Genesis 20
20
Abraham and Sarah at Gerar
1From there Abraham journeyed toward the region of the Negeb, and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While residing in Gerar as an alien, 2Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” And King Abimelech of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a married woman.” 4Now Abimelech had not approached her; so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent people? 5Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.” 6Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart; furthermore it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7Now then, return the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours.”
8So Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were very much afraid. 9Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that ought not to be done.” 10And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking of, that you did this thing?” 11Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. 12Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, He is my brother.’ ” 14Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him. 15Abimelech said, “My land is before you; settle where it pleases you.” 16To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; it is your exoneration before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” 17Then Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
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Genesis 20: NRSV-CI
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Genesis 20
20
Abraham and Abimelech
Ge 12:10–20; 26:1–11
1Abraham journeyed from there toward the Negev, # Ge 18:1 settled between Kadesh and Shur, and then he sojourned in Gerar. # Ge 26:6 2Then Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” # Ge 26:7 So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for her and took Sarah. # Ge 12:15
3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night # Job 33:15 and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” # Ps 105:14
4Abimelech had not gone near her, and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation? # Ge 18:23–25; 1Ch 21:17 5Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and did not even she herself say, ‘He is my brother’? In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” # 1Ki 9:4; Ps 7:8
6And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart, for I also kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore, I did not let you touch her. # 1Sa 25:26, 34 7Therefore return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet and he will pray for you. # 1Sa 7:5; Job 42:8 Moreover, you will live. However, if you do not return her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours.”
8So Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants and told them all these things, and the men were very afraid. 9Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you that you would bring on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that should not have been done.” # Ge 12:18; 26:10 10Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking of, that you did this thing?”
11Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife. # Ge 12:12; 26:7 12Still, indeed, she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. She became my wife. # Ge 11:29 13When God caused me to travel from my father’s house, # Ge 12:1, 9 I said to her, ‘This is your kindness which you must show me: Every place where we go, say concerning me, He is my brother.’ ”
14Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, # Ge 12:16 and returned his wife Sarah to him. 15And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever it pleases you.” # Ge 13:9; 34:10
16To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand shekels of silver. # 20:16 About 25 pounds, or 12 kilograms. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”
17So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children. # Jas 5:16 18For the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. # Ge 12:17
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version
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