Genesis 20:1-18 (New American Standard)
View In My BibleAbraham's Treachery
1 Now Abraham journeyed from 1there toward the land of 2the aNegev, and bsettled between Kadesh and Shur ; then he sojourned in 3Gerar. 2 Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "4She is my sister." So 5Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 6But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, 7you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is cmarried ." 4 Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, 8will You slay a nation, even though dblameless ? 5 "Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister '? And she 9herself said, 'He is my brother.' In 10the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my ehands 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 f11kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 "Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for 12he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours." 8 So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing ; and the men were greatly frightened. 9 13Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And ghow have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom 14a great sin ? You have done to me hthings that ought not to be done." 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What have you iencountered, that you have done this thing ?" 11 Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely there is no 15fear of God in this place, and 16they 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 17God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is jthe kindness which you will show to me: keverywhere we go, 18say of me, "He is my brother.""' 14 19Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants , and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him. 15 Abimelech said, "20Behold, my land is before you; lsettle wherever myou please ." 16 To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your 21brother a thousand pieces of silver ; behold, it is nyour vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared." 17 22Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children. 18 23For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. All rights reserved. (New American Standard Version - Holy Bible)
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