Genesis 20
20
1 Abraham advanced from there into the southern land, and he lived between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.
2 And he said about his wife Sarah: "She is my sister." Therefore, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for her and took her.
3 Then God came to Abimelech through a dream in the night, and he said to him: "Lo, you shall die because of the woman that you have taken. For she has a husband."
4 In truth, Abimelech had not touched her, and so he said: "Lord, would you put to death a people, ignorant and just?
5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and did she not say, 'He is my brother?' In the sincerity of my heart and the purity of my hands, I have done this."
6 And God said to him: "And I know that you have acted with a sincere heart. And therefore I kept you from sinning against me, and I did not release you to touch her.
7 Now therefore, return his wife to the man, for he is a prophet. And he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you are not willing to return her, know this: you shall die a death, you and all that is yours."
8 And immediately Abimelech, rising up in the night, called all his servants. And he spoke all these words in their hearing, and all the men were very afraid.
9 Then Abimelech called also for Abraham, and he said to him: "What have you done to us? How have we sinned against you, so that you would bring so great a sin upon me and upon my kingdom? You have done to us what you ought not to have done."
10 And remonstrating him again, he said, "What did you see, so that you would do this?"
11 Abraham responded: "I thought to myself, saying: Perhaps there is no fear of God in this place. And they will put me to death because of my wife.
12 Yet, in another way, she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother, and I took her as a wife.
13 Then, after God led me out of my father's house, I said to her: 'You will show this mercy to me. In every place, to which we will travel, you will say that I am your brother.' "
14 Therefore, Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men servants and women servants, and he gave them to Abraham. And he returned his wife Sarah to him.
15 And he said, "The land is in your sight. Dwell wherever it will please you."
16 Then to Sarah he said: "Behold, I have given your brother one thousand silver coins. This will be for you as a veil for your eyes, to all who are with you and wherever you will travel. And so, remember that you were taken."
17 Then when Abraham prayed, God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they gave birth.
18 For the Lord had closed every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.
Genesis 20
20
Abraham and Sarah visit Gerar
1Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the arid southern plain, and he settled as an immigrant in Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur. 2Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She’s my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar took her into his household.
3But God appeared to Abimelech that night in a dream and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of this woman you have taken. She is a married woman.”
4Now Abimelech hadn’t gone near her, and he said, “Lord, will you really put an innocent nation to death? 5Didn’t he say to me, ‘She’s my sister,’ and didn’t she—even she—say, ‘He’s my brother’? My intentions were pure, and I acted innocently when I did this.”
6God said to him in the dream, “I know that your intentions were pure when you did this. In fact, I kept you from sinning against me. That’s why I didn’t allow you to touch her. 7Now return the man’s wife. He’s a prophet; he will pray for you so you may live. But if you don’t return her, know that you and everyone with you will die!”
8Abimelech got up early in the morning and summoned all of his servants. When he told them everything that had happened, the men were terrified. 9Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that you have brought this terrible sin to me and my kingdom, by doing to me something that simply isn’t done?” 10Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking when you did this thing?”
11Abraham said, “I thought to myself, No one reveres God here and they will kill me to get my wife. 12She is, truthfully, my sister—my father’s daughter but not my mother’s daughter—and she’s now my wife. 13When God led me away from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is the loyalty I expect from you: in each place we visit, tell them, “He is my brother.”’”
14Abimelech took flocks, cattle, male servants, and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and Abimelech returned his wife Sarah. 15Abimelech said, “My land is here available to you. Live wherever you wish.” 16To Sarah, he said, “I’ve given your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It means that neither you nor anyone with you has done anything wrong. Everything has been set right.” 17Abraham prayed to God; and God restored Abimelech, his wife, and his women servants to health, and they were able to have children. 18Because of the incident with Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had kept all of the women in Abimelech’s household from having children.
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