Genesis 20:1–18

Abraham and Abimelech

20And Abraham journeyed from ^athere to the South, and dwelt between ^bKadesh and Shur, and ^cstayed in Gerar. ²Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ^d“She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and ^etook Sarah.

³But ^fGod came to Abimelech ^gin a dream by night, and said to him, ^h“Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is ¹a man’s wife.”

⁴But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, ⁱwill You slay a righteous nation also? ⁵Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ ^jIn the ²integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

⁶And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For ^kI also withheld you from sinning ^lagainst Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; ^mfor he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, ⁿknow that you shall surely die, you ^oand all who are yours.”

⁸So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. ⁹And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I ³offended you, ^pthat you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me ^qthat ought not to be done.” ¹⁰Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”

¹¹And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely ^rthe fear of God is not in this place; and ^sthey will kill me on account of my wife. ¹²But indeed ^tshe is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³And it came to pass, when ^uGod caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, ^vsay of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

¹⁴Then Abimelech ^wtook sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵And Abimelech said, “See, ^xmy land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” ¹⁶Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; ^yindeed this ⁴vindicates you ^zbefore all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was ⁵rebuked.

¹⁷So Abraham ^aprayed to God; and God ^bhealed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; ¹⁸for the Lord ^chad closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.