Genesis 20

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

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

2 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.

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

3 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.”

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him: 'Behold, thou shalt die, because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.'

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

Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said: 'Lord, wilt Thou slay even a righteous nation?

5 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!”

Said he not himself unto me: She is my sister? and she, even she herself said: He is my brother. In the simplicity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this.'

6 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.

And God said unto him in the dream: 'Yea, I know that in the simplicity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against Me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

7 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.”

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

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

And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears; and the men were sore afraid.

9 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!”

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him: 'What hast thou done unto us? and wherein have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.'

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

And Abimelech said unto Abraham: 'What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?'

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

And Abraham said: 'Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

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

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

13 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.’”

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

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

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

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

And Abimelech said: 'Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.'

16 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.”

And unto 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 that are with thee; and before all men thou art righted.'

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

And Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children.

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

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