Genesis 20
1And Abraham traveled from there to the land of the
south, and he dwelt between Kadesh and between
Shur, and he
sojourned in
Gerar.
2And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, ‘She is my
sister,’ and
Abimelech the king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
3And God came to Abimelech in a
dream of the night, and He said to him, ‘Behold you are going to die
because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a married
woman.’
4And Abimelech had not come near to her, and he said, ‘O
Lord, will You kill even a righteous nation?
5Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she, even
she said, 'He is my brother.' With the innocence of my heart and
with the purity of my hands have I done this.’
6And God said to him in a dream, ‘I too know that you did
this with the innocence of your heart, and I too have withheld you
from sinning to Me; therefore, I did not let you touch her.
7And now, return the man's wife, because he is a
prophet,
and he will pray for you and [you will] live; but if you do not
return [her], know that you will surely die, you and all that is
yours.’
8And Abimelech arose early in the morning, and he
summoned all his servants, and he spoke all these words in their
ears; and the men were very frightened.
9And Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, ‘What
have you done to us, and what have I sinned against you, that you
have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Deeds that are
not done, you have done to me.’
10And Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What did you see, that
you did this thing?’
11And Abraham said, ‘For I said, 'Surely, there is no
fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.
12And also, indeed, she is my sister, the daughter of my
father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
13And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from
my father's house, that I said to her: This is your kindness, which
you shall do with me: whither we come, say about me, 'He is my
brother.'‘
14And Abimelech took flocks and cattle and menservants
and maidservants, and he gave [them] to Abraham, and he restored to
him his wife Sarah.
15And Abimelech said, ‘Here is my land before you;
wherever it pleases you, you may dwell.’
16And to Sarah he said, ‘Behold I have given a thousand
pieces of silver to your brother; behold it is to you a covering of
the eyes for all who are with you, and with all you shall contend.’
17And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and
his wife and his handmaids, and they gave birth.
18For the Lord had shut every womb of Abimelech's household, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
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