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Sarah Rescued from Abimelech

¹ From there Abraham traveled to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,^{(C1) 2} Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.”^(C1) So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

³ But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”^(F1)

⁴ Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would you destroy a nation even though it is innocent? ⁵ Didn’t he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with a clear conscience^(F1) and clean^(F2) hands.”

⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience.^(F1) I have also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I have not let you touch her. ⁷ Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet,^(C1) and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”

⁸ Early in the morning Abimelech got up, called all his servants together, and personally^(F1) told them all these things, and the men were terrified.

⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, “What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.”^{(C1) 10} Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What made you do this?”

¹¹ Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place.^(C1) They will kill me because 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 wander from my father’s house,^(C1) I said to her: Show your loyalty to me wherever we go and say about me: ‘He’s my brother.’”^(C2)

¹⁴ Then Abimelech took flocks and herds and male and female slaves, gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him. ¹⁵ Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you.^(C1) Settle wherever you want.”^{(F1) 16} And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It is a verification of your honor^(F1) to all who are with you. You are fully vindicated.”

¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God,^(C1) and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they could bear children, ¹⁸ for the Lord had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.