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Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech

¹ Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,² Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

³ One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”⁴ Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?⁵ Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”⁶ Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.⁷ Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”

⁸ Early the next morning Abimelech got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to them all that had happened, the men were terrified.⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”¹⁰ Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What prompted you to do such a thing?”¹¹ Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’¹² Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.¹³ So when God had me journey from my father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you can show your loyalty to me: Wherever we go, say of me: He is my brother.’”

¹⁴ So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham and restored his wife Sarah to him.¹⁵ And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.”¹⁶ And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver^(a). It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—¹⁸ for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.