Genesis 20
20
1And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] journeyed from there toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh (to be consecrated, consecrated, sanctified) and Shur [wall] (wall), and detained (held) in G’rar (a lodging place).
2And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] said of Sarah [Princess] his wife, She [is] my sister: and Avi-melekh (my father is king) king of G’rar (a lodging place) sent, and took Sarah [Princess].
3But God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] came to Avi-melekh (my father is king) in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, youi [are but] a dead man, for the woman which youi hast taken; for she [is] a man’s wife.
4But Avi-melekh (my father is king) had not come near her: and he said, Lord-Adonai [The Father] (Greatest Above All), will youi slay also a righteous nation?
5Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6And God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] said unto him in a dream, Yes, I know that youi did this in the integrity of youri heart; for I also withheld youi from sinning against me: therefore suffered I youi not to touch her.
7Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for youi, and youi shall live: and if youi restore [her] not, know youi that youi shall surely die, youi, and all that [are] yoursi.
8Therefore Avi-melekh (my father is king) rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
9Then Avi-melekh called Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], and said unto him, What hast youi done unto us? and what have I offended youi, that youi hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? youi hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10And Avi-melekh said unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], What [did] youi see, that youi have done this thing?
11And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.
12And yet indeed [she is] my sister; she [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13And it came to pass, when God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This [is] you (i) kindness which youi shall show unto me; at every place to where we shall come, say of me, He [is] my brother.
14And Avi-melekh (my father is king) took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and women servants, and gave [them] unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], and restored him Sarah [Princess] his wife.
15And Avi-melekh (my father is king) said, Behold, my land [is] before youi: dwell where it pleases youi.
16And unto Sarah [Princess] he said, Behold, I have given youri brother a thousand [pieces] of silver: behold, he [is] to youi a covering of the eyes, unto all that [are] with youi, and with all [other]: in this way she was reproved.
17So Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] prayed unto God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered]: and God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] healed Avi-melekh (my father is king), and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bore children.
18For the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Avi-melekh, because of Sarah [Princess] Avraham’s [exalted father/Fly They Will] wife.
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Genesis 20: NMV
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Genesis 20
20
Abraham at Gerar.#Abraham again passes off his wife Sarah as his sister to escape trouble in a foreign land (cf. 12:10–13:1, the J source). The story appears to be from a different source (according to some, E) and deals with the ethical questions of the incident. Gn 26:6–11 is yet another retelling of the story, but with Isaac and Rebekah as characters instead of Abraham and Sarah. 1From there Abraham journeyed on to the region of the Negeb, where he settled between Kadesh and Shur.#Kadesh and Shur: Kadesh-barnea was a major oasis on the southernmost border of Canaan, and Shur was probably the “way to Shur,” the road to Egypt. Gerar was a royal city in the area, but has not been identified with certainty. While he resided in Gerar as an alien, 2Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah. 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him: You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she has a husband. 4Abimelech, who had not approached her, said: “O Lord, would you kill an innocent man? 5Was he not the one who told me, ‘She is my sister’? She herself also stated, ‘He is my brother.’ I acted with pure heart and with clean hands.” 6#Abimelech is exonerated of blame, but by that fact not cleared of the consequences of his act. He is still under the sentence of death for abducting another man’s wife; the consequences result from the deed not the intention. God answered him in the dream: Yes, I know you did it with a pure heart. In fact, it was I who kept you from sinning against me; that is why I did not let you touch her. 7So now, return the man’s wife so that he may intercede for you, since he is a prophet,#Prophet: only here is Abraham explicitly called “prophet,” Hebrew nabi (cf. Ps 105:15). that you may live. If you do not return her, you can be sure that you and all who are yours will die.
8Early the next morning Abimelech called all his servants and informed them of everything that had happened, and the men were filled with fear. 9Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him: “What have you done to us! What wrong did I do to you that you would have brought such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have treated me in an intolerable way. 10What did you have in mind,” Abimelech asked him, “that you would do such a thing?” 11Abraham answered, “I thought there would be no fear of God#Fear of God is the traditional though unsatisfactory rendering of Hebrew yir’at YHWH, literally, “revering Yahweh.” The phrase refers neither to the emotion of fear nor to religious reverence of a general kind. Rather it refers to adherence to a single deity (in a polytheistic culture), honoring that deity with prayers, rituals, and obedience. The phrase occurs again in 26:24; 43:23; and 50:19. It is very common in the wisdom literature of the Bible. in this place, and so they would kill me on account of my wife. 12Besides, she really is my sister,#My sister: marrying one’s half sister was prohibited later in Israel’s history. but only my father’s daughter, not my mother’s; and so she became my wife. 13When God sent me wandering from my father’s house, I asked her: ‘Would you do me this favor? In whatever place we come to, say: He is my brother.’”#Gn 12:13.
14Then Abimelech took flocks and herds and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham; and he restored his wife Sarah to him. 15Then Abimelech said, “Here, my land is at your disposal; settle wherever you please.” 16To Sarah he said: “I hereby give your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This will preserve your honor before all who are with you and will exonerate you before everyone.” 17Abraham then interceded with God, and God restored health to Abimelech, to his wife, and his maidservants, so that they bore children; 18for the Lord had closed every womb in Abimelech’s household on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah.
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