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Abraham's Treachery

¹ Now Abraham journeyed from ^(C1)there toward the land of ^(C2)the ^(F1)Negev, and ^(F2)settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived for a time in ^(C3)Gerar.² And Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "^(C1)She is my sister." So ^(C2)Abimelech king of Gerar sent men and took Sarah.^3 (C1)But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, ^(C2)you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is ^(F1)married."⁴ Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, ^(C1)will You kill a nation, even though ^(F1)blameless?⁵ "Did he himself not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she ^(C1)herself said, 'He is my brother.' In ^(C2)the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my ^(F1)hands I have done this."⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also ^(F1)(C1)kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.⁷ "Now then, 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, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours."

⁸ So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ^(F1)presence; and the people were greatly frightened.^9 (C1)Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And ^(F1)how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom ^(C2)a great sin? You have done to me ^(F2)things that ought not to be done."¹⁰ And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What have you ^(F1)encountered, that you have done this thing?"¹¹ Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely there is no ^(C1)fear of God in this place, and ^(C2)they will kill me because of my wife.¹² "Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife;¹³ and it came about, when ^(C1)God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is ^(F1)the kindness which you will show to me: ^(F2)everywhere we go, ^(C2)say of me, "He is my brother."'"^14 (C1)Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him.¹⁵ Abimelech said, "^(C1)Behold, my land is before you; ^(F1)settle wherever ^(F2)you please."¹⁶ To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given your ^(C1)brother a thousand pieces of silver. ^(F1)It is ^(F2)your vindication before all who are with you, and before everyone you are cleared."¹⁷ Then ^(C1)Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to children.^18 (C1)For the LORD had completely closed all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.