Genesis 20

1 And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.

Abraham traveled towards the Negev, staying between Kadesh and Shur. After that he moved on to live in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

During his time there, when Abraham told people about his wife Sarah, he said, “She's my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her to become one of his wives.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou are but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou have taken, for she is a man's wife.

But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “Listen! You're going to die because the woman you've taken is already married—she has a husband.”

4 Now Abimelech had not come near her. And he said, Lord, will thou slay even a righteous nation?

Abimelech hadn't touched Sarah, and he asked, “Lord, do you kill good people?

5 Did he not himself say to me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.

Didn't Abraham tell me himself, ‘She's my sister,’ and didn't Sarah also say, ‘He's my brother’? I did this in all innocence—my conscience is clear!”

6 And God said to him in the dream, Yes, I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou have done this. And I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow thee to touch her.

God told him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this in all innocence, so I prevented you from sinning against me. That's why I didn't let you touch her.

7 Now therefore restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shall live. And if thou do not restore her, know thou that thou shall surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Send the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you don't send her back to him, you should know for sure that you and all your family will die.”

8 And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. And the men were exceedingly afraid.

Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants together. He explained everything that had happened, and they were all terrified.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, What have thou done to us? And in what have I sinned against thee, that thou have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.

Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and asked him “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you should treat me like this, bringing this terrible sin on me and my kingdom? You've done things to me that no one should ever do!”

10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, What did thou see, that thou have done this thing?

Then Abimelech asked Abraham “What were you thinking when you did this?”

11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

“Well, I thought to myself, ‘Nobody respects God in this place. They'll kill me just to get my wife,’” Abraham replied.

12 And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

“Anyway, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father but not my mother, and I married her.

13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, This is thy kindness which thou shall show to me. At every place where we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

Since my God made me move far away from my family home, I told her, ‘If you really love me, then wherever you go with me you must tell people: He's my brother.’”

14 And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored to him Sarah his wife.

Then Abimelech gave Abraham gifts of sheep, cattle, and male and female slaves, and returned his wife Sarah to him.

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee. Dwell where it pleases thee.

Abimelech told him, “Look over my land. You can choose to live anywhere you like.”

16 And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all who are with thee. And in regard to all thou are righted.

Abimelech also told Sarah, “Notice that I'm giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. This is to compensate you for the wrong done to you in the eyes of everyone with you, and to make sure that your name is publicly cleared.”

17 And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants. And they bore sons.

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves, so that they could have children again.

18 For Jehovah had closed up fast all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

For the Lord had made all the women unable to have children because Abraham's wife, Sarah, had been taken.