Genesis 20

1 Abraham advanced from there into the southern land, and he lived between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.

And Abraham went on his way from there to the land of the South, and was living between Kadesh and Shur, in Gerar.

2 And he said about his wife Sarah: “She is my sister.” Therefore, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for her and took her.

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

3 Then God came to Abimelech through a dream in the night, and he said to him: “Lo, you shall die because of the woman that you have taken. For she has a husband.”

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

4 In truth, Abimelech had not touched her, and so he said: “Lord, would you put to death a people, ignorant and just?

Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, Lord, will you put to death an upright nation?

5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and did she not say, ‘He is my brother?’ In the sincerity of my heart and the purity of my hands, I have done this.”

Did he not say to me himself, She is my sister? and she herself said, He is my brother: with an upright heart and clean hands have I done this.

6 And God said to him: “And I know that you have acted with a sincere heart. And therefore I kept you from sinning against me, and I did not release you to touch her.

And God said to him in the dream, I see that you have done this with an upright heart, and I have kept you from sinning against me: for this reason I did not let you come near her.

7 Now therefore, return his wife to the man, for he is a prophet. And he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you are not willing to return her, know this: you shall die a death, you and all that is yours.”

So now, give the man back his wife, for he is a prophet, and let him say a prayer for you, so your life may be safe: but if you do not give her back, be certain that death will come to you and all your house.

8 And immediately Abimelech, rising up in the night, called all his servants. And he spoke all these words in their hearing, and all the men were very afraid.

So Abimelech got up early in the morning and sent for all his servants and gave them word of these things, and they were full of fear.

9 Then Abimelech called also for Abraham, and he said to him: “What have you done to us? How have we sinned against you, so that you would bring so great a sin upon me and upon my kingdom? You have done to us what you ought not to have done.”

Then Abimelech sent for Abraham, and said, What have you done to us? what wrong have I done you that you have put on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? You have done to me things which are not to be done.

10 And remonstrating him again, he said, “What did you see, so that you would do this?”

And Abimelech said to Abraham, Why did you do this thing?

11 Abraham responded: “I thought to myself, saying: Perhaps there is no fear of God in this place. And they will put me to death because of my wife.

And Abraham said, Because it seemed to me that there was no fear of God in this place, and that they might put me to death because of my wife.

12 Yet, in another way, she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother, and I took her as a wife.

And, in fact, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:

13 Then, after God led me out of my father’s house, I said to her: ‘You will show this mercy to me. In every place, to which we will travel, you will say that I am your brother.’”

And when God sent me wandering from my father's house, I said to her, Let this be the sign of your love for me; wherever we go, say of me, He is my brother.

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

Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and oxen and men-servants and women-servants, and gave him back his wife Sarah.

15 And he said, “The land is in your sight. Dwell wherever it will please you.”

And Abimelech said, See, all my land is before you; take whatever place seems good to you.

16 Then to Sarah he said: “Behold, I have given your brother one thousand silver coins. This will be for you as a veil for your eyes, to all who are with you and wherever you will travel. And so, remember that you were taken.”

And he said to Sarah, See, I have given to your brother a thousand bits of silver so that your wrong may be put right; now your honour is clear in the eyes of all.

17 Then when Abraham prayed, God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they gave birth.

Then Abraham made prayer to God, and God made Abimelech well again, and his wife and his women-servants, so that they had children.

18 For the Lord had closed every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

For the Lord had kept all the women of the house of Abimelech from having children, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.