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Abraham's Deception

¹ Now Abraham journeyed from ^(C1)there toward ^(C2)the Negev (the South country), and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived temporarily in ^(C3)Gerar.² Abraham ^(F1)said again of Sarah his wife, "^(C1)She is my sister." So ^(F2)(C2)Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took ^(F3)Sarah into his harem.^3 (C1)But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night, and said, "Behold, ^(C2)you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken as your wife, for she is another man's wife."⁴ Now Abimelech had not yet come near her; so he said, "Lord, ^(C1)will you kill a people who are righteous and innocent and blameless regarding Sarah?⁵ "Did Abraham not tell me, 'She is my sister?' And she ^(C1)herself said, 'He is my brother.' In ^(C2)the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this."⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, for it was I who ^(C1)kept you back and spared you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not give you an opportunity to touch her.⁷ "So now return the man's wife, for ^(C1)he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her to him, know that you shall die, you and all who are yours (your household)."

⁸ So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things; and the men were terrified.^9 (C1)Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I offended you that you have brought on me and my kingdom ^(C2)a great sin? You have done to me what ought not to be done to anyone."¹⁰ And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What have you encountered or seen in us or our customs, that you have done this unjust thing?"¹¹ Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely there is no ^(C1)fear or reverence of God in this place, and ^(C2)they will kill me because of my wife.'¹² "Besides, she actually is my half sister; she is the daughter of my father Terah, but not of my mother; and she became my wife.¹³ "When ^(C1)God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, 'This kindness and loyalty you can show me: at every place we stop, ^(C2)say of me, "He is my brother."'"¹⁴ Then ^(C1)Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him as God commanded.¹⁵ So Abimelech said, "^(C1)Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please."¹⁶ Then to Sarah he said, "Look, I have given this ^(C1)brother of yours a ^(F1)thousand pieces of silver; it is to compensate you for all that has happened and to vindicate your honor before all who are with you; before all men you are cleared and compensated."¹⁷ So ^(C1)Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, and they again gave birth to children,^18 (C1)for the LORD had securely closed the wombs of all the women in Abimelech's household because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. ^(VR1)