Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech

1And Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev, and he dwelt between Kadesh and between Shur, and he sojourned in Gerar. 2And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

3And God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken—and she is married to a husband.”

4And Abimelech has not come near her, and he said, “Lord, will You slay even a righteous nation? 5Did not he say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and in the innocence of my hands I have done this.”

6And God said to him in the dream, “Indeed, I myself knew that you did this in the integrity of your heart, and I withheld you, indeed I, from sinning against Me; upon thus I did not let you touch her. 7And now 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 return her, know that you will surely die—you and all that is yours.”

8And Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants, and he told all these words in their ears; and the men were exceedingly afraid.

9And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Deeds that are not to be done, you have done to me.” 10And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you have done this thing?”

11And Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife.’ 12And indeed she is also 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 the house of my father, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: In every place where we go there, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

14And Abimelech took flock, and cattle, and menservants, and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham, and he returned to him Sarah his wife. 15And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell wherever is good in your eyes.” 16And to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver† to your brother; behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes, to all who are with you, and before all you are vindicated.”

17And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants, and they bore children. 18For YHWH had completely closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah the wife of Abraham.