⁸Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid.

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Cross references

u Ge 18:1
vSee Ge 12:9
wSee Ge 14:7
xSee Ge 16:7
y Ge 26:3
z Ge 26:1, 6, 17
aver 12; See Ge 12:13
bver 14; Ge 21:22; 26:1
cSee Ge 12:15
d Nu 22:9, 20
e Ge 28:12; 31:10, 24; 37:5, 9; 40:5; 41:1; Nu 12:6; Dt 13:1; Job 33:15; Da 2:1; 4:5
f Ex 10:7; 12:33; Ps 105:38
gver 7; Ge 26:11; 1 Ch 16:21; Ps 105:14
hSee Ge 18:25
iSee Ge 12:19
jSee Ge 17:1
k Ps 7:8; 25:21; 26:6; 41:12
l 1 Sa 25:26, 34
mSee Ge 13:13; Ps 41:4; 51:4
n Dt 18:18; 34:10; 2 Ki 3:11; 5:3; 1 Ch 16:22; Ps 105:15
over 17; Ex 8:8; Nu 11:2; 12:13; 1 Sa 7:5; 1 Ki 13:6; Job 42:8; Jer 18:20; 37:3; 42:2
pSee ver 3; See Ps 9:5