Abraham and Sarah Deceive Abimelech

¹ Abraham traveled from Mamre toward the southern territory and lived between Kadesh and Shu. While he was living as a foreigner in Gerar, ² Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.”

Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. ³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night and said to him, “You are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

⁴ Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? ⁵ Didn’t he tell me, ‘She is my sister’? She, even she herself, said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience and innocent hands.”

⁶ God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that with a clear conscience you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow you to touch her. ⁷ Now therefore, return this man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not return her, know for certain that you will die, you and all who are yours.”

Abimelech Returns Sarah

⁸ Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all of his servants and confided all of these things to them. The men were very frightened.

⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that ought not to be done!” ¹⁰ Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking, when you did such a thing?”

¹¹ Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’ ¹² Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³ When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This kindness you can show to me: everywhere that we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

¹⁴ Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham and returned Sarah, his wife to him. ¹⁵ Abimelech said, “My land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.” ¹⁶ To Sarah he said, “I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a covering for all that are with you to see. In the presence of everyone, you are vindicated.”

¹⁷ Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female servants, and they bore children. ¹⁸ For the Lord had thoroughly closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

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